I Dig Sports
Manenti spins South Australia into pole position
Victoria 195 for 7 (Harper 68*, Manenti 4-66) trail South Australia 307 (Hunt 62, Scott 53, Siddle 3-57) by 112 runs
Manenti had Jonathan Merlo caught at backward square leg by Lloyd Pope, before bowling Ashley Chandrasinghe, then taking a sharp catch at second slip to dismiss Campbell Kellaway. Manenti dismissed Peter Handscomb, squeezing a catch to Henry Hunt at short leg, and added Tom Rogers to his list, miscuing a pull shot to Pope at backward point.
Victoria captain Will Sutherland feathered a catch to wicketkeeper Alex Carey, as did Mitchell Perry, Liam Scott striking immediately with the second new ball.
Harper, who has looked in decent touch, remained the key scalp for SA.
In the corresponding fixture last summer, Harper thumped nine sixes in an astonishing 151 off 109 balls to lead Victoria to a thrilling, low-scoring victory.
"We've still got to get these last three wickets," Manenti said after stumps on Saturday. "Harps is batting nicely and Sids has been around for years - he can obviously chip in as well.
"Get these last three, then get to work with the bat and give ourselves a real good shot tomorrow afternoon or early day four to have a crack and put ourselves in a position to win it."
After resuming at 286 for 9 overnight, SA's stubborn tail frustrated the Victorian attack on the second morning before their innings concluded when No.11 Pope, who scored a personal-best 17, edged Cameron McClure to Harper.
Evergreen ex-Test quick Siddle, who turns 40 this month, was the pick of Victoria's bowlers, capturing 3 for 57.
Khawaja fifty ends last ball before rain washes out play
Queensland 96 for 2 (Khawaja 58) trail New South Wales 239 by 143 runs
Test opener Khawaja appeared immune to the form struggles plaguing those vying to partner him at the top for the Border-Gavaskar trophy, helping Queensland make headway in reply to NSW's 239.
Wet weather meant only one delivery was bowled across the final two sessions, with Queensland posting 96 for 2 by the time play was abandoned late on Saturday.
Khawaja brought up his second first-class half-century for the summer with the second of his two sixes: a slog over long off from Tanveer Sangha.
But his innings was not without controversy. NSW's Ryan Hadley thought he'd caught Khawaja at fine leg from Sangha's bowling about an hour into play, only for him to remain at the crease following consultation between the umpires. Khawaja, on 29 at the time, had earlier survived an lbw shout from Josh Hazlewood's bowling.
But out-of-favour Renshaw failed in his bid to reassert his Test credentials, trapped lbw by Sangha on 25 later in the first session.
The wet conditions meant only one ball was bowled in a delayed second session but it could hardly have been a more crucial one for NSW.
Khawaja edged Edwards to Ollie Davies in the slips as rain continued to fall, with the teams back in the pavilion before another delivery could be bowled.
Pant and Gill hit top gear to help India close the gap
LunchIndia 195 for 5 (Gill 70*, Jadeja 10*, Ajaz 2-76) trail New Zealand 235 by 40 runs
New Zealand didn't help themselves, dropping both the batters on 45 (Gill) and 53 (Pant). Pant's missed chance didn't cost New Zealand too much as he fell lbw for 60 to Ish Sodhi. Sodhi had been introduced into the attack when the deficit had already come down to 84 and bowled bowled two overs of half-volleys and long hops before settling into a rhythm. Glenn Phillips was then unlucky man to be denied the two wickets.
Pant, 1 off 1 overnight, began as he meant to go on. Ajaz was too full first ball of the day, which Pant push-drove straight of mid-off, who moved deeper after the boundary. To the second ball, Pant stepped out, and drilled it straight of that deep mid-off, who now moved to long-off. Gill joined him with an inside-out chip over extra cover in Ajaz's next over.
Then Pant played the lap shot for four to push forward short leg to behind square, promptly offering what could have been catches for the forward short leg the following two balls. It was Pant's attacking mindset that had forced New Zealand to choose one of the two areas to man. Pant rubbed it in with two sixes in Ajaz's next two overs.
Gill didn't want to be left behind. He tried to hit Phillips' first ball of the day for a six but ended up skying it to long-on where the substitute fielder Mark Chapman gave him a reprieve. That proved to be a turning point in Gill's innings, he proceeded to put his head down and only take the boundaries on offer thereafter. He was 45 off 57 when dropped, but went into lunch on 70 off 106.
Pant doesn't slow down. He merely takes a moment to regroup. He proceeded to pick a Sodhi googly and drive it through extra cover for four. Once Sodhi found his length, though, he was not so easy to hit. However, it was the shorter balls that were misbehaving, mostly harmlessly. For Pant, one happened to be on target and got him lbw, clipping the leg stump.
Ravindra Jadeja was promoted to maintain the right-left combination going, and he and Gill saw India through with a sedate 15-run stand before a stuck Spidercam forced an early lunch.
Nuggets' Braun rues taunting Gobert after dunk
MINNEAPOLIS -- Denver Nuggets wing Christian Braun threw down a spectacular poster dunk over a four-time Defensive Player of the Year but felt regrets about the play as he left the Target Center on Friday night.
Braun blamed himself for a celebration that caused a confrontation with Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, saying the double technical fouls halted Denver's momentum.
"I got to be more responsible," Braun said after the Timberwolves rallied from a 10-point deficit to hand the Nuggets a 119-116 loss. "It's two points. Obviously, those are the plays you want to make and those are the momentum plays I want to make, but getting a tech throws the momentum their way, so I got to do a better job of controlling myself."
Braun drove down the middle of the lane, launched just inside the dotted line and slammed the ball in with two hands despite Gobert contesting it with 5:14 remaining.
After he landed, Braun flexed his shoulders and took two big strides into Gobert's chest. Gobert responded by putting his left arm on Braun's neck and shoving him away. Players and staffers from both teams, as well as the officials, prevented the confrontation from escalating.
"He made a great play and there's always a little adrenaline," Gobert said. "He kind of stepped towards my space and nothing really happened. But's it's part of the game. ... I have nothing against Braun. I actually think he's a very good player. He's a good kid. But it's a big win for us. And the way we overcame adversity tonight as a group is the type of win that I think makes you grow as a team."
Denver was on an 11-0 run to seemingly seize control of the game after Braun's dunk, which extended the Nuggets' lead to eight points. Denver led by 10 after Aaron Gordon's fadeaway jumper with 3:36 remaining. But the Nuggets didn't make a field goal the rest of the game as the Timberwolves rallied while Denver point guard Jamal Murray (concussion protocol) was in the locker room.
"This defeat is on me," Nuggets center Nikola Jokic said after the three-time MVP finished with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 13 assists, noting he missed both of his shots from the floor and committed a pair of turnover in the final three minutes. "I need to do a better job of getting guys involved. It was really bad for me."
Timberwolves wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker hit two 3-pointers to key Minnesota's comeback, hitting good looks that Braun said occurred because of his defensive miscues.
"I've got to be better," said Braun, who finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds.
Gobert had a pair of defensive stops, a rebound and made a pair of free throws in the final 13 seconds to seal the victory. He forced Jokic to take a tightly contested stepback 3 in the final seconds that failed to draw iron. On the Nuggets' previous possession, Gobert forced Braun to miss a tough floater.
"We're never going to give up, and that's the championship mindset that we need to have," said Gobert, who had 17 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks. "All the best teams in this league, they're not always perfect, but they don't doubt. They never doubt. They know how to regroup, know how to refocus and be who they are when it matters the most."
Friday night's game was a nationally televised matchup between rivals that have eliminated each other in the Western Conference playoffs the past two seasons.
Braun, who dunked on Gobert twice during a meeting late in last regular season, said his celebration after Friday's highlight finish could be perceived as a sign of respect.
"The reason I get so hyped up after that is that's the best rim protector in the NBA," Braun said. "So making a play on the best rim protector in the NBA, it doesn't happen to him often. He had a really good play down the stretch on me where I didn't go strong enough. That's what he does. He's really good at that. That's why he is who he is and that's why he's Defensive Player of the Year.
"I got him once, and he got me, too, so it's just good, competitive juice. That's what he's supposed to do. That's what I'm supposed to do, and they got the win. So obviously Rudy gets the win today."
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- Rookies Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil scored first-half goals, Riqui Puig scored twice during second-half stoppage time, and the Los Angeles Galaxy polished off a first-round sweep of the Colorado Rapids with a 4-1 victory in MLS Cup action on Friday night.
Pec, who had 16 goals during the regular season, scored his first postseason goal just eight minutes into the match when he deflected a clearing attempt by Colorado goalkeeper Zack Steffen into the net.
The Rapids answered with an unassisted goal by Oliver Larraz - his first in his first postseason - to even the score in the 19th minute of the best-of-three series.
The second-seeded Galaxy took a 2-1 lead into halftime when Paintsil took a pass from Maya Yoshida in the third minute of stoppage time and scored his first postseason goal. Yoshida's assist was his first in two career playoff starts.
Puig, who scored twice in the Galaxy's 5-0 victory in the opening match, put the finishing touch on the victory with goals in the first and third minutes of stoppage time. He did not have a goal or an assist in two playoff starts for LA in 2022.
Diego Fagúndez notched his second career assist in his ninth postseason appearance on Puig's first goal. Pec made it two straight postseason matches with an assist with one on his second.
John McCarthy saved three shots in his second playoff start for the Galaxy after posting a clean sheet in his first. His only other postseason start came in 2020 with Inter Miami.
Steffen totaled four saves in his 10th career postseason start and second with the seventh-seeded Rapids.
The Galaxy outscored Colorado 15-4 in four matchups this season. LA improves to 9-2-0 all time against the Rapids in the postseason, including 4-2-0 on the road.
LA will face the winner of the series between No. 3 seed Real Salt Lake and No. 6 seed Minnesota United in the next round.
Hobart Hurricanes 176 for 3 (Wyatt-Hodge 62) beat Brisbane Heat 173 for 5 (G Harris 75, Rodrigues 45)
It looked to be a competitive target but Hurricanes, having put down four catches, quickly seized control and secured a seven-wicket win with two balls remaining.
Wyatt-Hodge smashed 62 from 35 deliveries, earning player-of-the-match honours on what was comfortably a record-breaking day for Hurricanes. Their previous best WBBL chase came in October 2021, when they hauled in a target of 145 against Melbourne Stars. Wyatt-Hodge, among the most experienced T20 players in the world, and fellow opener Lizelle Lee set a sizzling pace while sharing a 55-run stand in the opening six overs.
"I thought the pitch was a little bit on slow side. I just kept it simple really, if the ball was in my areas then go for it," Wyatt-Hodge told broadcasters Fox Cricket. "Just play attacking cricket but being smart about it. I thought that was probably about par. We knew we could chase that if we put our minds to it and get our heads down. Me and Lizzie just wanted to make the most of the powerplay and stick to our strengths ... keep things simple and play aggressive cricket."
Lee's dismissal for 38 failed to curb the momentum of Wyatt-Hodge, who struck six fours and three sixes in her game-changing innings. Heat removed Nicola Carey, victim to a sensational catch from Nadine de Klerk, and Wyatt-Hodge then continued to rally, leaving Hobart with a tricky equation of 33 runs from the final three overs.
Legspinner Grace Parsons' economical haul of 1 for 15 from four overs, including the all-important scalp of Wyatt-Hodge, gave Heat genuine hope of victory. But Elyse Villani's reverse-swept boundary, her second four in a dramatic final over delivered by Charli Knott, secured the win.
'Sometimes people need a break' - Masood backs Babar to make strong comeback
"I think he's one of the best batsmen in the world. I'm nobody to [say he doesn't have] a future," Masood told the BBC Stumped radio programme. "He has every quality to be one of the greatest batsmen in Test cricket. He's always there or thereabouts in the rankings. Sometimes, people need a break."
"I think this break will do him a great deal of benefit and he'll come back a stronger player," Masood said. "There's no harm in being pulled out at times and having a breather. He's played a lot of cricket and gone through a lot, and he'll always be one of the main batsmen to play for Pakistan."
Masood said he had a good relationship with the incoming selectors, insisting he wanted to focus on the team instead of focusing on where individual credit should be apportioned. "People in Pakistan are quick to give success to individuals," he said. "To make one person a hero. I think it's always going to be a collective thing. I'd rather pass credit onto everyone else; it was a collective decision. When we sat down together in our first meeting, we were on the same page. We said 'we need to take 20 wickets, how do we take 20 wickets?'
"We thought playing on a used pitch, playing three spinners - that, we thought, would benefit us greatly. I've worked with three different setups in my tenure so far. My first series in Australia was different, the Bangladesh series was different, and then we've had this group of people that were involved in selection and leadership. I've been on the same page with them so far. At the end of the day, it's about Pakistan cricket, and we're very fortunate that the entire collective came together."
"There are no hard feelings from my side," Masood laughed. "I've always been an open book in front of the media and tried to conduct myself in the best possible way. People have every right to ask questions however they want. I want to give the best account of myself and for my character to be reflected the way I am. I'm good at taking constructive criticism and I'm also good at filtering stuff out."
Nuggets' Murray exits game, in concussion protocol
MINNEAPOLIS -- Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was placed in the NBA's concussion protocol after exiting Friday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the third quarter.
Murray was cutting through the lane with Anthony Edwards guarding him, when Julius Randle backed up to chase Aaron Gordon and inadvertently banged his shoulder into Murray's nose.
Murray's head jerked back into Edwards from the impact, and he doubled over in pain while the play continued before subbing out four possessions later during a timeout and heading to the locker room for further examination.
Murray had six points on 2-of-7 shooting in 22 minutes.
That continued a relatively slow start to the season for Murray, who signed a four-year, $208 million maximum contract extension in September. He averaged 18.8 points on 37.9% shooting in the Nuggets' first four games entering Friday night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Brown critical of 'Ray Lewis'-like foul on Tatum
Jaylen Brown had 25 points in the Boston Celtics' 124-109 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night, but he saved his biggest shots for after the game.
The star guard took issue with former teammate Grant Williams, who plowed into Jayson Tatum from the side as Tatum was dribbling near half court late in the fourth quarter. Tatum spilled to the ground. Brown then came in and jawed at Williams and the Hornets bench.
Tatum appeared upset as he got to his feet, but simply walked toward the foul line as officials reviewed the play. Williams was ejected for a flagrant foul 2 and could face a league suspension.
Asked if he thought Williams' foul was unintentional, Brown didn't hesitate with an answer.
"Like, what are we talking about? Y'all see the same play that I was seeing?" Brown told reporters in Charlotte. "He hit him like it was a football play. Like, Ray Lewis coming across the middle or something. It is what it is. Grant know better than that."
Brown said there's no place in the NBA for a foul like that and questioned why Williams, who was teammates with him and Tatum in Boston from 2019 to 2023, would commit it.
"I thought JT and Grant was friends. ... I guess not," Brown said.
Williams acknowledged it was a hard foul but said it wasn't an intentional one.
"Not trying to hurt anybody. We all know that's one of my closest friends in the league," Williams told NBC Sports Boston.
"JB kind of escalated it, but I understand he's trying to protect his teammate. But that's (Tatum) my dog. No matter what I got his back. ... No malice or any issue with that."
Tatum, who scored a game-high 32 points, declined to speak to the media afterward.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla refused to place any blame directly on Williams.
"I'm glad that (Tatum) is fine," he said. "What I liked the most is that he jumped right up and didn't lay around. It didn't faze him. He got right up, went to the free throw and did his business."
The game didn't calm down after the foul on Tatum, either. Moments later, LaMelo Ball fouled the Celtics star on a 3-point attempt and was assessed a flagrant for a dangerous foul. Then in the closing seconds, Hornets forward Miles Bridges was ejected.
"Teams like to send messages and try to set the tone and do all different type of stuff to try to either get us out of character or mess with our mind or make us feel like we solved or whatever the case is," Brown said. "We're not going for none of that. We're not -- that's it. We're just not going."
The teams won't have to wait long to see each other. They play again Saturday night, this time in Boston.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
BOSTON -- The NHLPA will form an advisory committee to help hockey players better understand chronic traumatic encephalopathy and the damage that concussions can do to the brain.
NHLPA president Marty Walsh said on Friday night that the CTE committee was unanimously approved at a union board meeting this summer. The former Boston mayor made the announcement after receiving an award at the annual gala for the Concussion Legacy Foundation, which supports patients and families struggling with the symptoms of traumatic brain injuries.
"The long-term health of NHL players is of paramount importance to our membership," the union said in a statement. "To this end, the NHLPA is in the process of forming a player committee that will be focused on learning more about chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The committee will be guided by leading medical experts in this field to help players better understand CTE."
A degenerative brain disease, CTE has been identified in athletes and military combat veterans who sustained concussions or repeated blows to the head. It can be diagnosed only posthumously through an examination of the brain.
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
