It’s officially Ashes eve. Need I say more?

Head to the 1-minute section to hear more about the Aussie team that will take the field against England in Perth.

4 
The number of siblings in the Duursma family who will be playing in the AFL and AFLW next season. Willem Duursma became the fourth sibling to become a professional footballer last night after he was selected by the West Coast Eagles with the No.1 pick in the opening round of the 2025 AFL Draft. The 18-year-old’s two older brothers, Xavier (Essendon) and Zane (North Melbourne), both play in the AFL, while his sister Yasmin (Carlton) plays in the AFLW.

“It’s an impossibility that is made possible. It’s literally impossible for such a small island, such a small 150,000 population, and now to go to the biggest pinnacle of football is unbelievable.”
Footballer Kenji Gorré speaking to The Guardian after his national team, Curaçao, became the smallest nation (by population and land area) to ever qualify for the World Cup. Curaçao, with Gorré playing on the wing, held Jamaica to a goalless draw to secure their place in the tournament. The country, 60km off the coast of Venezuela, has a population of just over 150,000 people and a land area of 444 square kilometres. The previous record was held by Iceland, which has a population of 400,000.

Earlier this month, Irish athlete Catriona Jennings set a new women’s record for running 100 miles (160km). Jennings completed the 2025 Tunnel Hill 100 Mile in a time of 12 hours, 37 minutes, and 4 seconds to eclipse the former record by a little over five minutes. For the runners out there, that’s an average split of 4 minutes and 42 seconds per kilometre for the entire distance!

🏏 ABC Sport has parted ways with cricket legend Glenn McGrath ahead of the summer’s Ashes after it emerged he has a commercial deal with gambling company bet365. The former fast bowler had been promoted as a key voice in the broadcaster’s coverage, but the ABC has a policy that no employee is permitted to have ties to a gambling company. McGrath will still provide commentary for the BBC as Australia and England begin the first Test in Perth on Friday.

🏉 Star NRL fullback James Tedesco has signed a one-year extension with the Sydney Roosters that keeps him at the club until the end of 2027. The 32-year-old captain is coming off a career-best season where he won the Dally M Medal by a record margin. His new deal means he will reach a decade at the club after joining in 2018. It also ends any prospect of Tedesco being targeted by the incoming Perth Bears ahead of their debut season.

⚽ Sam Kerr will miss Chelsea’s Champions League match against Barcelona as the club carefully manages her return from a long-term ACL injury. She has now been left out of two straight matchday squads despite playing 90 minutes and scoring twice against St Pölten last week. Coach Sonia Bompastor said it was a case of “managing her comeback”. It’s expected that Kerr will be fit to join the Matildas for their upcoming internationals against New Zealand on 28 November and 2 December. 

🎾 The Italian men’s tennis team are one step closer to a Davis Cup three-peat after beating Austria in the quarterfinals. Matteo Berrettini and Flavio Cobolli both won in straight sets to extend Italy’s winning streak at the Finals to 12 ties (tie is the word used for match in the Davis Cup), even without the country’s top-ranked players, Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti. Italy advances to face Belgium in Friday’s semifinal, with Spain, Czechia, Argentina, and Germany competing in the other half of the draw.

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Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett will make their Test debuts for Australia in the first Ashes Test in Perth, with the XI confirmed by Australian captain Steve Smith this afternoon.

Here is what to know.

Weatherald has been picked to open alongside Usman Khawaja, a combination that selectors believe balances Khawaja’s patient style with the South Australian’s more proactive approach. Weatherald’s inclusion means Marnus Labuschagne will return to his preferred No.3 position, followed by captain Steve Smith at four. 

Cameron Green is expected to win the all-rounder spot ahead of Beau Webster after proving his fitness and bowling pace in a recent Sheffield Shield match, easing concerns following back surgery last year. 

Webster is considered unlucky to miss out after his first seven Tests, where he has averaged an impressive 34.63 runs with the bat and 23.25 runs per wicket with the ball.

The 31-year-old was included in a Test squad in 2018 but was not selected to debut. His outstanding form for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield in the past two years, including 11 wickets in last year’s final, was rewarded with his selection in this current squad. 

If Doggett is to take to the field on Friday, he will join Jason Gillespie and Scott Boland as the only First Nations men to wear the Baggy Green. Since Boland is also expected to be included, it would also be the first time that two First Nations players have been included in the same side. 

His selection completes a bowling group featuring Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland.

Expected XI: Weatherald, Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith, Travis Head, Green, Alex Carey, Starc, Lyon, Boland, Doggett.

The first Ashes Test against England starts tomorrow in Perth. The all-important first ball will be bowled tomorrow at 1:20pm (AEDT).

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U.S. authorities have accused former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding of orchestrating the murder of a key witness prepared to testify against him.

Authorities are already seeking Wedding over his alleged involvement in international drug trafficking. 

Here is what to know.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wedding is accused of tracking down a witness in Colombia who was then murdered before he could give evidence. 

Wedding, who is known by aliases including “El Jefe,” allegedly ran a large-scale cocaine network that moved drugs from Colombia through Mexico into the U.S. and Canada. Bondi described it as “one of the most prolific and violent drug-trafficking organisations in this world”.

Bondi said: “We are coming for you. We will find you. And you will be accountable and held to justice for your crimes.”

Authorities also announced the arrest of Deepak Paradkar, a Canadian lawyer. He is accused of advising Wedding to murder the witness in Colombia in January. 

U.S. Federal prosecutor Bill Essayli said Paradkar was among a dozen people arrested in an “international takedown”.

Wedding competed in the men’s giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He finished 24th in the event. 

In 2006, he was named in a search warrant for a cannabis-growing investigation in the Canadian province of British Columbia but was not charged. 

In 2010, he was convicted of drug trafficking and jailed after attempting to buy cocaine from a U.S. Government agent. 

At the time, he tried to have the charges dismissed and alleged U.S. authorities used a “violent former [Russian] agent” as an undercover operative.

FBI director Kash Patel called him a “modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar”.

The U.S. State Department has increased its reward for Wedding’s capture and conviction from $US10 million to $US15 million. The Treasury Department has also imposed new sanctions on Wedding and nine associates.