Author: Australian Associated Press

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Australia hammer hapless Sri Lanka inside four days as records fall in Galle

Australia have recorded their biggest Test win on the subcontinent, trouncing a hapless Sri Lanka by an innings and 242 runs in the series opener in Galle.

Australia took a staggering 15 wickets either side of enforcing the follow-on during day four, wrapping up the series opener by tea. Veteran Nathan Lyon (three for 57, four for 78) and left-arm off-spinner Matthew Kuhnemann (five for 63, four for 86) inflicted the bulk of the damage, the latter barely two weeks after dislocating his thumb playing Big Bash League.

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Alex de Minaur powers Australia into Davis Cup lead against Sweden

  • World No 8 defeates Mikael Ymer 7-5, 6-1 in qualifier
  • Aleksandar Vukic beat Leo Borg 6-4, 6-4 for 2-0 lead

Trusty Davis Cup old hand Alex de Minaur and late-blooming new boy Aleksandar Vukic have put Australia well on the road to victory in their first-round qualifying tie against Sweden in Stockholm.

World No 8 de Minaur, in his first outing since his Australian Open quarter-final drubbing by Jannik Sinner, had to subdue comeback man Mikael Ymer before running away to a 7-5, 6-1 victory on Friday (Saturday AEDT).

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Australia might need Sri Lanka follow-on after rain claims most of third day

Steve Smith may need to enforce the follow-on to seal an Australian win over Sri Lanka that appeared guaranteed before rain hit Galle in the Test series opener.

The entire second and third sessions on day three were lost to rain on Friday after Australia continued their dominance of the hosts with two key wickets before lunch to reduce them to 136 for five.

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No Nick Kyrgios in Davis Cup team as Australia turn to Aleksandar Vukic

  • Kyrgios withdraws from Sweden tie due to more injury concerns
  • Jordan Thompson and Thanasi Kokkinakis also ruled out

Captain Lleyton Hewitt has not given up on a potential return to Davis Cup action for Nick Kyrgios despite the former Wimbledon finalist having predictably pulled out of Australia’s first-round qualifying tie with Sweden because of more injury concerns.

In the meantime, Hewitt is happy to rely on Alex de Minaur, a hungry newcomer Aleksandar Vukic and the veteran Olympic champion doubles pairing of Matt Ebden and John Peers to steer his side to victory in Stockholm.

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Josh Inglis hits debut century to turn the screw on Sri Lanka in first Test

  • Usman Khawaja’s 232 helps tourists declare on 6-654
  • Bowlers reduce hosts to 3-44 on second day in Galle

Usman Khawaja played the greatest innings of his Test career to help Australia tighten the screws on Sri Lanka in a series opener fast slipping away from the hosts.

Khawaja (232), Steve Smith (141) and debutant Josh Inglis (102) made life hell for Sri Lanka in Galle, as Australia declared on 6-654, their largest total for any innings on the subcontinent.

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Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith hit tons as Australia dominate Sri Lanka on day one of first Test

Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith each belted centuries as Australia bullied a wasteful Sri Lanka team on a one-sided opening day of the first Test in Galle.

Travis Head, promoted to open the innings, silenced the critics of those who wanted Sam Konstas at the top of the order by smashing 57 off 40 balls before Khawaja and Smith took control in an unbeaten 195-run third-wicket stand.

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Travis Head to replace Sam Konstas as Australia opener for first Sri Lanka Test

  • Experienced batter gets nod to open alongside Usman Khawaja
  • Konstas, Nathan McSweeney and Josh Inglis contenders at No 5

Travis Head will replace Sam Konstas at the top of Australia’s batting order for the first Sri Lanka Test despite the teenager’s heroics in the triumphant India series.

Stand-in captain Steve Smith would not rule out finding a place for Konstas elsewhere in the order for the match that begins in Galle on Wednesday, with a vacancy now open at No 5.

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Alexander Zverev knocks over Tommy Paul in return to Australian Open semis

  • No 2 seed books spot in last four with four-set win
  • German will now face Djokovic in semi-finals

Alexander Zverev has survived an extraordinary meltdown to sink Tommy Paul in four sets and charge into the Australian Open semi-finals.

Second-seeded Zverev, chasing an elusive grand slam title, was almost knocked down by, of all things, a feather before he steadied to prevail 7-6 (1), 7-6 (0), 2-6, 6-1. Zverev will next face 10-time champion Novak Djokovic in his third Melbourne Park semi-final.

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The Konstas Effect: Starstruck cricket fan finally reaps reward after car crash blunder

  • Sam Konstas promises signed merchandise as photo goes wrong
  • BBL side Sydney Thunder release video of incident at Cricket Central

Cricket sensation Sam Konstas has promised signed merchandise for the fan who accidentally crashed his car trying to meet him. Konstas’ Big Bash League club the Sydney Thunder uploaded a now-viral security video titled “The Konstas Effect” of the teen Test opener arriving at Cricket Central for training on Wednesday morning.

Moments after Konstas walks across camera, a four-wheel drive pulls into the car park, its driver emerging and running after Konstas – only to sprint back to his car on realising he had forgotten to engage the hand brake. The man slips over in his haste and does not arrive at the car before it crashes into another vehicle.

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Nervous 9999s: Steve Smith rues milestone miss as he backs teenage tyro to be a hit

  • 35-year-old one run short of 10,000 Test runs ahead of Sri Lanka tour
  • Australia stand-in captain to guide Sam Konstas to play his own way

Steve Smith has conceded he thought “too much” about reaching the 10,000 Test runs milestone against India before falling one run short in the fifth Test. The stand-in captain will head to Sri Lanka needing a single to join Ricky Ponting, Allan Border and Steve Waugh in an exclusive Australian cricket club.

Smith, famously fidgety and a poor sleeper during Tests – particularly while he is batting – reckons he has never cared much for statistics and milestones in a 114-Test career in which he’s averaged nearly 56. But, after falling for four in the second innings at the SCG to leave his home crowd, packed with family, friends and the three cricketing greats above him on that list gutted, he couldn’t pretend it didn’t hurt.

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Nick Kyrgios named in Australia’s Davis Cup team after five-year absence

  • Former world No 13 to face Sweden in qualifying tie from 31 January
  • De Minaur, Thompson and Kokkinakis also selected in squad

Nick Kyrgios is in line to make a sensational return to Australia’s Davis Cup team for the first time in more than five years. The 2022 Wimbledon finalist, who’s been taking the first tentative steps on the comeback road after long-standing injuries, is a shock selection by captain Lleyton Hewitt for the qualifying tie in Sweden in Stockholm starting on 31 January.

In the team nominations unveiled on Monday, the 29-year-old’s name in Australia’s four-man outfit raised eyebrows as he’s shown no interest in the men’s “World Cup of tennis” ever since he last played against Belgium in November 2019.

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‘My call’: India captain Rohit Sharma insists he was not axed for fifth Test

  • Opener stands down after scoring 31 runs in three Tests
  • Tourists need win at SCG to level series against Australia

A defiant Rohit Sharma says he made the call to drop himself for the fifth Test in Sydney, insisting he was not axed by selectors. Speaking for the first time since falling out of India’s side for the decisive Test against Australia at the SCG, India’s captain also rejected any suggestion his career was over.

India had refused to say whether Rohit would play the fifth Test against Australia in the lead up, after a series where he has scored 3, 6, 10, 3 and 9. His replacement as captain, Jasprit Bumrah, stated at the toss Rohit had “opted out” of the match and decided to “rest” from the series decider.

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USA to face Poland for United Cup title, Sabalenka and Osaka advance to finals

  • US beat Czechs, Poland defeat Kazakhstan in Sydney
  • Aryna Sabalenka powers past Andreeva in Brisbane
  • Naomi Osaka close to ending trophy wait in Auckland

Former champions the United States returned to the final of the United Cup mixed team tournament with a fortuitous victory over the Czech Republic on Saturday and set up a title clash with Poland, who hammered Kazakhstan.

Tomas Machac looked set to draw the Czechs level at 1-1 in their semi-final and was serving for the contest against Taylor Fritz, but an apparent cramp took its toll and he lost three straight games before throwing in the towel at 7-6 (4), 5-6.

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Jordan Lauton earns Western United win – and red card – with bicycle kick

  • Acrobatic goal seals dramatic comeback at Perth Glory
  • Lauton gets second yellow for celebrating last-gasp goal

Jordan Lauton earned a remarkable 3-2 comeback win for Western United at Perth Glory with one of the most spectacular goals in A-League Men history – but was sent off after picking up a second yellow card for his celebration.

As the 90 minutes expired at HBF Park on Friday, Perth were closing in on a 2-1 victory that would have ended their 321-day wait for a home league victory. Jarrod Carluccio’s fine finish in the 66th minute had given the hosts the edge after Adam Taggart’s first-half goal was cancelled out by United’s Matthew Grimaldi.

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