Ricky Ponting questioned Joe Root's leadership after the England captain's comments following the second Ashes Test.

England slumped to another heavy defeat in Adelaide as Australia cruised into a 2-0 series lead.

The tourists now head to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test in need of a victory to stand any chance of regaining the Ashes. Australia will retain the urn if they win or the match finishes as a draw.

A frustrated Root was critical of his side's display in his post-match media duties, and in particular England's bowlers as Australia accumulated 703 runs across their two innings.

"I think when you look at ball in hand in particular, I don't think we've bowled the right lengths if we're being brutally honest, we needed to bowl fuller," he said.

"As soon as we did in that second innings, we created so many chances and we made it hard work. We need to do that more, we need to get the ball up there, be a bit braver because when we do, we make life difficult."

These comments, however, annoyed former Australia skipper Ponting, who told cricket.au: "I nearly fell off my seat when I heard that!

"Whose job is it then to make them change? Why are you captain then?

"If you can't influence your bowlers on what length to bowl, what are you doing on the field?

"Joe Root can come back and say whatever he likes but if you're captain, you've got to be able to sense when your bowlers aren't bowling where you want them to.

"And if they're not going to listen, you take them off, simple as that.

"Give someone else a chance that is going to do it for you. Or you have a really strong conversation with them on the field to tell them what you need. That's what captaincy is all about."

Ponting also suggested England bowled better when Root was off the field at the start of day four.

"The interesting thing for me is the only time they bowled full in the game was when Joe Root wasn't on the ground," he said.

"The start of day four when they had a meeting on the ground before play started, Ben Stokes took over the captaincy, and that was the only time in the game they pitched the ball up."

Real Madrid playmaker Isco has been unfortunate to miss out on a place in the side, according to Carlo Ancelotti.

Isco, who was signed during Ancelotti's first stint as Madrid coach in 2013, has made just seven appearances under the Italian this season, totalling just 176 minutes.

The midfielder has struggled with fitness in recent seasons and was out of favour under previous boss Zinedine Zidane.

Once an integral part of Madrid's system, Isco has started only nine times in all competitions across the entirety of 2021, making 25 appearances in total, scoring one goal and providing only one assist, having created 22 chances for team-mates.

With Ancelotti persisting with a 4-3-3 formation, down in large part to the superb form of Vinicius Junior on the left flank, Isco has found opportunities hard to come by and has not played since featuring against Granada on November 21. He last started a match in August.

Reports on Monday suggested Isco had tested positive for COVID-19, bringing his 2021 to an end prior to Wednesday's meeting with Athletic Bilbao.

Though Ancelotti did not confirm if these reports were accurate, he did say Isco would not play against Athletic. However, he does not believe the Spain international's chances of regaining his place in Madrid's starting XI are over.

"It is a complicated issue to describe exactly what has happened," Ancelotti told a news conference.

"He hasn't yet had the opportunity to show how good he is, because the team started playing much better. It coincided with Isco not being in the team then, so it's been difficult to get back in the team.

"Nacho is another player [like this], [Federico] Valverde, [Eduardo] Camavinga, Marcelo. These are players who haven't had much playing time because the players playing now are playing really well.

"They've not had the opportunity to show how good they really are. But Isco and the other players I've named are happy carrying themselves in a professional manner, there are no issues, I am not unhappy with any of these players.

"They've accepted that the team are doing really well, and they continue to train and work hard and are waiting for their opportunity.

"Right now, unfortunately, Isco isn't available, because he could have played on Wednesday."

Another player who has been in and out of the team is Eden Hazard. The Belgium forward made his first LaLiga start since September as Madrid drew 0-0 with Cadiz last time out, despite having 36 attempts (the most of any team without scoring since at least 2003-04).

Asked if Hazard could handle the short turnaround, Ancelotti replied: "I have to evaluate the recovery of the player. Yesterday was fine.

"He has done a recovery session like the others, he trains today and then we will evaluate him. It is clear that he is not a winger who plays on the outside, as Vinicius can be, but that he likes the left wing or behind the striker. 

"It is an option that we have, because what I want is for the player to be comfortable in the position he plays."

Ancelotti will be without Luka Modric on Wednesday, with the midfielder still not back in training after contracting coronavirus.

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers labelled Joel Embiid "awesome" after a remarkable 41-point performance in their 108-103 win over the Boston Celtics on Monday.

Embiid finished the game with 41 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and four blocks in a dominant display.

It marked Embiid's third game of at least 40 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four blocks, which is the second-most since blocks became official in 1973-74, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's four.

Embiid also went past Charles Barkley with his sixth career game of at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

"He was awesome," Rivers said at the post-game news conference. “He took his shots. What we talk about with him every day, make or miss, just get your shot. Get the shot you want. I thought he did that.

"I thought Seth [Curry] did that as well. Our execution down the stretch was absolutely perfect. The spacing, I think we got two threes off their spacing out the post. [It] was perfect. That was pretty good.”

Embiid had good support from both Tobias Harris (25 points, seven rebounds and three assists) and Seth Curry (26 points, four rebounds and seven assists).

However, the Cameroonian center got the 76ers over the line with 17 points in the final quarter, including a clutch late shot in the corner under pressure.

"That's a shot that we work on every single day," Embiid said at the post-game news conference. "So that's a shot that I just didn't pull out of nowhere. We worked on it so many times.

"I saw the double team coming, and at that point, there had been a couple of times where I got doubled and we didn't cut quick enough, and I had no passing lanes and I ended up turning the ball over. So, in that situation, I thought I had a great angle and I had been making shots. I thought it was a great shot."

The win improves the 76ers' record to 16-15 but they are still well off the pace set by the Brooklyn Nets (21-9) in the Eastern Conference.

"I gotta do it every night," Embiid said. "Right now, it's a lot tougher because we got a bunch of guys out and haven't been winning. So that was one that we needed."

Joel Embiid inspired the Philadelphia 76ers to a thrilling 108-103 road win over the Boston Celtics with 41 points including 17 in the fourth quarter on Monday.

Embiid's remarkable final period also included a steal from a last-ditch Celtics inbound with 3.9 seconds on the clock and the 76ers leading 106-103.

The 76ers center made 14 of 27 shots from the field (52 percent) and collected 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and four blocks.

Tobias Harris (25 points, seven rebounds and three assists) and Seth Curry (26 points, four rebounds and seven assists) provided good support for Embiid.

Jayson Tatum had a down game for the Celtics, only managing 17 points, while Jaylen Brown scored 30 points with five rebounds and four assists.

Draymond's season-first triple-double

Stephen Curry scored 30 points including four three-pointers but Draymond Green (16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists) stole the show with his first triple-double of the season as the Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings 113-98. Green also had two blocks and two steals.

Dejounte Murray became the first player in San Antonio Spurs history to reach six triple-doubles in one season, with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists as they won 116-92 over the Los Angeles Clippers. Paul George returned from an elbow injury with 25 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Clippers.

Rudy Gobert dominated with 23 points and 21 rebounds as the Utah Jazz improved to 21-9 with a 112-102 win over the Charlotte Hornets. LaMelo Ball (21 points, 11 assists and six rebounds) and Miles Bridges (21 points and 11 rebounds) were good for the Hornets.

Grizzlies cannot win with Morant

Ja Morant could not lift the Memphis Grizzlies upon his return from injury, managing only 16 points in a 102-99 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who had rookie Josh Giddey (19 points and 11 assists) impress. The Grizzlies bizarrely went 10-2 without Morant during his three-week absence, having been 9-10.

The National Hockey League will begin its Christmas break early due to coronavirus-related postponements. 

The league announced Monday that it will pause games for five days beginning Wednesday, with the schedule set to resume December 27. 

With that move, the final games before the break are set for Tuesday, with the Washington Capitals visiting the Philadelphia Flyers and the Vegas Golden Knights hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The other eight games set to be played Tuesday already had been postponed due to COVID-19. 

Four of the five games scheduled for Monday also were postponed, with only the Dallas Stars-Minnesota Wild game taking place. 

The early break will officially wipe out all 19 games scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, all but five of which already had been called off. 

Players are now set to report back to their teams on December 26 for testing, practice and travel. All members of a team's travelling party must have a negative COVID-19 test before entering a team facility upon return. 

Monday's decision came a day after the league said it would pause all games that involved cross-border travel between the United States and Canada, in addition to multiple individual teams being shut down due to positive COVID-19 tests. 

"With the number one priority of maintaining the health and safety of our NHL community, and amid changing and unpredictable conditions, we are determined to remain flexible and adaptable both in terms of scheduling and in adjusting protocols as necessary," the league said in a statement Sunday.   

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George will return for Monday's game against the San Antonio Spurs after a fortnight out with an elbow injury.

George has missed the Clippers' past five games due to a right elbow sprain. He last played on December 6 in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

The seven-time NBA All-Star is averaging 25 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists across 24 games this season.

The 16-14 Clippers, who reached the Western Conference semifinals last season, have not been at full strength all season, with Kawhi Leonard still absent with an ACL knee injury, while Serge Ibaka, Jason Preston, Marcus Morris and Isaiah Hartenstein have all had issues too.

"It's frustrating," Clippers head coach Ty Lue said. "We can't get a rhythm of how we want to play when all of our guys are here.

"But everyone is dealing with the same thing, I am pretty sure ... but just having a chance to have our whole team for five, 10 games, just see how it looks going forward. ... But it is frustrating."

Former NBA Rookie of the Year Ja Morant has returned for the Memphis Grizzlies after more than three weeks out with a left knee sprain.

Morant, who was the second pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, was back in the Grizzlies' starting line-up for Monday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The young gun had not played since he hobbled off in their 132-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on November 26.

The 22-year-old had been averaging 24.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game until the injury. He was shooting at 47.6 percent from the field.

The Grizzlies had remarkably held a 10-2 record in his absence, improving from 9-10 to 19-12 prior to the Thunder game.

In the early part of this year, Morant had been spoken about as a potential Most Improved Player candidate, despite already scoring 19.1 points per game last year – the 36th-most in the league.

The New York Mets believe Buck Showalter is the man who will lead the team back to the postseason after a five-year absence. 

Showalter officially took over as Mets manager on Monday, agreeing to a three-year deal. 

Owner Steve Cohen had announced the hire via Twitter on Saturday. 

"Buck has been one of the best baseball minds for the last two decades and he makes teams better,” Cohen said in a release. "We have a lot of talent on this team and Buck is the right manager to take us to the next level and lead us to sustained success. I am excited he is our new manager."

The 65-year-old Showalter has 20 years of experience managing MLB teams, most recently leading the Baltimore Orioles to three postseason appearances during his stint there from 2010-18. 

He previously managed the Texas Rangers (2003-06), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-2000) and New York Yankees (1992-95). 

A three-time Manager of the Year, Showalter has a career record of 1,551-1,517.

He has twice led teams to the postseason after they had lost more than 90 games the previous years, and the Mets will be hoping for a repeat of that magic after posting just one winning campaign since their last postseason trip in 2016. 

He replaces Luis Rojas, who had his contract option declined after going 103-119 the last two seasons. 

Showalter will be the fifth man to manage the Yankees and Mets, joining Casey Stengel, Yogi Berra, Dallas Green and Joe Torre.

Steve Kerr has been confirmed as the new coach of the United States men's basketball team for 2022-24.

USA Basketball announced the appointment on Monday, with Kerr replacing San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich at the helm. Kerr had been Popovich's assistant on the national team since 2017.

Popovich – a five-time NBA champion with the Spurs – led the US to glory at this year's Tokyo Games, their fourth consecutive Olympic gold.

The team will have a similarly impressive staff moving forward, with Kerr in charge having won the NBA title five times as a player and on three occasions as coach of the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors stood 24-6 for this year ahead of a Monday night game with the Sacramento Kings, as they make another run at the championship. They have improved Kerr's career win percentage to 69.3 – the third-best mark in NBA history. Among coaches with three wins or more, Popovich (66.3 per cent) ranks eighth.

Kerr will be supported by Gonzaga coach Mark Few, the Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra and the Phoenix Suns' Monty Williams.

"I'm incredibly honoured and humbled to represent our country as the head coach for the USA Basketball men's national team," Kerr said in a statement. "It's a thrilling opportunity and I'm excited for the challenge."

Assuming the US qualify, Kerr will be in charge for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens have taken the number of NHL teams to shut down through the holiday break to nine due to coronavirus concerns.

It was announced by the league on Monday that the Blues Jackets' games against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday and Thursday had been postponed.

The Canadiens' games prior to the break had already been called off amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, with a total of 42 games now having been postponed this season.

Developments involving Columbus and Montreal came a day after the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs also shut down through the holiday break.

The Boston Bruins, Nashville Predators, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers had already announced shut-downs.

Cross-border games between the United States and Canadian teams have been postponed through the holiday break due to the concern about travel been the two countries and "the fluid nature of federal travel restrictions".

The NHL and National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) are also discussing the matter of player participation in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

A decision is expected to be announced in the coming days. 

The league has until January 10 to pull out of the Winter Games without being penalised financially, but it retains the right to cancel its plans up until players are scheduled to travel to Beijing in early February.

Xavi has declared it a priority for Barcelona to tie down their bright young stars to new contracts, to stave off the threat of other clubs pouncing.

Ahead of a clash with Sevilla on Tuesday that Xavi described as "a huge opportunity" for Barcelona, the head coach stressed his desire to keep hold of the players coming through the club's ranks.

They are set to form the backbone of Barcelona's first team for years to come, providing they can be retained, and already the club have made serious efforts in that regard.

Pedri recently signed a deal tying him to Barcelona until 2026, and Ansu Fati has committed until 2027.

Nico Gonzalez, described by Xavi on Monday as "a total footballer", has a deal running until 2024, and Gavi is reportedly close to signing a long-term deal that Xavi wants to see get over the line.

Ez Abde joined from Hercules at the end of the last transfer window and went into the Barcelona B squad, but he has recently been featuring in the first team and it may be the case that his contract is soon upgraded to reflect that promotion.

Gavi has been this season's revelation, with the 17-year-old midfielder impressing to such an extent he has already been capped by Spain.

It was pointed out to Xavi on Monday that Gavi is one of the lowest-paid players in the Barcelona squad. The teenager reportedly has a deal that runs until 2023, and Barcelona want to make it a longer-term arrangement.

"We must act to renew him. If necessary, we will put the money together. We cannot lose these players: Nico, Pedri, Ansu, Abde, [Ronald] Araujo. I understand that the club is already working, and it is essential for the team," Xavi said.

Barcelona sit seventh in LaLiga as they prepare to tackle Julen Lopetegui's Sevilla side who are second, six points behind Real Madrid but with a game in hand.

There is the chance for Barcelona to climb to fourth – a Champions League place – with victory at the Sanchez Pizjuan, and Xavi said: "It is a huge opportunity."

The Blaugrana have taken 10 points from a possible 15 since Xavi became coach, stepping in after Ronald Koeman's tenure finally ended.

"It's not bad," he said of that points haul. "Sevilla have done very well. For me, they are an example to follow. Their philosophy and idea of ​​a club, their coach. They are role models.

"Sevilla are direct rivals. I think we are in a good moment. We are happy, I think we understand what we want."

Xavi reasonably felt his team should have done better than post a narrow 3-2 win over Elche on Saturday, given their overwhelming dominance of that game, and he says there is no room for error at this stage of the season.

"Tomorrow is another final and we will go there to win," he said.

"Our game model is to be daring, but Sevilla also want to do that. It will be an extraordinary match."

Carlo Ancelotti said Barcelona were not direct rivals to his Real Madrid team at present, when he spoke last week, and although there was plenty of logic behind that remark, Xavi's team could yet be a factor over the second half of the season.

"We are 16 points behind and that is a huge difference," said Xavi. "We don't rule out anything."

But Xavi concedes Sevilla are in an excellent position, with their weekend win over last season's champions Atletico Madrid confirming that.

Asked whether Sevilla could be champions this season, Xavi said: "Yes, it's clear. They were already a candidate last year.

"If they win tomorrow, they are three points behind the leaders in the middle of the season. Sevilla are a reality. 

"When you see how Lopetegui works, how [sporting director] Monchi works, for me they are an example to follow. They are candidates to win any competition they take part in."