🏏 Who run the world? Girls

Happy hump day, it's Wednesday, 9 March

🔊 Sport Today Podcast

This morning, Martin Gabor and Lucy Watkin are at the mic. 

Today's listen time: 10 minutes

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

📺  What we're watching today

⚽ 7.00am - UEFA Champions League - Liverpool v Inter Milan - Anfield, Liverpool - Stan Sport

🏀 2.00pm - NBA - Warriors v Clippers - Chase Centre, San Francisco - Foxtel, Kayo

⚽ 5.05pm - A-League Men's - Mariners v Victory - Central Coast Stadium, Gosford - Paramount+

All times are in AEDT

🏏 Picture perfect cricketers 

It’s probably too late to get a loved one a present for International Women’s Day. But don’t worry because the Aussie women’s cricket team saved the day with another win at the 50-over World Cup.

The score: Australia 3/193 beat Pakistan 6/190.

Golden points: The Aussies are top of the table with 2 wins from as many games after they easily chased down Pakistan’s total in New Zealand.

• Opener Alyssa Healy was named player of the match for scoring 73 in the run chase.

• Every win is important because only the top 4 teams qualify for the semis.

What’s next: The players have a few days off before their next game on Sunday. That one’s against tournament hosts New Zealand, and you can catch it for free on Kayo.

Photo finish: Yesterday was a pretty special anniversary for the Aussies. They beat India 2 years earlier to win the T20 World Cup in Melbourne in front of a huge crowd. To celebrate the occasion, a portrait has been unveiled at the MCG of the team with the trophy. 

🏏 Forget Wally - where are the wickets? 

Hen’s teeth were as rare as wickets in Rawalpindi as Australia’s first Test in Pakistan in 24 years finished in a draw.

Golden points: The Aussies managed 4 wickets for the entire match as Pakistan’s openers piled on 252 runs on the final day.

• Australia’s bowling average and strike rate were the second-worst in 145 years of Test cricket.

• The pitch is set to come under fire, with the match referee ready to hand down sanctions if he thinks the wicket wasn’t up to standard. 

They said it: “It's probably clear they've made an effort to try and nullify the pace bowling.” - Cummins says the pitch was designed to take his bowlers out of the contest. 

What’s next: The 2nd Test begins in Karachi on Saturday. The Aussies could look to bring in another spinner, but that just depends on what kind of pitch is on offer. 

🏉 Panthers must shoulder the load 

The Penrith Panthers were hoping to see a fit Nathan Cleary play tomorrow night but the defending premiers won't get their wish. He's not quite ready to return from injury, and the star halfback is going to miss the start of the new NRL season.

Golden points: Cleary had off-season shoulder surgery but was expected to be right for the Round 1 game against Manly on Thursday.

• But his club medical staff don’t want to rush him because other players have aggravated shoulder injuries by coming back too early.

• It’s a big loss for Penrith because Cleary was the best player on the field in last year’s grand final and he also helped NSW win the 2021 State of Origin series.

• In other team news for the opening round, Brisbane’s Adam Reynolds will have to wait another week to make his club debut because of COVID protocols. 

What are the chances… Penrith  win without Cleary? The good news is they haven’t lost at home since 2019. The bad news is they come up against Manly’s Tom Trbojevic, who was the best player in the world last year. 

🚨 New Podcast Launches Tomorrow!

Don't Forget Your Tips! is a weekly podcast for footy fans who are keen to get an edge in their footy tipping comp. There will be 2 episodes each week - one on NRL and the other AFL - all done in around 10 minutes by 6.00am (AEDT/AEST) on Thursdays. The first episode lands this Thursday, 10 March previewing Round 1 of the NRL, with AFL episodes starting a week later. Follow Don't Forget Your Tips! on Apple, Spotify and all podcast apps. 

⚽ FIFA gets players onside 

Football fans all over the world love to follow transfer windows to see if their club can sign a superstar. Those windows have very strict guidelines, but FIFA has decided to make an exception to protect foreign players in Ukraine and Russia.

Explain it: Football’s governing body has decided to open a special transfer window that will allow foreign players and coaches to suspend their contracts in Russia and Ukraine.

• That means deals will be off until 30 June to allow players and coaches to join other clubs so they can get paid and get away from the danger zone.

• Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk has a number of Brazilian players who have already fled the country, while Russian club FC Krasnodar has been hit hard. 

• There hasn’t been any elite football played in Ukraine since last month. 

Key click: Check out the FIFA statement for a detailed look at the changes. 

🏈 You gotta know when to fold them 

Betting on sports is risky at the best of times. But when you’re a pro athlete and you decide to dabble on your sport of choice, well, the odds are pretty high that you’re going to get caught. 

Golden points: NFL player Calvin Ridley bet on American football matches last year while he was out dealing with mental health issues.

• He was caught by the league thanks to their partnership with betting agencies who help them track stuff like this.

• Ridley wagered around $2000 but he’s about to lose a whole lot more money because his deal for next year was worth close to $15 million. 

Key click: Here’s a look at how sports betting has evolved over the years in the NFL.

👀 Quick singles

🏀 San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich is about to go top of the pops in the NBA. Popovich tied Don Nelson’s record with 1335 regular-season wins as a coach. He can break the record against Toronto on Thursday. 

🏈 It looks like Aaron Rodgers and the Packers did not mess up after he reportedly signed a huge new deal. The 4-year extension would see him remain in Green Bay after it looked like he’d join a new team this year. 

🏉 The judiciary has bitten back and suspended St George Illawarra winger Madison Bartlett for one game. The NRLW player will miss a week after she bit Parramatta’s Sereana Naitokatoka on Sunday. 

🎾 Alexander Zverev is at fault, but he doesn’t have to serve his tennis ban right now. The German star is now on probation until next year after he attacked an umpire’s chair with his racquet at an event last month. 

🏉 AFL clubs have been given a booster shot in the battle against COVID for the upcoming season. Teams can pick up to 20 top-up players from outside their main squad in case they lose players to the virus. 

🏎 Red Bull has accused main F1 rival of bullying after last year’s controversial finish. Red Bull says Mercedes treated the race director unfairly after Max Verstappen won the title, which led to his sacking.

📽 The highlight reel

We love a buzzer-beater. Check out this one from college basketball in the US that sent Chattanooga to the NCCA Tournament. Madness.

🙃 Left of field…

Ever thought about jumping over a giraffe? Probably not, and it’s definitely not worth trying. But pole vaulter Armand Duplantis could do it if he really wanted to.

Golden points: Duplantis cleared 6.19 metres at an event in Serbia to break his own world record. 

• The Tokyo gold medallist now has the 3 highest vaults in history.

• His winning jump was about a metre better than his rivals, and that’s a good omen for him as he looks to win the World Athletics Indoor Championships later this month.

They said it: “I think I’ve tried 6.19 50 times. It’s been a long time coming.” Duplantis doesn’t know when to quit.

📸 Photo finish

Don't rub your eyes if you're an NFL fan. Russell Wilson has signed with the Denver Broncos and this is what he could look like next season. 

🏃‍♀️ The finish line

🏆 Today's trivia answer

Cleary won 19/20 games for Penrith last season. The one loss was against Souths in the first week of the finals. They got their revenge in the Grand Final a few weeks later.