Good evening!

My sincere apologies to those who read in yesterday’s Looking Forward section that there would be Test cricket on today.

It was meant to be the final day of the test and (being the cheery and optimistic person I just so happen to be) I thought Australia would survive the onslaught of India’s bowling attack until today.

Alas, the cricket is over and we’ll just have to wait for 6 December when the next test starts.

I’ve got 10 seconds

Stat of the day

13
The age of Indian batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who secured a $200,000 contract to play for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. He’s the youngest player to secure a spot in the league’s history, breaking the previous record by three years. Suryavanshi scored a century off just 58 balls in an under-19s international between India and Australia earlier this year.  

Quote of the day

"I've decided to take this time to prioritise recovery in order to refresh both mentally and physically, so that I can continue to put my best self forward for both club and country. Playing for the national team is something that I never take for granted. I have, however, through past experiences, come to realise that my mind and my body are also things that I should also never take for granted.”
Matildas star Mary Fowler in a statement issued by Football Australia. The 21-year-old, who also plays for English club Manchester City, will miss the Matildas upcoming friendly matches against Brazil and Taiwan. Fowler’s announcement came just days after Cortnee Vine withdrew from the matches citing similar reasons. 

Random fact of the day

The youngest known Olympic medallist was 10-year-old Dimitrios Loundras, who won a bronze medal for Greece in the gymnastics competition (parallel bars, to be specific) at the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. Loundras also held the title of the last surviving participant from the first Games when he died in 1971 aged 85.

I’ve got 30 seconds

In case you missed it…

🏉 Adelaide Crows star Ebony Marinoff won the AFLW Best and Fairest award. The 27-year-old midfielder edged out North Melbourne’s Ash Riddell by three votes. Port Adelaide rookie Matilda Scholz was named the 2024 AFLW Rising Star for her breakout season which also saw her win the Mark of the Year award. The AFLW Grand Final will be played this Saturday between North Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions.

🏉 Australian rugby sensation Maddison Levi has won the Women’s Rugby Sevens Player of the Year at the World Rugby Awards. Levi was Australia’s leading try scorer during the 2023/24 SVNS World Series, setting a competition record of 69 tries. The 22-year-old also scored 14 tries at the Paris Olympics, more than any other player. France’s Antoine Dupont was named the Men’s Sevens Player of the Year. For the 15-a-side game, South Africa’s Pieter-Steph Du Toit won the men’s award and England’s Ellie Kildunne won the women’s award.

🚴‍♂️ AusCycling, the governing body for cycling in Australia, has banned Matthew Richardson from rejoining the Australian cycling team “at any point in the future”. Richardson defected to Great Britain after winning three medals in Australian kit at the Paris Olympics. His decision to join the British team was made before the Games but kept a secret from the Australian team. AusCycling initially sought to impose a two-year ban from the sport on the 25-year-old but it was deemed “legally unenforceable”.

🏎️ Formula One will likely see the addition of an 11th team in 2026 after General Motors (GM) and the F1 reached an “agreement in principle”. GM, one of the U.S’ top automotive manufacturers alongside Ford, is planning to race under its ‘Cadillac’ brand. GM will also eventually produce its own “power units” for F1, expected to be ready “by the end of the decade”. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “General Motors and Cadillac’s commitment to this project is an important and positive demonstration of the evolution of our sport.”

I’ve got 1 minute

Sydney Swans coach John Longmire steps down

Veteran AFL coach John Longmire has announced his resignation from the Sydney Swans, where he has coached the men’s team since 2011.

The announcement

In a statement, Longmire said he had been “wrestling with the decisions about whether [he] would coach on for 2025 since about midway through last season” and that he was stepping aside to “rest, reflect and regenerate”.

Longmire led his side to a 60-point loss to the Brisbane Lions in this year’s Grand Final. It was his fourth Grand Final loss in five appearances (the Swans won the Premiership in 2012) in 14 seasons.

Longmire ends his coaching term at the Swans with 208 wins, three draws and 122 losses. He is the longest-serving coach in the Swans’ history. According to the club, he will remain involved as ‘Executive Director - Club Performance’.

Replacement

Longmire will be replaced by Dean Cox, who has been assistant coach since 2017. Cox played 290 games for the West Coast Eagles, including in the team that beat the Swans in the 2006 Grand Final.

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I’ve got 2 minutes

India record statement win over Australia in first Test of the series

In the first Test of this year’s Border-Gavaskar series, Australia was thumped by India, losing by 295 runs at Optus Stadium in Perth. The match was the first of five Tests to be played between the two cricket heavyweights this summer.

What happened

In the first innings of the match, Australia looked to be on top, bowling India all out for 150. However, it quickly became clear that the test wouldn’t be an Australian walkover, as India’s stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah took a five-wicket haul and played an integral role in decimating Australia’s batting order for 105 runs.

A classy batting display from India in the second innings, including 161 runs from 22-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal and a 30th Test century from veteran Virat Kohli, put India over 500 runs ahead of the Aussies. Despite having two days to bat, the run chase never looked within reach for Australia after losing three wickets before the end of the third day. Travis Head was Australia’s best batsman with 89 runs.

Australia’s top four batsmen (Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, Nathan McSweeney, and Marnus Labushagne) created some unwanted history by becoming the lowest-scoring top four for Australia in a Test match.

Bumrah was named the Player of the Match for his bowling performance which saw him take eight wickets across the two innings.

What they said

Jaiswal said: “For me all the centuries are amazing but this will be special because I really wanted to do it. I worked so hard for it, in every practice session. I wanted to score runs here in Australia”.

Australian captain Pat Cummins said: “Not an ideal way to start the summer. You sit in the change room after a loss like that and it hurts. When a team declares on you it’s never an amazing feeling… The biggest challenge and the most important thing is how do you bounce back, what’s your next move. That’s what we need to do this week.”

What’s next?

The second Test will begin on 6 December in Adelaide.

ICYMI: TDA Sport has a new game on Instagram called Blurdle. IYKYK.
Today’s answer: Emma McKeon
Useless clue: Like a Christmas tree?

A deep dive powered by Deakin University

Helping athletes get back to their best

Deakin University research is changing how we think about athletic development. Led by Associate Professor Steve Swanson, the study looks at how sports can support athletes during their return to play after injury.

The work is part of the Australian Institute of Sport's "Win Well" strategy, which emphasises that success in sports needs four key elements:

• Physical - Bodily functioning, positive health, energy, absence of illness

• Mental - Cognitive functioning, meaningfulness, life satisfaction

• Social - Positive relationships, culture, functioning members of groups

• Emotional - Positive feelings, absence of negative feelings, happiness

The study focuses specifically on athletes who are returning to play after injury or surgery.

Research shows that well-being issues increase during recovery times. There's an important difference between an athlete simply getting back to play versus returning to their previous performance level.

Through interviews with psychologists, coaches, physios, and wellbeing managers, the research team is learning how sports staff can work together better. They've found that:

• Recovery timing creates pressure

• Mental readiness matters as much as physical healing

• Support staff need to work as a team

• Coach and support staff wellbeing also need attention

The goal is to help athletes succeed both in sport and life while making sure the people supporting them have the resources they need.

Looking forward… (All times are AEDT)

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