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'It doesn't look great': Kuhnemann's Sri Lanka tour in jeopardy after thumb injury

The left-arm offspinner ran from the ground in agony on Thursday night after attempting to field a Matthew Wade straight drive off his own bowling.
"I just heard about Matt Kuhnemann, so that's pretty bad," he told AAP. "Thumb ... it doesn't look great. I really feel for him."
Connolly spins the ball away from the right-hander like Kuhnemann and is highly rated by Steven Smith - interim captain in Sri Lanka - despite not yet owning a first-class wicket. Right-arm offspinners Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy are already part of the touring party.
Uncapped West Australian offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli, New South Wales legspinner Tanveer Sangha and Queensland's Mitchell Swepson are among those pushing for a late call-up to the squad if Kuhnemann is ruled out.
Kuhnemann played three Tests in Australia's 2023 tour of India, his style proving effective in sub-continental conditions as he claimed nine wickets, including 5 for 16 in the second Test.
Starved of Sheffield Shield opportunities given he was stuck behind Swepson at Queensland, Kuhnemann opted to move to Tasmania this season. It paid off, his 18 wickets in six games the most of any spinner in the competition as he pressed his case for a spot in the XI in Galle later this month.
"It's someone I'm close to and he's grown so much with his bowling and in Sri Lanka, he's probably one of the first picked over there," Labuschagne said. "I'm really gutted."
Labuschagne tuned up for the tour with a BBL-best 77 from 44 balls, anchoring the innings before Hurricanes chased down their 201-run target on the final ball.
"I'm pretty confident, clear on my plans for how I'll go about it," he said of the spin test awaiting. "So it's about cleaning that up in Dubai first.
"You can't put your finger down on one thing; you need different options because in the subcontinent, you hit one good sweep and there's two or three guys out there. So you trust your defence, trust your sweep and your game and mix it all together."

Australia chose to bat vs England
Wareham is playing just her second ODI since last March and was not required to bat or bowl in previous outing against India in December. Her return also lengthens Australia's batting with fellow legspinner Alana King now pushed to No. 9. England struggled significantly against King in Melbourne as she returned 4 for 25 in a matchwinning performance.
England have stuck with an unchanged XI meaning they will have fielded the same team throughout the one-day series. There had been some hope that Kate Cross would be fit for this game after back problems, but she has not made the cut.
The visitors are in desperate need of two points from this game to enter the T20I leg of the multiformat series at 4-2. If Australia are 6-0 up they will require just two more points to retain the Ashes.
Australia: 1 Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), 2 Phoebe Litchfield, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Beth Mooney, 5 Annabel Sutherland, 6 Ashleigh Gardner, 7 Tahlia McGrath, 8 Georgia Wareham, 9 Alana King, 10 Kim Garth, 11 Megan Schutt
England: 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Maia Bouchier, 3 Heather Knight (capt), 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 5 Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 6 Amy Jones (wk), 7 Alice Capsey, 8 Charlie Dean, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Lauren Filer, 11 Lauren Bell
Texans' Mixon questionable to play against Chiefs

HOUSTON -- The Texans on Thursday listed running back Joe Mixon as questionable with an ankle injury ahead of their divisional-round playoff matchup Saturday against the Chiefs.
Mixon did not practice Thursday after being limited in Wednesday's practice.
This isn't the first time he has had ankle issues. Earlier in the season he missed Week 3 through 5 after suffering an ankle injury in Week 2 against the Bears. He returned for a matchup against the Patriots in Week 6.
In the Texans' 32-12 wild-card round win over the Chargers, Mixon rushed for 106 yards on 25 carries and scored the game-sealing touchdown in the fourth quarter. On the season, Mixon earned Pro Bowl honors by rushing for 1,016 yards (15th in the NFL) with 11 touchdowns (T-11th).
If Mixon can't play, the Texans will lean on backup running back Dameon Pierce who rushed for 176 yards and one touchdown against the Titans in Week 18.
The Texans were 2-1 without Mixon this season including a win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 5.
Besides Mixon, the Texans also listed wide receiver Robert Woods (hip), linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and tight end Teagan Quitoriano (calf) as questionable for Saturday's game.
LSU freshman QB hospitalized after car crash

LSU freshman quarterback Colin Hurley was found unresponsive but breathing by LSU police and the Baton Rouge Fire Department just before 3 a.m. on Thursday following a car crash near the gates of the LSU campus, according to a crash report.
Hurley was taken out of his Dodge Charger by EMS and fire department personnel and transported to a Baton Rouge area hospital.
The cause of the crash has not been released. LSU school officials said they were unable to comment because Hurley, 17, is still a minor.
In a statement, the family said Hurley is "resting and is stable."
"Colin would like to thank the first responders, the incredible doctors and nurses at Our Lady of the Lake Health and the many Tiger Fans for their care and compassion," the statement read. "Colin is resting and is stable while more tests and care are being administered. We are confident that Colin will make a full recovery from this terrible accident."
Hurley, who is from Jacksonville, Florida, signed with LSU as part of the 2024 recruiting class and did not play this season as a true freshman.
Wildfires force PGA Tour to move Genesis tourney

The PGA Tour is moving next month's Genesis Invitational to an alternate site after wildfires near Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, and other parts of Los Angeles killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of structures.
The Genesis Invitational, which is hosted by Tiger Woods, was scheduled to be played at Riviera Country Club on Feb. 13-16.
"The PGA Tour's focus continues to be on the safety and well-being of those affected by the unprecedented natural disaster in Greater Los Angeles," the tour said in a statement Thursday. "We are grateful for the life-saving efforts of first responders and the tireless work being done to put an end to the tragic wildfires.
"In collaboration with Genesis, The Riviera Country Club and TGR Live, and out of respect for the unfolding situation, we have determined that the 2025 Genesis Invitational will be played at an alternate location the week of February 10-16."
The PGA Tour said the alternate course would be announced in the coming days.
Among the potential locations under consideration, according to sources, are La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, California, the site of this week's American Express, and Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California, which will host next week's Farmers Insurance Open.
The PGA Tour could also do back-to-back weeks at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona, the site of the WM Phoenix Open on Feb. 6-9. Another possibility is Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas, which was the site of the CJ Cup in the past and an LPGA match-play event the past four years.
The Riviera Country Club was not damaged by the fires, but the surrounding area was greatly affected. Genesis is one of the PGA Tour's signature events with a $20 million purse.
Riviera Country Club has hosted a professional men's tournament 60 times since 1929 and almost annually since 1973. The Genesis Invitational benefits Woods' TGR Foundation.
After making his debut in a TGL Match at SoFi Center in Florida on Tuesday night, Woods said his organization's focus was "trying to just figure everything out and make sure that everyone is safe."
"But as of right now, we're not really focused on the tournament," Woods said. "It's more about what we can do to help everyone who's struggling, who's lost homes and had their lives changed. It's just hard."
NBA: Officials erred on pivotal Pels-Mavs play

The NBA acknowledged Thursday that officials erred at the end of the Pelicans-Mavericks game the previous night by not calling goaltending on what would have been a go-ahead bucket for Dallas.
The no-call was a point of contention for the Mavericks, with coach Jason Kidd saying after the game, "It cost us maybe the game."
With 15 seconds remaining and Dallas trailing 117-116, P.J. Washington got a steal near midcourt and the Mavs pushed the ball in transition. Spencer Dinwiddie received a pass as he moved toward the basket and went up for a potential go-ahead layup as Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III trailed. The ball appeared to hit the glass before Murphy touched it, but the Mavs were out of timeouts and could not challenge.
Dinwiddie disagreed with the non-call, saying he deliberately put the ball off the backboard so the shot couldn't be blocked.
The NBA concurred, saying via its Last Two Minute Report that Murphy III blocked the shot attempt after the ball made contact with the backboard and had a chance to go in.
New Orleans ended up winning 119-116 after Murphy made two free throws with 1 second left.
The Mavericks had the option to appeal the loss, but general manager Nico Harrison told 96.7 The Ticket earlier Thursday that the team opted not to go that route.
"You can do an appeal but if you do it, you have to spend some money," Harrison said. "It might make you feel good, but it's not going to change the outcome. Refs make mistakes. It's frustrating. ... It is what it is. You have to move on to the next game."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
LeBron's manager leading upstart to rival NBA

Maverick Carter, LeBron James' business manager, has been enlisted as an adviser by a group of investors seeking to raise $5 billion to form an international basketball league that would serve as a rival to the NBA, sources told ESPN, confirming a story first reported Thursday by Bloomberg.
The group -- which includes multiple private equity funds -- is looking to form a league consisting of six men's teams and six women's teams, playing games around the world, sources told ESPN.
Although Carter, who has served as a producer on more than one of James' TV and movie projects, is closely tied to the Los Angeles Lakers star, sources told ESPN that James is not involved in the efforts with this new league.
James, whose current Lakers contract includes a player option for the 2025-26 season, has expressed interest in becoming an NBA owner once his playing career comes to an end.
Bloomberg reported that the investment group might try to tap private equity and sovereign wealth funds to raise the $5 billion it is seeking. Currently, private equity funds are limited to a 20% stake in NBA teams and are not allowed to serve in governing roles.
The NBA has not faced a significant rival 5-on-5 league since the 1970s, when the short-lived American Basketball Association went under and the NBA absorbed four of its teams -- the Pacers, Nets, Nuggets and Spurs. The WNBA was beaten to market by the rival American Basketball League in the 1990s, although that league folded after 2 seasons.
This season, a new 3-on-3 women's league, Unrivaled, is starting up and has filled its rosters with many of the WNBA's biggest stars, though rookie sensation Caitlin Clark chose not to participate.
Sources: Cubs, Tucker settle at $16.5M for '25

CHICAGO -- The Cubs and new outfielder Kyle Tucker avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing to a $16.5 million contract for next season, according to sources familiar with the deal.
Tucker, 27, was scheduled to go to a hearing with the team after his camp filed for a salary of $17.5 million for 2025 while the team countered at $15 million. That won't be necessary, as the sides met near the middle, settling on the $16.5 million figure just a day before the team's fan convention gets underway in Chicago. Tucker is one of the headliners for the weekend.
Tucker, acquired by the Cubs from the Astros in a trade last month, compiled a 4.7 bWAR in just 78 games played last season for Houston due to injury, making his arbitration case a unique one.
An arbiter could have viewed him as a part-time player, and so the outcome of his contractual situation does have some precedent moving forward for players with a similar number of at-bats. It's what held up an agreement to this point. But the sides were able to quickly get past that before the potential ugliness of an arbitration hearing took place.
Tucker, who has a career .870 OPS, will be a free agent at the end of next season.

Outfielder Jesse Winker and the New York Mets have agreed on a one-year deal, a source confirmed to ESPN amid multiple reports Thursday.
Winker, 31, will return to the Mets after the club acquired him in a trade from the Washington Nationals at the deadline last summer. The deal is pending Winkler passing a physical, a source told ESPN.
He signed a minor-league deal with Washington coming off an injury-plagued 2023 campaign with the Milwaukee Brewers. He thrived with the rebuilding Nationals, hitting 11 home runs with a .257/.374/.419 slash line, which made him an attractive trade candidate for contending teams seeking a left-handed bat.
The Mets acquired him for right-hander Tyler Stuart, and he batted .243 with three home runs and a .683 OPS in 44 games with New York.
With Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo slated to start in the corner outfield spots, Winker figures to spend most of his time as the designated hitter against right-handed pitchers in 2025 with Starling Marte, as it stands, getting DH starts against lefties.
The Mets and homegrown star Pete Alonso, who remains one of the top free agents on the market, still have not been able to come to an agreement despite mutual interest, according to sources. Alonso, a four-time All-Star, was drafted by the Mets in 2016.

Borthwick's squad included six Saracens players - Ben Earl, Theo Dan, Tom Willis, Elliot Daly, Itoje and George.
McCall said despite the disappointing news, George been the same "phenomenal team-mate" in Saracens training.
"Jamie George has never had to have the label or the badge of captain to be a good leader," he added.
George and Itoje have been part of three winning England squads at the Six Nations - including the Grand Slam in 2016 - and reached the final of the 2019 World Cup.
"I think Maro always knows that the best way for him to lead is by actions - lots of important actions and game-changing actions," McCall said.
"He's done that for years and he knows that the key to his leadership is what he does on the field."