Sport

DANE ELDRIDGE: Playing for Australia has become like the Sicilian Mafia - it’s harder to get out than it is to get in, but luckily this tough decision was made for them.

LISA STHALEKAR: There’s been a lot of noise about Usman Khawaja, but another veteran’s future is also being questioned heading into the second Test at the Gabba.

GEORGIE PARKER: The AFL are cheating fans by failing to take the brave step on the one issue most experts agree on.

MITCHELL JOHNSON: If the first Test was a blockbuster, the Gabba sequel could be just as wild and potentially over in two days again if the rain stays away after Ben Stokes’ pointed comments.

Breakaway rugby competition R360 will not launch until 2028, in a move that could leave NRL stars Zac Lomax and Ryan Papenhuyzen in limbo.

JUSTIN LANGER: It’s hard to tell from the outside, but England sticking to their guns is not that crazy and why can’t a bloke play golf?

GEORGIE PARKER: This grand final is another chapter in the fierce battle between these titanic heavyweights and its the best thing that could be happening for the sport.

MITCHELL JOHNSON: Ben Stokes, and England, need to get some runs on the board — and maybe a Test win — before sledging their own greats as their hubris was clearly their undoing in the first Test.

DANE ELDRIDGE: There is nothing a Kiwi hates more than admitting an Australian is right, but Brendon McCullum’s refusal to see the writing on the wall is beyond the pale.

LISA STHALEKAR: Travis Head’s heroics should signal the end of Usman Khawaja’s Test career and he only has himself to blame.

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty to charges he engaged in rigged high-stakes poker games that prosecutors said had ties to the Mafia.

JUSTIN LANGER: It was sensational to watch, but two-day Tests will kill the Ashes.

MITCHELL JOHNSON: Usman Khawaja’s injury fiasco could cost him his farewell tour - even if he is fit to play at the Gabba - with the Aussie dressing room unlikely to be impressed.

MITCHELL JOHNSON: You must be at your best for the ultimate sporting showdown as any weakness will be fully exploited by your opponent.

EDITORIAL: Test cricket is a strange anachronism in today’s attention deficit-riven society. Australians forgo their phones in favour the hypnotic thwack of red leather against English willow.