🎾 Bye Bye Barty Party

Good morning, it's Thursday, 24 March

🔊 Sport Today Podcast

This morning, Sam Ferris and Lucy Watkin are at the mic. 

Today's listen time: 9.45 minutes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

📺  What we're watching 

🏏 4.00pm - Cricket - Pakistan v Australia - Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore - Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 8.05pm - NRL - Dragons v Sharks - WIN Stadium, Wollongong - Channel 9, Foxtel, Kayo

⚽ 8.10pm - World Cup Qualifier - Australia v Japan - Stadium Australia, Sydney - Channel 10

All times are in AEDT

🎾 The Barty party is over 

Say it ain’t so! Everyone in Australia had to check their calendars to make sure it wasn’t April Fool’s Day when WhatsApp messages came through saying Ash Barty had retired. But it’s true. So Ash, thanks for the memories. 

Golden points: People had just finished lunch when Barty posted a video on Instagram. It was long, so people knew something was up. Turns out it was bigger than anyone could have guessed.

• The 25yo decided to retire because she’s physically and emotionally spent after a couple of years at the top.

• Barty won 3 Grand Slams, 15 titles, roughly $32 million and spent more than 2 years as the world #1.

• She said her dream was to win Wimbledon. Tick. But fans back home will always remember her ending the local drought by winning the Australian Open this year.

They said it: “Happy for Ash Barty, gutted for tennis. What a player.” - Andy Murray is spot on.  

Watch it: Barty will address the media later today, but if you missed it, here’s her interview with great mate Casey Dellacqua.

🥊 Barry enters the hall of pain 

Stop the fight! This was meant to be a spicy bout after Barry Hall headbutted Sonny Bill Williams at Tuesday's weigh-in. Instead, Hall was hit in the head and ended up on his butt 3 times in a complete mismatch in Sydney.

Golden points: The fight between the former footy players lasted about 2 minutes before the ref ended it early when Hall was knocked down for the 3rd time.

• Williams is younger, heavier and has more experience. It showed, and his boxing record is now 9-0.

• He was asked after the fight who he wanted to take on next. He mentioned Paul Gallen (we’ve heard that before) and then spoke to the former NRL legend in the stands.

They said it: “Barry Hall is one bad dude and Sonny Bill has schooled him tonight.” - Andy Raymond summed it up well in commentary.

Watch it: That's gotta hurt. This is the punch that ended it. 

⚽ Socceroos set for must-win match

Cross your fingers and cross your toes. And if you can, somehow cross your nose. The Socceroos play Japan tonight and it’s fair to say this is one of the most important football matches ever played in Australia. 

Golden points: The Socceroos have to beat Japan if they are to have any chance of automatically qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar later this year. 

• The Socceroos are 3rd in Group B. Japan is in front of them by 3 points with 2 games to go, and only the top 2 from each group automatically qualify. 

• The Aussies have won just one of their past 5 qualifiers, but they’ll go ahead of Japan on goal difference if they win.

• There have been heaps of setbacks this week that they must overcome. Several players have been ruled out because of COVID, their coach is in isolation and one of their best players is injured. 

Watch it: You’ll need a few TVs tonight with all the footy on. But keep it locked on Channel 10 for this one. Kick-off from Stadium Australia in Sydney is at 8.10pm (AEDT). 

🏏 Aussies feast as Pakistan crumbles 

So you’re telling me there’s a chance? After 2 drawn Tests and long days in the field, Australia is on top against Pakistan and a chance to win their first Test series in Asia since 2011.

Golden points: Pakistan had been cruising at 2/214, but on a pitch that was meant to suit the spinners, it was a couple of quicks who did all the damage. 

• Captain Pat Cummins (5-56) and Mitchell Starc (4-33) ripped through the opposition, all started by a ridiculous return catch by Cummins.

• Pakistan lost 7-20, with their final six batters combining for just 7 runs. 

• The Aussies lead by 134 runs with 2 full days left on a pitch that is getting harder and harder to bat on. 

Watch it: Chuck it on Foxtel and Kayo at 4.00pm (AEDT) to see what the Aussies can do.

⚽ Thieves steal Pogba's prized possession 

If you thought losing in the UEFA Champions League last week was bad enough, spare a thought for Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.

Golden points: Pogba’s house was broken into on the same night Manchester United was knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid.

• The thieves took some pretty important items, including his 2018 World Cup winner’s medal from when he scored in France’s win over Croatia.

• His 2 kids and their nanny were in the house when it happened. They were scared but unharmed. 

Key click: Pogba has opened up on experiencing depression in his time with Man Utd.

👀 Quick singles

⚽ Liverpool and Manchester City fans want their FA Cup semi-final to be moved because there will be no direct trains from either city into London for the big game. The Easter weekend chaos could see heaps of fans miss the game. 

🏈 Tyreek Hill is off to the Miami Dolphins on a deal that’ll make him the highest-paid NFL wide receiver of all time. He’s really good at catching balls and running quickly, and that’s why Miami have given the Chiefs a stack of draft picks and will pay Hill $120 million. 

🏉 Lightning has struck twice for the Melbourne Storm with Tyran Wishart ruled out of Saturday’s game against Paramatta. That’s because he lives with Harry Grant, who has COVID, and it means the Storm are now missing 2 of their top 3 hookers. 

⛸ Ice skater Kamila Valieva will return to competition, but not at the World Championships which start next week. Her doping case is still going on but the 15yo will compete in the Channel One Cup in Russia. 

⚽ It’s been a big week for Barcelona after their women’s side came from behind to beat rivals Real Madrid 3-1 in their UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-final. The 2nd leg is in Barcelona next week and more than 70,000 tickets have been sold. 

🏉 Taniela Tupou has been cleared to play the NSW Waratahs this weekend after a successful night at the judiciary. The man known as ‘Tongan Thor’ was facing a 2-week ban but was found not guilty of dangerous contact.

🏋️‍♂️ A weightlifter from Kazakhstan has been stripped of his gold medal from the 2016 Rio Olympics. Nijat Rahimov has also been banned for 8 years for swapping his urine at drug tests. 

🏉 The big bosses at the AFL did not agree with the decision to allow Willie Rioli to play this weekend, but they won’t appeal the decision. The tribunal cleared the West Coast Eagles player even though most people thought he’d be banned for a week. 

🙃 Left of field…

Maybe that 20-minute session on the bike at the gym yesterday wasn’t as impressive as I thought it was. Hmmm. 

Golden points: Aussie cyclist Lachlan Morton has raised more than $300,000 for Ukrainian refugees after a bike ride that sounds too hard to be true.

• Morton rode more than 1000 km from Germany to the Poland-Ukraine border. That’s a month-long journey for some… he did it in 42 hours. 

• Strangers gave him hot food along the way and other cyclists even joined in for sections of the ride.

• This isn’t the first charitable ride he’s done after his gruelling Tour de France journey minus all the luxuries.  

They said it: “My idea is to highlight the fact that war is not a far-off problem. Conflicts are a bike ride away, all over the world.” - That explains why the fundraiser is called One Ride Away.

📽 The highlight reel

Howzat! Sam Rainbird now has the best Sheffield Shield figures by a Tasmanian bowler after he took 8-21 against Queensland. 

📸 Photo finish

We started with Ash and we're finishing with Ash. Is this the most wholesome photo ever taken? Yes, yes it is. What a champion. 

🏃‍♀️ The finish line

🏆 Today's trivia answer

Japan won 2-1 thanks to a late own goal.