Usman Khawaja borrowed a celebration from NBA superstar LeBron James as he marked his return to Australia's Test team with a sublime century against England.
The left-hander made a magnificent 137 in Australia's 416-8 declared on day two, leaving the tourists staring at a major challenge to avoid another Ashes defeat at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Khawaja reached his second Ashes hundred after being given a life on 28 when an edge off Jack Leach grazed Jos Buttler and was dropped by England skipper Joe Root at first slip.
He celebrated with a high-knees strut and thumped his chest, copying Los Angeles Lakers star James' famous 'silencer'.
Khawaja had not featured in a Test for Australia since the dramatic Headingley loss to England in 2019, when Ben Stokes' sensational century drove the hosts to victory, so for the 35-year-old this was a moment to savour.
"It's the silencer - you probably shouldn't do it to a home crowd," said a cheery Khawaja after England closed on 13-0.
"I was so excited, everything just came up to me. I love LeBron James, so it just felt right.
"I do it mucking around with the boys all the time and if I'm playing basketball and hit a few good shots I do it, so I've had a bit of practice at it, so it just happens.
"I love Test cricket. Sometimes it feels a bit traditional for my liking, so I like to give it a bit of spark."
Australia lead 3-0 so have already retained the urn, and now they are pushing for a clean sweep of the five-match series.
Khawaja said of his near seven-hour innings: "It's pretty sweet. I wasn't expecting it. Hundreds don't come every day.
"It's a pretty tough wicket. I'm just trying to bat. I'm just trying to grind away. It's a lot of fun. I'm a bit tired, a bit lost for words. It's pretty special."
Khawaja said he had been "in a very good spot the last couple of years", despite being absent from the Australia team.
He has become a father, with his wife and daughter in the SCG crowd on Thursday, and has enjoyed his cricket despite dropping out of the Test side.
This might be a one-off recall, with Khawaja included due to Travis Head returning a positive COVID-19 test result.
"I said earlier, I've got nothing to prove to anyone," Khawaja said on beIN Sports.
"I love playing cricket, whether it's grade cricket down at my local club Valleys [Valley District], or playing for Queensland. I'm just really enjoying the game
"Getting selected in the Australian squad and then playing this game, they're all bonuses for me now, so I'm just really enjoying my life and cricket.
"Every time I go out to play for Australia it's special, and then when you score a hundred on top of that, I guess the only way to make it better is if we get a victory here."
Stephen Curry is "not optimistic" about being fit for the Golden State Warriors' game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday after suffering a quad contusion.
Warriors superstar Curry did the thigh damage during a 99-82 loss at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
The seven-time NBA All-Star was hobbling in the second half but spent 36 minutes on court as he scored 14 points, took nine rebounds and provided five assists.
Curry is not hopeful over his chances of facing the Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.
Asked about his injury, he told reporters: "Yeah, it sucked.
"The way it feels right now, I'm not optimistic [about playing in New Orleans], but we'll see."
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr is prepared for the prospect of being without key man Curry.
Kerr said: "Yeah, there's a chance [Curry will miss out], He got a pretty good quad contusion and those generally get worse overnight.
"With a flight and everything, there's a chance he won't play tomorrow."
The Warriors remain top of the Western Conference on 29-8, a record the Phoenix Suns can also boast.
Novak Djokovic will remain in Australia until at least Monday, when a hearing on his appeal against deportation will take place.
World number one Djokovic, who has not declared his COVID-19 vaccination status, seemed set to play in this month's Australian Open after he was granted a medical exemption.
Protocols in Australia require proof that competitors and staff have been jabbed or have a medical exemption to compete at Melbourne Park.
Tournament director Craig Tiley insisted that the 20-time major champion had not been given a "special favour" to play in the tournament, though the decision faced immediate and widespread backlash.
On Wednesday, Djokovic faced deportation after Australian Border Force's decision to cancel his visa application, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison declaring "rules are rules."
However, the Serbian's legal team have filed for a judicial review, with the case to be heard by Federal Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly on Monday at 10am local time in Melbourne.
Due to a delay in receiving the application for a review of the visa decision and the temporary ban on Djokovic's deportation, it has been agreed that the 34-year-old should remain in Australia until at least Monday.
Djokovic can leave Australia of his own volition.
Protestors have also appeared outside of the hotel where Djokovic has been transferred, supporting the nine-time Australian Open winner.
The matter has also drawn criticism from Serbia's president Aleksandar Vucic, who labelled Australia's treatment of the nation's superstar as "harassment."
Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, suggested Djokovic had made life difficult for himself by refusing to reveal his vaccination status.
"The only thing that I can say is I believe in what the people who know about medicine says, and if the people say that we need to get vaccinated, we need to get the vaccine," Nadal said.
"I went through COVID. I have been vaccinated twice. If you do this, you don't have any problem to play here. The world in my opinion has been suffering enough to not follow the rules.
"I think if he wanted, he would be playing here in Australia without a problem. He made his own decisions, and everybody is free to take their own decisions, but then there are some consequences."
The Australian Open starts on January 17.
Usman Khawaja scored his ninth Test century after being recalled by Australia for the first time in more than two years as the hosts took control against England in the fourth Ashes Test.
Australia declared at 416-8 late in the final session on day two at the SCG, in an innings headlined by Khawaja's 137, where he batted for almost seven hours and hit 13 boundaries.
Khawaja reached his second Ashes hundred after being given a life on 28 when an edge off Jack Leach grazed Jos Buttler and was dropped by Joe Root at first slip.
England's openers survived five overs late in the day to be 13-0 at stumps, with Zak Crawley given a reprieve for a no-ball after being caught at first slip by David Warner off Mitchell Starc for a duck.
Australia, though, took a major advantage in the Sydney Test having resumed at 126-3 after a rain-interrupted opening day, with Steve Smith and Khawaja putting together a 115-run fourth-wicket stand.
Stuart Broad was the pick of the English attack, claiming the first five-wicket haul for the visitors this series with figures of 5-101.
England's hopes of making inroads into the Australian batting line-up were not helped by Ben Stokes limping off with left side tightness. He later returned to field but did not bowl.
Broad had Smith caught by Buttler for 67 shortly after taking the new ball, representing the ninth time the English paceman has dismissed the Australian vice-captain at Test level.
The headband-wearing 35-year-old paceman also claimed the wickets of Cameron Green (5), Pat Cummins (24) and Khawaja, who played on to a leg-cutter.
Starc got lucky with a series of reviews in his batting cameo with 34 not out before Australia declared, getting five overs late at the tourists who got through with Crawley and Haseeb Hameed at the crease.
Broad justifies his recall
Broad's five-wicket haul was his sixth against Australia and a 19th across his decorated career, where he has taken 531 Test dismissals.
The 35-year-old right-arm paceman had been left out for two Tests earlier in this series and justified his recall emphatically.
Khawaja stars upon return
Khawaja had not played for Australia at Test level since August 2019 in the Ashes but managed his second century against England, having earned a recall after back-to-back hundreds for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield. Khawaja reached triple figures shortly prior to tea.
Rafael Nadal declared it was imperative to "follow the rules" on COVID-19 vaccinations after rival Novak Djokovic was told he faces being deported from Australia.
World number one Djokovic was left fighting for the right to compete at the Australian Open, a tournament he has won nine times, after authorities cancelled his visa.
A medical exemption was expected to allow Djokovic to enter the country, regardless of his vaccination status, which he has yet to formally disclose.
However, the Australian Border Force declared the Serbian had been ordered to fly out of the country on Thursday, sparking a challenge to that decision by Djokovic's legal team.
Reports in Australia said an interim injunction had been granted, meaning Djokovic will remain in immigration detention until a court hearing on Monday.
According to Nadal, who had COVID-19 recently but has been cleared to compete at Melbourne Park, Djokovic would have made his life a lot easier by going down the vaccination route.
"It's normal that the people here in Australia get very frustrated with the case because they have been going through a lot of very hard lockdowns, and a lot of people were not able to come back home," Nadal said.
"The only thing that I can say is I believe in what the people who know about medicine says, and if the people say that we need to get vaccinated, we need to get the vaccine.
"I went through COVID. I have been vaccinated twice. If you do this, you don't have any problem to play here. The world in my opinion has been suffering enough to not follow the rules.
"I think if he wanted, he would be playing here in Australia without a problem. He made his own decisions, and everybody is free to take their own decisions, but then there are some consequences."
Djokovic was initially detained at an airport after arriving in Australia, while his status remained in limbo. His coach, Goran Ivanisevic, said it had been "not the most usual trip Down Under".
Spanish superstar Nadal has 20 grand slam titles, the same number that Djokovic and Roger Federer have brought up across their careers. They are locked in a race to finish with the most majors, and Federer, at 40, is battling back from injury and unlikely to compete at a slam before the US Open.
Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted on Thursday: "Mr Djokovic's visa has been cancelled. Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders.
"No one is above these rules. Our strong border policies have been critical to Australia having one of the lowest death rates in the world from COVID, we are continuing to be vigilant."
Nadal has some sympathy for Djokovic, but it appears to be limited.
"Of course, I don't like the situation that is happening," Nadal said. "In some way I feel sorry for him. But at the same time, he knew the conditions since a lot of months ago, so he makes his own decision."
Kyrie Irving made his return to the Brooklyn Nets side for the first time in seven months but you would not know that according to head coach Steve Nash and teammate Kevin Durant.
The pair were full of praise for 29-year-old Irving who had not played all season due to his vaccination status which meant he would be unavailable for home games in New York City, with the Nets not wanting him on a part-time basis.
The franchise changed their tune a fortnight ago, permitting him for road games, amid a COVID-19 outbreak which depleted their playing stocks. Irving had returned to practice and found his fitness before he played for the first time this season in Wednesday's 129-121 win over the Indiana Pacers.
Irving was on court for 32 minutes, scoring 22 points making nine-of-17 from the field along with three rebounds, four assists and three steals. The win also halted the Nets' three-game skid.
"He looks like himself," Nash said at the post-game news conference. "Not a big surprise watching him play in practice, he's so gifted and talented, you could see the rhythm was there.
"But it's still an adaptation. We've got to give him some space as he transitions back to playing but tonight he was big."
Durant scored 39 points with eight rebounds and seven assists as the Nets improved to 24-12 to sit second in the east behind the Chicago Bulls (25-10).
"It was amazing to have him out there," Durant told reporters. "I missed his presence around the locker room, his energy and his vibe around the team.
"On top of that, his game is just so beautiful. He makes the game so much easier for everybody out there.
"I'm sure he was a bit nervous but he got comfortable. He made some athletic plays. It looked like he'd be around for a while."
Kyrie Irving scored 22 points upon his return to the Brooklyn Nets side for the first time this season as they came from behind to beat the Indiana Pacers 129-121 and snap a three-game skid on Wednesday.
Irving had been ruled out of the entire regular season by the Nets due to his vaccination status but the franchise changed their stance a fortnight ago, permitting him to play road games.
The 29-year-old point guard played 32 minutes, making nine-of-17 from the field along with three rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Irving's return reunited the 'big three' alongside Kevin Durant (39 points, eight rebounds and seven assists) and James Harden (18 points, five rebounds and six assists).
The Pacers had led 73-60 at half-time with a biggest lead of 19 points before Brooklyn rallied with an 8-0 run to end the third quarter, before Patty Mills put them ahead with a fourth-quarter three-pointer.
Domantas Sabonis recorded a triple-double for the Pacers with 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Popovich brings up 2,000th in style
Gregg Popovich coached the San Antonio Spurs for the 2,000th time, recording his 1,325th win in charge as they beat the Boston Celtics 97-95 with Jaylen Brown's lay-up buzzer beater rimming out. Brown scored 30 points with six rebounds, while Dejounte Murray had 22 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists for the Spurs.
Bojan Bogdanovic (36 points, 13 rebounds and four assists) won the battle of the Balkan stars against Nikola Jokic as the Utah Jazz edged the Denver Nuggets 115-109. The reigning MVP was exceptional for the Nugs with 26 points, 21 rebounds and 11 assists.
Joel Embiid scored 31 points as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic 116-106, while Giannis Antetokounmpo was absent with a non-COVID-related illness as the Milwaukee Bucks lost 117-111 to the Toronto Raptors with Pascal Siakam netting 33 points.
Curry goes cold for Warriors
Stephen Curry had an ordinary shooting night, going five-of-24 from the field and one-of-nine from beyond the arc as the Golden State Warriors lost 99-82 to the Dallas Mavericks. Curry finished with 14 points with nine rebounds while Mavs All-Star Luka Doncic had 26 points with seven rebounds and eight assists.
Antonio Brown has accused the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of a cover-up in a lengthy statement following his bizarre exit from their game with the New York Jets, while also revealing he will have surgery on his injured ankle.
Brown's time with the Buccaneers came to a remarkable end on Sunday when he took off his jersey and pads and left the field with Tampa Bay trailing 24-10 in the third quarter at MetLife Stadium, the wide receiver jumping in the endzone and waving to fans before running down the tunnel. He subsequently left the stadium in an Uber.
After the Bucs' comeback win, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said Brown was "no longer a Buc".
Brown has yet to be officially released, but the four-time first-team All-Pro claims that happened on the sideline and, in a statement released through his lawyer Sean Burstyn, hit back at accusations he quit on his team.
Explaining last Sunday's incident, the statement read in part: "I relented to pressure directly from my coach to play injured. Despite the pain, I suited up, the staff injected me with what I now know was a powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller that the NFLPA has warned against using, and I gave it my all for the team. I played until it was clear that I could not use my ankle to safely perform my playing responsibilities.
"On top of that, the pain was extreme. I took a seat on the sideline and my coach came up to me, very upset, and shouted, "What's wrong with you? What's wrong with you?" I told him, "It's my ankle." But he knew that.
"He then ordered me to get on the field. I said, "Coach, I can't". He didn't call for medical attention. Instead, he shouted at me, "YOU'RE DONE!" while he ran his finger across his throat. Coach was telling me that if I didn't play hurt, then I was done with the Bucs.
"I didn't quit, I was cut. I didn't walk away from my brothers. I was thrown out. Being fired on the sideline for having a painful injury was bad enough. Then came their "spin". Coach denied on national television that he knew about my ankle. That's 100% inaccurate.
"I am reflecting on my reaction, but there was a trigger. The trigger was someone telling me that I'm not allowed to feel pain. I acknowledge my past. But my past does not make me a second-class citizen. My past does not forfeit my right to be heard when I am in pain."
Brown revealed he will have surgery after an MRI showed he has bone fragments in his ankle. He claims the MRI has been read by two top orthopedic surgeons but that the Bucs are attempting to force him to get another opinion from a more "junior" physician.
"As part of their ongoing cover-up, they are acting like I wasn't cut and now demanding I see a doctor of their choice to examine my ankle," the statement continued.
"What they did not know until now is that that on Monday morning I had an urgent MRI on my ankle. It shows broken bone fragments stuck in my ankle, the ligament torn from the bone, and cartilage loss. You can see the bone bulging from the outside. That must and can be repaired. The MRI has been read by two top orthopedic surgeons in NYC, including Dr. Martin O'Malley at Hospital for Special Surgery.
"Not realising that I had already scheduled a surgery at HSS, the Bucs 'ordered' me under penalty of discipline and with a few hours' notice to show up to a more junior doctor at HSS for another opinion. What a joke. They're playing like I wasn't cut, giving me a surprise attack "order" to show up to another doctor with no reasonable notice, and setting this whole thing up as a basis to cut me because what they did on Sunday was not legitimate.
"What the organisation is doing now needs to get cleaned up. I do not understand how people publicly claiming to be concerned about my mental health can do these things to me in private.
"Once my surgery is complete, I'll be back to 100 percent and looking forward to next season. Business gonna be BOOMIN!"
Ben Stokes left the field during the second day of the fourth Ashes Test with "left side tightness".
Another difficult session for the tourists, who have already lost the series after Australia won the first three matches, saw the hosts move to 209-3 as Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja built a partnership of 92.
Khawaja was dropped by Joe Root as England went wicket-less in the first session at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but a more worrying sight came when Stokes went off clutching his side after sending down a series of short balls.
And England subsequently released an update during lunch that confirmed he was being treated for left side tightness and "would be assessed over the next hour".
Stokes, who returned to the side for the series after taking a break to protect his mental well-being, has scored 101 runs with the bat at an average of 16.83. With the ball, the all-rounder has taken four wickets.
Ben Stokes left the field during the second day of the fourth Ashes Test with "left side tightness".
Another difficult session for the tourists, who have already lost the series after Australia won the first three matches, saw the hosts move to 209-3 as Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja built a partnership of 92.
Khawaja was dropped by Joe Root as England went wicket-less in the first session at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but a more worrying sight came when Stokes went off clutching his side after sending down a series of short balls.
And England subsequently released an update during lunch that confirmed he was being treated for left side tightness and "would be assessed over the next hour".
Stokes, who returned to the side for the series after taking a break to protect his mental well-being, has scored 101 runs with the bat at an average of 16.83. With the ball, the all-rounder has taken four wickets.
Kingston College will tackle Clarendon College, while Jamaica College play Dinthill Technical as the final four of the ISSA Champions Cup was drawn on Wednesday.
In quarterfinal action, Kingston College booked their spot in the semi-final after dominating the majority of the play but had Ronardo Burgher to thank after he secured the only goal of the match in the 10th minute.
Clarendon College, in the meantime, headed into their encounter against Charlie Smith as heavy favourites but had to fight their way back after going a goal behind. Andre Gibbs put Charlie Smith ahead in the 35th minute, only for Kemar Dunn to bring things level two minutes later with a smashing volley. Clarendon College finally took the lead in the 90th minute, in truth through a rather kindly awarded penalty, which was nonetheless dispatched with certainty by Jahiem Rose.
Jamaica College, in the meantime, also recorded a narrow 1-0 victory over a plucky Garvey Maceo, getting the all-important goal in the 12th minute, courtesy of Delando Wint.
In the day’s other encounter, goals flowed freely. Leon Brown gave St Andrew Technical a surprise 9th-minute lead against Dinthill, but the daCosta Cup representatives came roaring back. Jaheem Thomas equalised in the 16th minute, before goals from Richard Matthews (27th), Shamair Hutchinson (39th), turned the game completely on its head. Thomas returned to score a second and third in the 60th minute and fourth four minutes from full time.
Thomas Tuchel praised the performance of the returning Romelu Lukaku after Chelsea's EFL Cup win over Tottenham.
The Blues took a huge step towards reaching the final after claiming a 2-0 victory in the first leg of the last-four tie at Stamford Bridge.
Lukaku was restored to the starting line-up after he was left out of the squad for Sunday's Premier League clash with Liverpool due to comments made in the Italian media.
The former Inter striker was quoted as saying he was "not very happy with the situation" he finds himself in, while expressing a desire to return to the Nerazzurri one day.
However, the Belgium international subsequently apologised to Tuchel, as well as the fans on the club's official website.
He played the full 90 minutes against Spurs – recording game-high tallies of three shots on goal and two on target – and the head coach was pleased with his contribution under difficult circumstances.
Asked what he made of Lukaku's performance, he told Sky Sports: "Good, absolutely happy. I was pretty sure he was not affected.
"I see him on a daily basis. Even the last days, he seemed relaxed, fine with the situation and mentally moved on.
"Romelu can handle pressure and adversity. It was a good performance; he contributed a lot to our defensive setup and had chances."
Tuchel also praised the focus and commitment of his players, although he believes they could have increased their margin of victory.
"It seems like a deserved win, an excellent result because it reflects the game," he added. "We could have scored more, but it is hard to score against Tottenham.
"We did create a lot – some huge chances – it could have been possible to score more.
"We never lost the focus; [we] never lost the commitment."
Carlo Ancelotti believes Eden Hazard will recover his best form soon after Real Madrid battled past Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey.
Hazard started just his ninth game of 2021-22 in Wednesday's 3-1 victory against the third-tier outfit, who famously beat Madrid in this competition a year ago.
Dani Vega's excellent run and finish cancelled out Eder Militao's opener for Madrid, who were without several first-team regulars including Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema.
Substitutes Marco Asensio and Isco eventually secured a hard-fought win, the former scoring via a deflected effort following Hazard's lay-off before Isco diverted the ball in off goalkeeper Jose Juan.
Hazard, Rodrygo and Mariano Diaz struggled to combine effectively in the Madrid attack, although the Belgium international ended the match with four chances created, at least twice as many as any other player.
Ancelotti felt the game was ill-suited to creative players but remains convinced Hazard can become a key player for Los Blancos despite an underwhelming two and a half years in Spain.
"Players of quality suffered more than the others," Ancelotti said. "He tried, then as a number nine, like Isco, who scored when he came on, and I'm happy for him.
"Hazard, Rodrygo and these players with more quality suffered more than others.
"He needs to have more confidence in one-v-ones, dribbling, shooting, because he has the quality to do that.
"His physical condition is better than a few months ago, and hopefully we'll see him back at his best level soon."
Ancelotti praised his players for surviving a battle at El Collao against a side who eliminated LaLiga strugglers Levante on penalties in the last round after a 3-3 draw.
"We played the game we had to," he said.
"Of course, we suffered [at 1-1]. They levelled the game through a really good individual action, one of quality.
"Afterwards, we didn't lose our heads and we kept playing the game. We couldn't play another game – this is the one we'd prepared.
"We finished them today. It's not our type of game because delivering quality in these types of games isn't possible.
"We stood up to a team who usually play with quality and today they put that aside and they fought. It's what they had to do. I repeat: if you don't fight here, you lose, like we did last year."
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