Good evening!

The summer of Test cricket is officially underway.

Australia are off to a cracking start against India at Optus Stadium in Perth. India are batting and Australia have taken six wickets to India’s 74 runs (at the time of writing).

Oh, actually Rishabh Pant just hit Mitch Marsh straight down the ground for four. So, 78 runs (just after the original time of writing).

Have an excellent weekend.

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Stat of the day

3
The number of times baseball player Shohei Ohtani has been voted MVP.  The Japanese superstar, who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was unanimously voted as the National League’s MVP following a record breaking season. His two previous awards were with the Los Angeles Angels in the other half of Major League Baseball, the American League (AL), making him just the second person to win the MVP award in both leagues. New York Yankees player Aaron Judge won the AL MVP.

Quote of the day

"In 2025 there will be more teams, more matches and more innovation in the NRL Telstra Women's Premiership. The 12-team competition, now including the Bulldogs and Warriors, will be the biggest in NRLW history."
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo following yesterday’s announcement of the NRL and NRLW schedules for 2025. The additional teams in the NRLW will see the finals series expanded from four teams over two weeks to six teams over three weeks. There will also be 33 double headers with the NRL, which the league hopes will increase viewership.

Random fact of the day

The Australian men’s cricketer who has scored the most Test centuries (100 runs) is Ricky Ponting who scored 41 in his career. Steve Smith and Steve Waugh are tied in second place with 32 centuries. Smith will have the opportunity to claim second outright during the current test series being played against India.

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In case you missed it…

🏉 Two Preliminary Finals played this weekend will determine which two teams meet in the 2024 AFLW Grand Final. On Saturday at 3:05pm, undefeated table-toppers North Melbourne will host in-form Port Adelaide, who will be seeking their first-ever win against the Kangaroos. At 7:30pm (AEDT), the 2023 runners-up Brisbane Lions will host the Adelaide Crows. Two of the league’s strongest clubs, the Lions will be seeking a sixth Grand Final appearance, while the Crows have played in the big dance four times before. 

🏎️ Formula One returns this weekend with the paddock in Las Vegas. It's the second edition of the Las Vegas GP, after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the inaugural race last year. Verstappen currently leads McLaren’s Lando Norris in the Driver Standings by 62 points and will secure a fourth consecutive Championship if he leaves Vegas with a lead of at least 60 points. The race for the Constructor’s Championship may prove more interesting, as McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull all vie for the team championship. The race will be streamed on Foxtel and Kayo this Sunday at 5pm. 

🏈 The NFL has issued an alert to teams and players warning against organised crime groups breaking into player’s homes. According to U.S. media outlet ABC, the FBI briefed the NFL that burglars are conducting extensive surveillance on homes and stealing from them on the days when players have games. It comes after two of the Kansas City Chiefs’ marquee players, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, had their homes broken into in October. 

⛳ Aussie golfers Grace Kim and Minjee Lee are tied for 11th place after the first round at the LPGA Tour Championship. Both players are four shots behind the leader An Na-rin, who shot eight birdies (one shot below par) to claim an early lead over American Angel Yin. The other Aussies in the field, Gabriela Ruffels and Hannah Green, are tied in 17th place one shot behind their compatriots. 

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Aussies down the U.S. in Davis Cup to reach semi-final

Australia defeated the U.S. in the quarter-final of the Davis Cup to reach a third consecutive semi-final.

What happened

The Aussies took the first singles match, with no.77 Thanasi Kokkinakis defeating Ben Shelton in a back-and-forth battle which saw a 30-point tiebreak to decide the winner in the third set. Kokkinakis was a surprise selection from captain Lleyton Hewitt, given he had higher-ranked singles players at his disposal, but the decision to back the 28-year-old’s form paid off.

The Americans brought the scoreboard level, with U.S. Open finalist Taylor Fritz defeating Alex de Minaur in straight sets in the second singles match.

With scores tied at 1-1, the match was sent to a doubles decider where the Aussie pairing of Matt Ebden and Jordan Thompson triumphed over Tommy Paul and Shelton. U.S. captain Bob Bryan had opted for Paul and Shelton over Olympic silver medallists and specialist doubles pairing Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek, a decision which ultimately misfired.

What they said

Thompson said: “Incredible. When we got the break there at four-all, I could have run over the top of the whole bench. I was wearing my heart on my sleeve, you know, bleeding green and gold.”

Kokkinakis said: “I don’t know if I’ve been that pumped up in my life. I wanted that for my team. It could have gone either way, but I kept my nerve.”

What’s next?

In a rematch of last year’s final, Australia will face defending champions Italy in the semi-final tomorrow at 11pm (AEDT). You can watch the Davis Cup on Channel 9.

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Rugby Union: Wallabies back in action in week four of Autumn Internationals

The fourth weekend of Autumn Internationals kicks off tomorrow at 7:10am with France hosting Argentina. Wallabies fans will have to wait until Monday at 12:40am to see their side take on Scotland.

Wallabies v Scotland

The Wallabies’ hopes of claiming a Spring Tour grand slam (i.e. beating England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland) for the first time since 1984 are still intact after successive victories over England and Wales. However, Scotland also beat England and Wales in the Six Nations at the beginning of this year. The Scottish possess strong attacking threats with the likes of winger Duhan van der Merwe and fly-half Finn Russell. In the World Rugby rankings, Scotland is ranked sixth while Australia sits eighth.

At Murrayfield, Scotland has won two of its last three matches between the two sides. The Wallabies won the most recent match in 2022 by one point.

Joe Schmidt is expected to name a similar starting lineup to the one that played Wales. Samu Kerevi’s three-match suspension for high contact means Joseph Sua’ali’i will likely start in the centres. It has also been reported that Harry Potter will make his Wallabies debut on the wing in place of Max Jorgensen.

Other matches

After beating the All Blacks last week, the French will look to fend off a talented and motivated Argentinian side who came very close to beating Ireland in their most recent match.

On Sunday morning, the action begins at 2:10am (AEDT) with Ireland playing Fiji. The Irish are tipped to win this one but Fiji at their best can prove a challenge. At 4:40am, Wales seem destined to extend their 11-match losing streak when they come up against world champions South Africa, who have already downed England and Scotland on their Northern Hemisphere tour. Finally, at 7:10am the All Blacks take on Italy. There is no doubt New Zealand will want to send former captain Sam Cane and scrum-half TJ Perenara into retirement with a signature performance as the two veterans make their final appearance in the coveted black jersey.

On Monday morning after the Wallabies fixture, England will host Japan. Eddy Jones, previously the coach of both England and Australia, returns to Twickenham with Japan. England will be hoping to avoid a sixth successive defeat.

How to watch

You can watch the Autumn Internationals on Stan Sport.

ICYMI: TDA Sport has a new game on Instagram called Blurdle. IYKYK.
Today’s answer: Jess Fox
Useless clue: Roald Dahl 1970 novel (elder)

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From plate to podium: Nutrition for young athletes

Peak performance isn't just about rigorous training, physical skills and genetics – it’s also about nutrition.

Whether you’re chasing gold or just looking to optimise your health, Dr Dominique Condo, a researcher and lecturer from Deakin’s School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, says that “proper nutrition is key.”

Nutrition has the power to make or break your athletic performance, and according to Dr. Condo, there are three key ingredients for a winning plate:

1. A balanced diet

Young athletes need a well-balanced diet that is rich in carbohydrates for slow-burning energy, proteins for muscle repair and growth, and fats for overall health. Picture a colourful plate full of fruits and veggies!

2. Hydrate

Unfortunately, the ‘eight glasses of water a day’ trick might not cut it! “It’s important to understand the demands of the sport and individual factors, including thirst, that may impact hydration needs,” Dr Condo said. Proper hydration depends on factors like body size, climate, activity level and overall health.

3. Meal timings

“Meal timing is just as important as what the meal is made of,” Dr Condo advises. “Eating a nutritious meal 2-3 hours pre-exercise or competition will allow for the food to be digested and able to be used as energy.”

Think beyond the field. Study sport at Deakin.

Looking forward… (All times are AEDT)

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