Pat Cummins does not believe Australia opener David Warner's place at the top of the order is under threat for the second Test against India.

Warner failed twice as the tourists were hammered by an innings and 132 runs in the first match of the Border-Gavaskar series in Nagpur.

The 36-year-old had eased the pressure on himself by scoring a magnificent double century in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa at the MCG, and Australia captain Cummins has given his backing to the left-hander.

He said on the eve of the second Test at Arun Jaitley Stadium: "I'm not a selector. I don't think they've had a meeting but I'm sure Davey will be there.

"You saw at the Boxing Day Test when he puts pressure back on the opposition, he's pretty hard to bowl to. You don't get as many bad balls, so he knows that. I'm sure that'd be part of his plan.

"He has been batting really well here. Even in the lead-up, I thought he was fantastic. I know there's a lot of talk about spin bowling through the middle but with that new ball it's sometimes the hardest time to bat as well."

There remains uncertainty over whether paceman Mitchell Starc and all-rounder Cameron Green will be fit to take their place in the side in Delhi on Friday.

The duo have been out with finger injuries and Cummins says the tourists are mulling over their options, with Starc potentially overlooked in favour of a third spinner as Matthew Kuhnemann stands by to make his debut and Ashton Agar awaits his chance.

Asked about playing three spinners, Cummins said: "I think there's a conversation. We'll work that out by the end of today, I hope.

"[Starc] is one of the world's premier bowlers in these types of conditions. We'll see. The wicket looks like it might turn a little bit. I thought last week with two pacers, that attack functioned quite well, but I think whether it's Starcy, another spinner, Scott [Boland], variety in the attack does help."

Cummins said of Green: "Having a right-hander helps and him providing our fifth bowling option also helps. He's a big player. It certainly helps the team function well from batting and bowling.

"You have got to be able to perform as well. He's still coming back from that injury. He's only had [one] session where he's catching with a hard ball. He had a really good session yesterday. We will see how he pulls up."

Antonio Conte is taking a fresh break from his Tottenham duties to continue his recovery from gallbladder surgery.

The head coach had the organ removed at the start of the month after experiencing severe abdominal pain and took a short break from Spurs to begin his recovery.

Conte returned to duties on the training pitch last week before the 4-1 defeat to Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.

He then also took charge for the 1-0 loss to Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday.

However, Conte has since had his recovery progress checked out, and it has been decided he will need more time away from frontline work.

Tottenham said in a statement on Thursday: "Following a routine post-operation check in Italy yesterday, Antonio Conte will remain at his family home to further and fully recover from his recent gallbladder surgery.

"Health is the most important consideration and everyone at the club wishes him well. Cristian Stellini will assume first-team responsibility."

Stellini is Conte's assistant and led the team for their 1-0 win over Manchester City on February 5, while Conte was at home in Turin.

Tottenham have two Premier League home games coming up on successive Sundays, facing West Ham this weekend and Chelsea seven days later.

They then travel to Sheffield United in the FA Cup and to Wolves in the Premier League, before Milan head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the second leg of their last-16 European tie on March 8.

Conte's team sit fifth in the Premier League, two points behind a fourth-placed Newcastle United side who have a game in hand.

LeBron James likes what the new-look Los Angeles Lakers have "brewing" following some shrewd business before last week's trade deadline.

Five players made their home debuts for the Lakers in a 120-102 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt were all in the starting line-up as the rebuilding Lakers moved to 27-32, sitting 13th in the Western Conference.

James made his return from injury after seeing Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones, Patrick Beverley and Thomas Bryant move on.

The Lakers superstar, who scored 21 points after recovering from foot soreness, feels there is a nice blend to the roster after so many changes.

He said: "I think we're going to continue to build off tonight," said James. "I think our skill sets all kind of fit each other."

James expressed his gratitude to the contribution the players who departed made but is happy with the new faces that have arrived.

"First of all, I shout out and salute the guys that left," James said. "Russ, Pat, JTA, DJ and Thomas. Those five guys. We all started the season together and tried to work to make some things happen and be the best that we could be out on the floor.

"So I salute those guys and their commitment to us trying to be as good as we could be on the floor. And right now, I mean, I like the guys that we have coming in. It's going to take some time for us to get to know one another, but I know that they play the game at a high level."

James added heading into the All-Star break: "We got a lot of work to do still. And every game is going to be tough for us, especially going down the stretch, knowing the type of push that we need to make.

"I want the guys to enjoy the break but don't get 100 per cent detached because we want to come back and try to keep this thing going.

"I feel really good about what we have brewing, but it's going to take a lot of commitment from us going down the stretch so I'm looking forward to that."
 

James Anderson struck twice under the lights to put England on top in the first Test against New Zealand after Ben Stokes declared on day one.

Ben Duckett struck a rapid 84 off only 68 balls and Harry Brook made a majestic 89 from 81 deliveries as the tourists put 325 runs on the board from 58.2 overs before Stokes ended the innings at Bay Oval.

The Black Caps were in trouble on 37-3 at stumps in the day-night match in Mount Maunganui, the outstanding Anderson taking 2-10 after Ollie Robinson got rid of Tom Latham.

Tim Southee asked England to bat first at the start of a two-match series that got under way following great work from the ground staff so soon after Cyclone Gabrielle had passed through.

Southee got rid of Zak Crawley early on with the pink ball, but the aggressive Duckett and Ollie Pope put on 99 for the second wicket.

Duckett fell before lunch when he struck debutant Blair Tickner to Michael Bracewell and Pope was dismissed by Southee (2-71) for 42 before Neil Wagner removed Joe Root (14).

England were 209-5 when Scott Kuggeleijn (2-80) claimed the scalp of Stokes on debut, but Brook raced to a 43-ball half-century as he put on 89 with Ben Foakes in quick time.

Brook missed out on making it four hundreds in as many Tests when he dragged on to a delivery from Wagner, who also saw the back of Foakes (38) and Jack Leach before Stokes declared.

Robinson then had Latham caught at short leg, with Anderson generating movement off the seam and through the air as he trapped Kane Williamson leg before and had Henry Nicholls caught by Crawley in the slips.

Devon Conway was still there at the close after being dropped by Crawley on nine and nightwatchman Wagner did his job, but it was England's day.

Duckett and Brook stay in one-day mode

Opener Duckett and Brook have grabbed their chance with both hands after coming into the Test side last year, piling on the runs in a historic 3-0 series win in Pakistan.

Duckett set the tempo at the top of the order, putting the bowlers under pressure as he crashed 14 boundaries in a swashbuckling knock.

Brook then took centre stage once again, showing his class as he found the rope 15 times and struck Tim Southee for a glorious six down the ground.

Anderson puts deadly duo on verge of history

England's legendary duo of Anderson and Stuart Broad came into this match closing in on become the most successful bowling partnership in Test history.

Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath combined to claim 1,001 when they were in the same Australia team.

Two scalps for Anderson moved the evergreen seamer and Broad on to 999, within touching distance of setting a new record.

Joel Embiid is unsure if he will be fit for the All-Star Game on Sunday after making history in the Philadelphia 76ers' win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Embiid scored 29 points, took 14 rebounds and provided five assists as the 76ers beat the Cavaliers 118-112 at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday.

The center became the fastest 76ers player to reach the 10,000 points milestone in his 373rd game, beating the record of 378 that was held by Allen Iverson.

Embiid is due to feature in the All-Star showpiece at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Sunday, but is not certain to showcase his talents due to the sore left foot that has been troubling him.

Asked if he will play this weekend, he replied: "I'm not sure. I'm not healthy. I haven't been healthy for the past three weeks, or a month.

"I was just trying to get to the All-Star break without missing games and stuff. But I feel like I've reached the point where I need to follow the doctor's advice. ... Back then he said I should have been sitting for two weeks, so we'll see how the next few days go, and go from there."

Embiid says the prospect of claiming the MVP award on Sunday as an injury replacement for Kevin Durant will not tempt him to take any risks with his fitness.

"I haven't been healthy," he said. "I've been having this lingering foot issue. According to the doctors, which needs a lot of rest and staying off my feet."

Embiid expressed his pride at reaching a huge milestone.

He added: "It's great. I'm extremely lucky. But then again, I've put in a lot of work to be able to put myself in those positions, no matter what it is on the floor. To be able to make something happen.

"I'm just proud it contributes to winning. It doesn't matter how much you score. As long as you win, that's what matters."

Philadelphia are third in the Eastern Conference, above the Cavaliers at 38-19 after a fourth successive victory.

Mikal Bridges scored a career-high 45 points in his third game for the Brooklyn Nets since his trade for Kevin Durant as they won 116-105 over the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

The Nets had dropped four of their past five games since trading Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, with the injured Durant following him out the exit door last week.

Bridges shot 17-of-24 from the field, making four-of-six from beyond the arc with eight rebounds and five assists.

The Nets became the first team in NBA history to have four players score 45 points or more in a single game in one season.

Cameron Johnson, who also joined the Nets from the Phoenix Suns alongside Bridges, added 18 points with three assists.

The Nets had trailed 56-52 at the main break, but Bridges broke the game open with 15 straight points.

Bridges finished the game with 17 points in the fourth quarter, comfortably eclipsing his previous career-best return of 34 points.

Bam Adebayo had 24 points with 13 rebounds and six assists for the Heat, while Max Strus scored 18 points as the Heat fell to 32-27.

The win lifted the Nets to 34-24, although Ben Simmons' woes continued with only two points, four rebounds and assists in 20 minutes.

Embiid brings up milestone amid double-double

Joel Embiid brought up his 10,000th career as he recorded a double-double as the Philadelphia 76ers won their fourth straight in a 118-112 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Embiid finished with 29 points with 14 rebounds and five assists, while James Harden also managed a double-double with 19 points and 12 assists. Harden assisted and scored in 27 of 38 first-quarter points.

The 76ers led 63-38 at half-time, although Donovan Mitchell fought hard for the Cavaliers, scoring 25 second-half points, before finishing with 33.

LeBron returns as Lakers win

LeBron James scored 21 points on his return after three games out with a foot injury as the Los Angeles Lakers won 120-102 over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Anthony Davis scored a game-high 28 points with 10 rebounds and five assists as the Lakers improved to 27-32 to boost their playoff hopes, while D'Angelo Russell added 21 points. The Lakers never trailed after a 38-point opening quarter.

Brandon Ingram top scored for the Pelicans, still missing Zion Williamson, with 25 points, while Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points with 11 rebounds.

Super Bowl LVII MVP Patrick Mahomes insists the Kansas City Chiefs "ain't done yet" after claiming their second title from the past four seasons with Sunday's 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Chiefs celebrated with their fans on Wednesday with an open-roofed bus parade which culminated at Kansas City's Union Station.

Mahomes vowed on stage at Union Station to the crowd that the Chiefs were only just starting.

"I just want to let you all know that this is just the beginning," Mahomes said.

"We ain't done yet, so I'll make sure to hit y'all back next year and I hope the crowd's the same.

"We're back again. We're back again. Before we started this season, the AFC West said we were rebuilding.

"I'll be honest with you, I don't know what rebuilding means. In our rebuilding year, we're world champs."

Mahomes' latter comment was in reference to expectations that the Chiefs would slip from contention in the 2022 season with wide receiver Tyreek Hill traded to the Miami Dolphins and safety Tyrann Mathieu not re-signed among other changes.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been vocal about those who wrote off the Chiefs and reiterated that sentiment, while insisting this was "the best season of my life" after a career-high 16 touchdowns from 20 starts inclusive of the regular season and playoffs.

"The haters were saying that the Chiefs would never make the playoffs. The haters were saying the Chiefs were done. Done," Kelce said.

"In all reality, this was the best season of my life. I owe it to you guys. I owe it to the guys on this stage. I owe it to everybody… Everybody's asking: Is this a dynasty? It's been a dynasty."

The Chiefs have made the AFC Championship Game in each of the past five seasons, winning on three occasions and losing the other two in overtime.

Carlos Alcaraz overcame a second-set hiccup to win on his return to the ATP Tour over Laslo Djere in the second round at the Argentina Open on Wednesday.

Alcaraz, who rose to the world number one ranking after last year's US Open triumph, won 6-2 4-6 6-2 in two hours and one minute over the Serbian in Buenos Aires.

The match marked top seed Alcaraz's first since losing to Holger Rune in the Paris Masters quarter-finals, having missed last month's Australian Open following abdominal and hamstring injuries.

The Spanish 19-year-old displayed his trademark forehand on occasion, while he was at his tenacious best, saving six of seven break points generated by Djere.

"It's a great feeling to win again," Alcaraz said post-match. "It's been a long time for me with no competition, with no matches, just recovering. Finally, I got my first win of 2023."

Alcaraz will face Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic next after he won 6-3 6-1 over local Camilo Ugo Carabelli.

Second seed Cameron Norrie was pushed for three hours by Argentinian wild card Facundo Diaz Acosta before prevailing 4-6 7-5 7-6 (8-6). Diaz Acosta got within two points of victory on three occasions but could not capitalise.

Norrie will face another Argentinian in the third round, with Tomas Martin Etcheverry progressing with a 4-6 6-1 6-2 win over Roberto Carballes Baena.

Third seed Denis Shapovalov was a shock second-round casualty at the Delray Beach Open after going down in here sets to Michael Mmoh on Wednesday.

The American, who is ranked 87th in the world, triumphed 7-5 3-6 6-3 in two hours and 20 minutes at the event in Florida.

The Canadian committed 30 unforced errors across the match compared to Mmoh's 16. Shapovalov also generated 10 break points but only capitalized on two, while Mmoh converted three of five.

Mmoh will take on countryman Mackenzie McDonald who won 6-3 3-6 6-2 over fifth seed Yoshihito Nishioka.

Fourth seed Miomir Kecmanovic cruised past qualifier Nuno Borges 6-3 7-5, while Marcos Giron also progressed in straight sets over Matija Pecotic.

World Cup winner Paulo Dybala says he has no clue about his future at Roma ahead of their European League tie with RB Salzburg.

The 29-year-old Argentinian forward left Juventus on a free transfer for Roma on a three-year deal last year, but has been linked with Manchester United recently.

Dybala has impressed at the Giallorossi this term, netting 11 goals and providing seven assists in 21 appearances.

However, he reportedly has a €12m (£10.7m) release clause in his contract which could be triggered by clubs outside of Serie A, with Dybala not hosing down the United speculation.

"When it comes to my release clause, as I said before it's something between my agent and the club," Dybala told reporters. "I can't know what's going to happen at the end of the year."

Roma boss Jose Mourinho has also been the topic of speculation lately despite being under contract until 2024.

Dybala hopes Mourinho will remain with the club and is keen to win a trophy under a coach who he calls 'one of the best managers in the world'.

"I don't know what's in my future so you think I have any clue on the manager's future? You need to ask him," Dybala said.

"I can say that I would like to be coached by him because for me he is one of the best managers in the world. I want to win something with him.

"Right now I only think about tomorrow's game. We have to do well because there are still plenty of games to play. As I always said I want to lift a trophy with Roma.

"We have two competitions mathematically to play but realistically maybe just this one to win something. We want to win it and let Roma playing in Champions League next season."

Mourinho downplayed Roma's chances of lifting the trophy, saying it will be tough with Arsenal, Barcelona, Manchester United and Juventus all involved.

"When I talked about sharks coming from the Champions League I referred to teams built to win Champions League but have ended up playing in Europa League," the Portuguese said.

"It's clear that for a team with ambitions to win the Champions League when they find themselves in this competition, they have a lot of pressure on their shoulders.

"Barcelona, Manchester United, Juventus... these teams were not built to win the Europa League but to win the Champions League.

"Obviously, all the pressure is on them. Just like it was last season in the Conference League where we felt the pressure to be one of the most successful teams in the competition. Now they are in this position. Arsenal, Barcelona, Manchester United, Juventus, they are the favourites."

Eduardo Camavinga says "nothing is impossible" as Real Madrid vow to fight for the LaLiga title after Wednesday's 4-0 win over Elche closed the gap to eight points at the top.

Second-placed Madrid trail Barcelona with 17 games to play, having dropped points in four of their previous nine league games while Barcelona have gone on a six-game winning run.

The Blaugrana have not lost in the league since Los Blancos triumphed 3-1 in the Clasico on October 16, opening up a sizable lead at the summit in the meantime.

"Nothing is impossible at this club," Camavinga told reporters. "We saw that last year with the Champions League, we're going to fight to the end to win LaLiga."

Madrid's victory, achieved after a Karim Benzema first-half double along with goals from Marco Asensio and Luka Modric, comes after they lifted the Club World Cup to shake off their unconvincing league form.

"I would like to thank the fans for their support and we're happy with the win," Camavinga added. "The team is in good shape and we're going to keep going.

"This is a difficult month but we're going to give it all we have."

Dani Ceballas, who started and was replaced by Modric in the 68th minute in midfield, said the eight-gap were surmountable.

"It was important to win to match Barcelona's good run," Ceballos said. "Eight points are not insurmountable and this team deserves to fight until the end and that's what we're going to do until the last game."

Vice-captain Nacho added that the win over Elche offered a timely confidence boost.

"A clean sheet and a game full of goals. Couldn't ask for any more," he said. "The team put in a complete performance from the off, despite Elche's current form.

"We needed to take the points to stay in the chase in LaLiga. These three points mean we're still right in the fight."

Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy believes the PGA Tour needs to take a leaf out of the NBA's book and build itself around star athletes.

The 33-year-old Northern Irishman, who has fiercely defended the PGA Tour amid the rise of LIV Golf, said the organisation could look at other professional sports leagues as models to rebuild itself for growth.

The PGA Tour is weighing up format changes like making at least some of the designated events limited-field, no-cut tournaments.

Tiger Woods spoke about the challenges of the PGA Tour's direction on Tuesday ahead of this week's Genesis Invitational in California, with McIlroy weighing in on Wednesday.

"If you look at the NBA's trajectory over the last 20 years, they've built that league around their best players and their stars, not around the 12th guy on the team," McIlroy told reporters.

"But because they've built that league up around the stars, the 12th guy on the team does way better than he used to, so that's sort of the way I've been trying to tell it."

McIlroy insisted that any PGA Tour changes would not "screw" the lower-ranked, bottom-half players who he sensed had concern around format adjustments that could squeeze them out of tournament fields.

"I've had tons of conversations with guys that are worried about what events they're going to play next year and all that," McIlroy said.

"The one thing I said, look, no one's trying to screw the bottom half of the tour here. If anything, we're trying to lift it up.

"The best players should be playing in them because ultimately the PGA Tour needs to be built around the best players because that's what will maximise the value of the product.

"But that doesn't mean that there's not great storylines further down that list, which we're all very cognisant of."

McIlroy can regain his number one ranking at the Genesis Invitational but laughed that status has been passed around "like a hot potato" in recent times, with last week's Phoenix Open winner Scottie Scheffler re-claiming it.

"Yeah, of course I care about it," McIlroy said. "I think it's a really cool thing to be ranked number one in whatever you do, but I think it just goes to show the level of depth and the level of talent that's out here.

"I literally have one average week, it wasn't even a bad week, just an average week, and there's always someone waiting to overtake you or to come and try to take that mantle from you. I think it's a great thing for the game.

"I've got a chance to get it back this week. You know, hopefully it's a bit of a sort of hot potato thing where me, Scottie and Jon [Rahm] sort of pass it around a little bit because it means we're all playing great golf."

Carlo Ancelotti saluted "complete" Karim Benzema after the Real Madrid captain became the club's second-highest LaLiga scorer of all time.

The striker struck twice from the penalty spot in Wednesday's commanding 4-0 win over bottom side Elche, taking his Spanish top-flight tally for the club to 230 goals – surpassing Raul's 228 – with only Cristiano Ronaldo netting more on 311.

Marco Asensio and Luka Modric were also on target as Ancelotti's side closed the gap on league leaders Barcelona to eight points.

And the Italian paid tribute to his in-form number nine, who has now been directly involved in 15 goals in his last 14 appearances for Madrid (12 goals, three assists).

"Karim is not just a striker," the Italian said. "He is very complete, he combines well – today especially with Rodrygo. He is always ready in the area and helps us a lot in possession.

"His career is fantastic and hopefully he can continue. Real Madrid wants him at this level.

"Every game is good to gain confidence. When you win 3-0 and relax, there can be problems and I don't want it. The moment is good. We must maintain this dynamic of concentration and commitment."

Ancelotti also defended his decision to bench Modric, who completed the rout with a wonderful strike 10 minutes from time, as Dani Ceballos, Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde comprised Madrid's three-man midfield.

The head coach highlighted the importance of rotation with his squad aiming to chase down Barca, while a blockbuster Champions League last-16 tie with Liverpool is also on the horizon.

"Modric is untouchable for me and for everyone. Everyone is important, and I have total confidence in everyone," Ancelotti said. "I have to rotate because it's a very demanding season.

"The statistics say that [Toni] Kroos scored against [Athletic] Bilbao when coming off the bench [in last month's 2-0 win] and that, today, Modric has scored coming off the bench. From there, they can contribute goals."

Serie A strugglers Salernitana have appointed Paulo Sousa as their new head coach after parting company with Davide Nicola for the second time in a month.

Nicola was rehired on January 18 just two days after departing the club, but three defeats in four league games since then has led to another parting of the ways.

Salernitana confirmed the news on their official website on Wednesday, with the announcement of Sousa's arrival following moments later.

Sousa takes charge of his 12th different club, and his second in the Italian top flight following a two-year spell at Fiorentina.

The 52-year-old more recently managed Poland at Euro 2020 and spent six months with Flamengo before being dismissed in June.

Salernitana are 16th in Serie A, five points above the relegation zone with 16 games to play.

Fellow strugglers Spezia also parted company with head coach Luca Gotti on Wednesday after collecting just one point from their past four matches.