Nick Kyrgios made an "easy" decision to snub participation in the Davis Cup with Australia but take up the chance to earn a seven-figure sum in Saudi Arabia.

The 27-year-old is competing at the Diriyah Tennis Cup exhibition event in Riyadh, with the three-day, 12-man event coming with a prize of $1million for the winner.

Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt and Australia number one Alex de Minaur have both revealed they tried to persuade Kyrgios to compete in Malaga last month, with their attempts ultimately being in vain.

The Wimbledon finalist referenced the negativity he has endured in his career from his homeland as a reason for his snub, saying participation in the Davis Cup "doesn't really make sense".

Australia ended up finishing as runners-up to Canada.

"Maybe if Australia embraced me a little bit more, I would play it and bring home the trophy. But who knows? At this point of my career, I'll always do what's best for me," Kyrgios told AAP News.

"I can travel around the world playing exhibitions around this time of year for six figures - you know I feel I put myself in that position - so it's an easy one for me.

"I'll easily take time with my family and my girlfriend and enjoy experiences around the world and earn that type of money rather than play a week away in something where I wouldn't be able to be with my girlfriend and I'm not getting paid that well.

"[That] doesn't really make sense to me and my progression as an athlete."

Asked whether he could envisage himself playing in the Davis Cup again, he added: "Maybe, who knows?

"Adding another week in Europe in Malaga wasn't really what was on my wish list. If it was in Australia, maybe it would have been a different story. But who knows?

"It's not always easy for me to erase everything in Australia that's said negatively about me or my family, you don't need that - so it's interesting that they really want me to play, but are always criticising.

"Look, I've always been one of the best players in the world - I’ve always held up my fair share of the bargain towards Australia. 

"I feel like this is the first year I've earned respect when it should have been given when I first came on tour.

"I've represented them, put them on the map, and having produced one of the most successful male years in the last decade for Australia, and am only just getting embraced [now] - I don't think that's my fault."

Raheem Sterling will rejoin England's World Cup squad on Friday ahead of the quarter-final against France after a whistle-stop trip home.

The Chelsea forward travelled to be with his family after an apparent burglary at their house that saw a number of valuable items stolen.

The 28-year-old was not involved in England's last-16 win against Senegal on Sunday, with manager Gareth Southgate saying Sterling was heading home.

An investigation has been launched by Surrey Police after the raid was reported on Saturday.

The force said there had been "no threat of violence... as the items were discovered stolen retrospectively".

The Football Association said in a statement on Thursday: "Raheem Sterling will return to England's World Cup base in Qatar.

"The Chelsea forward temporarily left to attend to a family matter but is now expected to rejoin the squad in Al Wakrah on Friday ahead of the quarter-final with France."

It may mean his return comes too late for Sterling to stand any chance of starting Saturday's game against the defending champions, given he has missed several key training sessions.

Sterling, who turned 28 on Thursday, has scored 20 goals in 81 senior appearances for England. He has one goal so far at this World Cup, netted in the opening 6-2 win against Iran.

Mark Wood returns to the England team in the only change for the second Test and Ollie Pope has been named as wicketkeeper-batter once again as Ben Foakes misses out.

Paceman Wood has recovered from an elbow problem and replaces Liam Livingstone, who suffered a tour-ending knee injury.

Pope took the gloves in a famous victory in the first Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium after Foakes missed out due to illness.

Foakes was available for selection for a second Test that starts at Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday, but the man captain Ben Stokes regards as the best keeper in the world has not been included.

"The selection is just for this Test," captain Ben Stokes said on Thursday. "I'll still keep saying he's [Foakes] the best keeper in the world, so it must sound silly for us to not pick him.

"Adding Mark Wood into the side gives us a better chance of taking 20 wickets.

"We did say to Ben to not take this as anything for the future. We didn't have this on our radar until the illness he unfortunately had before the first Test. This is definitely no sign for his future."

Stokes revealed he has spoken to Ben Duckett about the possibility of taking over from Pope as keeper if he finds the demands of donning the gloves at batting at number too much during the match.

The tourists will be looking to seal a first away Test series win over Pakistan for 22 years.

England team: Crawley, Duckett, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes, Jacks, Robinson, Leach, Wood, Anderson.

Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe would be "completely compatible" as a strike partnership and Mauricio Pochettino would love to see it happen, he revealed ahead of England's World Cup clash with France.

Pochettino has coached both players, as boss of Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain, and would love to work with Kane again one day, should the England captain seek to leave Spurs.

Argentinian Pochettino will be a neutral when England and France go head-to-head at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday, but his experience of coaching the two chief goal threats on each side means he has a vested interest.

He says both Kane and Mbappe "genuinely love the game", unlike some players he has come across.

"They love to talk about football, they love to talk about tactics, they have brains that really understand football. And this is why I think it would be so good to see them playing together. They would be completely compatible," Pochettino said.

He predicted an "amazing" connection, but stressed: "Maybe it will never happen; when I was at PSG, I knew Tottenham would never want to sell Harry."

Pochettino is not working as a coach in this instant, but he is regularly linked with top jobs when vacancies arise, and he said that "maybe one day in the future, if I am at a different club, and if Harry has decided to leave Tottenham, maybe I would try to bring Harry with me".

He credits Kane as having "saved my career" with a free-kick winner for Tottenham at Aston Villa in November 2014, and recalled nurturing the talent of "an old-fashioned number nine" to become the multi-faceted striker the England skipper is now.

Pochettino told The Athletic he and his coaching staff helped Kane "to run, helped him to press, and to move into different areas, using different spaces on the pitch.

"So he was a player who could play in the box or outside it, because his capacity to understand the game is amazing. He senses what the team needs, and when it’s under pressure he can drop into midfield, to help the team to progress the ball up the pitch or to provide assists.

"And if Harry drops into those positions in the World Cup quarter-final on Saturday, it will be difficult for France to stop."

 

Pochettino says that "constantly" dipping into midfield duties can also be a problem for Kane, given it blunts his frontline threat, and urged him to prioritise his work inside the penalty area.

Mbappe is the World Cup's leading scorer with five goals at Qatar 2022, and the 23-year-old has been in revelatory form, bringing his peak PSG game to the international stage.

Although Mbappe might rub some up the wrong way with his showmanship and imperious personality, Pochettino says it is "impossible not to" have a big ego when a footballer is given such acclaim, and he stressed the former Monaco player is "arrogant in the right, in the best way"

Offering high praise, Pochettino likened Mbappe to the great Brazilian Ronaldo, top scorer at the 2002 World Cup for the triumphant Selecao.

"It's in that capacity to accelerate, the technique, to dribble past opponents and score," Pochettino said.

 

Klay Thompson admitted he "fell asleep" as the Utah Jazz produced a stunning finish to snatch a dramatic 124-123 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.

The Warriors roared back from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to lead by four with only 13.3 seconds to play at Vivint Arena.

Golden State paid the price for switching off in the closing stages, though, leaving Malik Beasley on his own in the right corner to give him the chance to land a three-pointer.

Simone Fontecchio then came up with a decisive dunk with 1.4 seconds to go after Utah forced a turnover from Jordan Poole.

Thompson held his hands up for not paying close attention to Beasley.

"I just fell asleep," Thompson said. "I watched the ball handler get to the rim rather than sticking on the three-point shooter. That was a dreadful mistake by myself."

Poole, who scored 36 points and provided eight assists, was at a loss to explain what happened late on.

"I heard on the catch, 'Look for the foul on the ball'," Poole said. "I don't really know [what happened], to be honest."

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr expects his team to learn from a shattering defeat.

"I feel terrible for our guys because they fought and they did a lot of great things, but we have to close the door," Kerr said.

"I thought [we] really fought and earned the right to win the game, and then we didn't close. And you've got to close.

"You've got to be rock solid with the ball. You've got to be smart defensively. We were neither of those things the last 13 seconds."

Golden State are 10th in the Western Conference at 13-13 after back-to-back losses, with the 15-12 Jazz four places above them.

Desmond Bane faces longer than expected on the sidelines after it was revealed the Memphis Grizzlies guard may not play again until January.

Struck down by a toe injury, it had been announced on November 15 that the Grizzlies would be without Bane for up to three weeks, but the wait goes on for his return.

An update from the team on Tuesday disclosed he faces up to a further four weeks out of action, and that is provided the toe reacts as the Grizzles hope it will to a gradual recovery process.

Bane has a big toe sprain and a sesamoid injury, which refers to a bone embedded within a tendon or muscle.

He sustained the toe sprain during a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 11.

In a statement, the Grizzlies said: "Upon re-evaluation, Desmond Bane is progressing in his rehabilitation from a right big toe sprain and sesamoid injury and has been cleared to begin a gradual re-loading protocol.

"If the toe responds positively to the re-loading protocol, a return to play is projected in 3-4 weeks."

Bane is averaging a career-high 24.7 points, 4.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game for Memphis in an impressive season to date. The team sit third in the Western Conference with a 16-9 record.

Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar refused to use injury as an excuse after his side were routed 4-0 by the NHL-leading Boston Bruins on Wednesday.

The short-handed Avs slumped to their third straight loss amid a swathe of injuries that have hit the squad, forcing them to call up Cal Burke, Ben Meyers, Sampo Ranta and Andreas Englund from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL.

Colorado, who won last season's Stanley Cup, have used a league-high 34 players this season.

"Listen, if you're quitting, you shouldn't be in the league," Bednar told reporters. "It's a privilege to play in this league.

"It's not always going to be easy. It's a hard game. That's one. Moral victories? We’re going to take it, and we’re going to teach it.

"If this group stays the exact same moving forward for the next one game, two games, five games, I expect us to be better the next game.

"They're going to learn as a group, what it takes to be able to play in this league, what it takes to be able to have success in this league."

For the Bruins, the win improved their overall record to 21-3-1, with Taylor Hall scoring twice along with David Pastrnak and Trent Frederic adding goals. Goaltender Linus Ullmark stopped 23 shots.

Boston's 14-game NHL-record home win streak had come to an end on Monday with a 4-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, with coach Jim Montgomery delighted with Wednesday's response at altitude in Denver.

"Just the response we had after losing the game and ending our [winning] streak at home, we come back and get on the road, and it was a great start to our road trip," Montgomery said.

"We made some big blocks. I thought Brandon Carlo was outstanding on the penalty kill and made some really smart offensive zone plays, too."

The Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics had a statement win over the Western Conference-leading Phoenix Suns with a 125-98 blowout victory on Wednesday.

The Celtics led by as much as 45 points and benched MVP candidate Jayson Tatum in the fourth quarter, in a game where the Suns welcomed back All-Star Chris Paul from a heel injury.

Tatum finished with 25 points with five rebounds, two assists and two steals. The 24-year-old is the first player in Celtics history to average 30 points per game in his first 25 games of any season.

Jaylen Brown also scored 25 points with seven rebounds, while Malcolm Brogdon added 16 points off the bench.

Boston led 69-42 at half-time in the blowout win, which was the Celtics' second-biggest margin this season.

Devin Booker struggled with four fouls and three field-goals made in the first half, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists. Paul had four points and four assists in 24 minutes on his return.

The result means the Celtics improved to an NBA-best 21-5 record after three straight wins, while the Suns fall to 16-9.

Giannis powers Bucks to another win

Giannis Antetokounmpo matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the second-longest streak of consecutive 30-point games (eight) in franchise history as the Milwaukee Bucks downed the Sacramento Kings 126-113.

The Greek forward finished with 35 points on 12-of-19 field-goal shooting, with six rebounds and six assists as the Bucks improved to 18-6 with their third straight win. The victory extended the Bucks' win streak against the Kings to 13.

Bucks guard Jrue Holiday made an excellent contribution with 31 points, five rebounds and six assists, while Kings forward Domantas Sabonis added 23 points with 12 rebounds.

Banchero clutch in Magic OT win

Top overall NBA Draft pick Pablo Banchero showcased his potential to help the Orlando Magic snap their nine-game losing streak with a 116-111 overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The 20-year-old power forward scored 23 points for the game, including making all six of his free-throws in the final seven seconds of overtime to overturn a 111-110 deficit. The Clippers gave up two turnovers down the stretch.

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard made another rare appearance together again, combining for 17 first-quarter points. George finished with 11 for the game with seven rebounds and five assists, while Leonard added 14 points with seven rebounds and three assists.

The Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics had a statement win over the Western Conference-leading Phoenix Suns with a 125-98 blowout victory on Wednesday.

The Celtics led by as much as 45 points and benched MVP candidate Jayson Tatum in the fourth quarter, in a game where the Suns welcomed back All-Star Chris Paul from a heel injury.

Tatum finished with 25 points with five rebounds, two assists and two steals. The 24-year-old is the first player in Celtics history to average 30 points per game in his first 25 games of any season.

Jaylen Brown also scored 25 points with seven rebounds, while Malcolm Brogdon added 16 points off the bench.

Boston led 69-42 at half-time in the blowout win, which was the Celtics' second-biggest margin this season.

Devin Booker struggled with four fouls and three field-goals made in the first half, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists. Paul had four points and four assists in 24 minutes on his return.

The result means the Celtics improved to an NBA-best 21-5 record after three straight wins, while the Suns fall to 16-9.

Giannis powers Bucks to another win

Giannis Antetokounmpo matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the second-longest streak of consecutive 30-point games (eight) in franchise history as the Milwaukee Bucks downed the Sacramento Kings 126-113.

The Greek forward finished with 35 points on 12-of-19 field-goal shooting, with six rebounds and six assists as the Bucks improved to 18-6 with their third straight win. The victory extended the Bucks' win streak against the Kings to 13.

Bucks guard Jrue Holiday made an excellent contribution with 31 points, five rebounds and six assists, while Kings forward Domantas Sabonis added 23 points with 12 rebounds.

Banchero clutch in Magic OT win

Top overall NBA Draft pick Pablo Banchero showcased his potential to help the Orlando Magic snap their nine-game losing streak with a 116-111 overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The 20-year-old power forward scored 23 points for the game, including making all six of his free-throws in the final seven seconds of overtime to overturn a 111-110 deficit. The Clippers gave up two turnovers down the stretch.

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard made another rare appearance together again, combining for 17 first-quarter points. George finished with 11 for the game with seven rebounds and five assists, while Leonard added 14 points with seven rebounds and three assists.

After the Washington Nationals selected right-hander Thad Ward from the Boston Red Sox with the top pick in the Rule 5 draft, the Philadelphia Phillies turned heads by taking pitcher Noah Song, who has spent the past three years in active military service.

The Red Sox drafted Song in the fourth round out of the Naval Academy in 2019 and hoped the right-hander would be able to get out of his military commitment, but that hasn’t happened.

Song has remained on the military reserve list, where the Phillies will keep him, so he won’t take up a spot on the 40-man roster.

“There’s some uncertainty surrounding the pick for sure,” Phillies general manager Sam Fuld said. “But we feel like the upside of the player is enough to take a chance.”

In November 2019, Defense Secretary Mark Esper signed a memo clearing the way for athletes at the nation's military academies to delay their service commitments and play pro sports after graduation. Song's request to have those new rules retroactively applied to his case was denied.

The 25-year-old impressed in seven starts and 17 innings for Boston’s Class Lowell affiliate in 2019, with a 1.06 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 17 innings. That came after he was 11-1 with a 1.44 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 94 innings as a senior for the U.S. Naval Academy.

Song began school as a flight officer in the summer of 2020 and finished that phase last April. He started additional aviation training in May.

Of the 15 players selected in the major league phase of the draft, three each were taken from the Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Besides Ward and Song, Boston also lost pitcher Andrew Politi to the Baltimore Orioles.

The Oakland Athletics took first baseman Ryan Noda second overall from the Dodgers, the Pittsburgh Pirates grabbed left-hander Jose Hernandez and the Milwaukee Brewers nabbed right-hander Gus Varland, also from the Dodgers.

The Boston Red Sox have agreed to a five-year, $90 million contract with Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida.

Yoshida, who is a four-time Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) All-Star, joined the Red Sox the day after he was posted by his Japanese team, the Orix Buffaloes, making him available to MLB franchises.

The Buffaloes are the reigning Japanese champions with Yoshida hitting .335/.441/.561 with 21 home runs, 80 walks and only 41 strikeouts from 508 plate appearances.

The Red Sox will also pay an additional $15.4m posting fee to the Buffaloes, rounding out the bumper deal at $105.4m.

Boston also agreed to a two-year, $32 million contract with former Atlanta Braves closer Kenley Jansen on Wednesday to add depth to their bullpen.

The Red Sox finished bottom of the AL East division with a 78-84 record in 2022.

All-Star guard Dejounte Murray exited the Atlanta Hawks' game with the New York Knicks on Wednesday with a left ankle sprain.

Murray, who was traded to the Hawks from the San Antonio Spurs in the offseason, limped off in the first quarter after only four minutes on court.

The 26-year-old landed awkwardly on R.J. Barrett's foot as came down from a mid-range jump shot and was slow to get to his feet.

The guard had initially been listed as questionable, before the Hawks later ruled him out for the game.

Murray is averaging a career-high 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists through 24 games this season for the Hawks, who came into Wednesday's game with a 13-11 record.

Ben Stokes says England are mulling sticking with Ollie Pope as wicketkeeper for the second Test against Pakistan which starts in Multan on Friday.

Pope stepped in with the gloves for the ill Ben Foakes in England's 74-run first Test win in Rawalpindi, making 108 in the first innings. Foakes was one of numerous England players hit by illness on the eve of the first Test but was unable to take his place.

Pope, 24, has made three centuries in 31 Tests but kept wicket for only the second time in his Test career in Rawalpindi.

If Pope retains the gloves, England could bring in fast bowler Mark Wood, replacing the injured Liam Livingstone, to bolster their attack which was burdened with a heavy workload in the first Test.

"We found ourselves in that situation and still picked a team that was strong enough to win. We'll consider all our options," Stokes said.

"I think there are a few different options we are going to lay out in front of each other, and try and understand what is the best option to try and win this Test match. Because we have got a few other factors that we have to contend with.

"That's the great thing about where we're at at the moment… As I said, we are going to have a conversation at some point about what we feel is the best route to go."

Beyond Pope's century, he had a mixed Test with the gloves, dropping a catch in Pakistan's first innings, while spurning an opportunity in the second innings with one wicket left.

Pope also pulled off a smart stumping to dismiss Zahid Mahmood along with an acrobatic one-handed catch down the leg side to dismiss the same player in the same innings as England pushed for victory.

Wood has only just returned from a long-term elbow injury, with Stokes adding his availability was "an added bonus".

Another factor impacting selection is the morning smog in Multan, which could delay the start of play, potentially shortening the number of overs available if there is bad light late in the day, like which occurred on four of the five days in Rawalpindi.

"We'll have a sit-down discussion and we'll find a way to pick a team which we find is best to win the game, with those two things: the start time potentially delayed and coming off early because of the light," Stokes said.

"We could end up having only 300-350 overs in the Test match. We might have to get even a bit more adventurous with what we do. We'll see."

Harry Maguire feels he is "under a lot more scrutiny" with Manchester United than England, as the centre-back continues to impress at the World Cup.

The Red Devils skipper has been a standout performer for Gareth Southgate's side at Qatar 2022, starting all four of their games to date and helping them to three clean sheets.

It makes a marked contrast for the defender, who has struggled at club level over the past season-and-a-half, and has been deposed as a first-choice pick under new boss Erik ten Hag amid an injury layoff.

Maguire himself has few complaints, acknowledging United were well under-par last term, and said he feels he is under the microscope more at Old Trafford than with the Three Lions.

"At Manchester United, I'm under a lot more scrutiny," he added. "Everything I do gets analysed. Every pass I make gets analysed. Every goal we concede is a defender's fault.

"If you're playing week in, week out as I did for three years, the last year hasn't been good enough. Everyone in the team didn't play well enough, and we came under a lot of scrutiny as players."

Under Ten Hag however, United have overcome a shaky start - and the saga of Cristiano Ronaldo - to head into the World Cup break looking close to their best for two years.

Maguire is delighted to see the turnaround, even if he is down the pecking order, and is relishing the chance to battle to get back into the Dutchman's thinking.

"No one came out of the season with plaudits, so it was a general team issue last season, but this one has been much better," he added.

"This is the first year I've really sat on a bench in a few games. I obviously got an injury as well, a thigh injury that kept me out for four weeks, but I'll fight to get my place back."

Maguire will be expected to line up when England face off with defending champions France in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.