ROUND-UP: Anderson out; Brady’s quest; Maguire’s injury; Trio’s bushfire relief; and that ‘baggy green’
International Round-up: Anderson out of Test series with rib injury; Tom Brady still has more to prove; Injured Maguire out for extended period; Trio to play in bushfire relief exhibition match; and Bid for Warne’s ‘baggy green’ crosses 500,000
CRICKET: Anderson out of Test series with rib injury
Bowler James Anderson has been ruled out of the final two Tests of England’s tour of South Africa with a rib injury. Anderson, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker, picked up the injury during the second Test on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old bowled only two overs after lunch on the final day as England won to level the series at 1-1.
Scans have revealed the extent of the injury and he is now out of the third Test which starts on 16 January and the fourth Test a week later.
NFL: Tom Brady still has more to prove
Quarterback Tom Brady says he “still has more to prove” after the New England Patriots were knocked out of the NFL play-offs.
The 42-year-old six-time Super Bowl winner, who has only played for the Patriots, is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career.
The Tennessee Titans beat the defending champions 20-13 in the AFC wildcard game at Foxborough on Saturday.
“In both life and football, failure is inevitable,” Brady said on Instagram. “You don’t always win. You can, however, learn from that failure, pick yourself up with great enthusiasm, and place yourself in the arena again.
“And that’s right where you will find me. Because I know I still have more to prove.”
There was speculation Brady would retire when the Patriots lost their final game of the regular season, forcing them to play in the wildcard round of the play-offs for the first time in 10 years, but said it was “pretty unlikely” in the aftermath of Saturday’s defeat.
Brady – widely regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time – was the 199th pick in the 2000 draft but has led the Patriots to the most successful era in the franchise’s history.
FOOTBALL: Injured Maguire out for extended period
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is set for an extended period out after suffering a hip injury. The number of matches Maguire will miss is unknown.
But the concern for United is that his absence proves far longer than suggested on Tuesday by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who said the injury was “not a long, long-term one”.
Maguire suffered the injury during last Saturday’s goalless FA Cup third-round tie against Wolves.
The England international completed the full 90 minutes at Molineux, having told his manager he was happy to continue, although he was not walking freely as he left the stadium.
He missed Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg defeat by Manchester City at Old Trafford, after which United face a home FA Cup replay against Wolves, two Premier League matches – at Liverpool and at home to Burnley – and the second leg of their tie against Pep Guardiola’s side.
TENNIS: Trio to play in bushfire relief exhibition match
Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal will take part in an exhibition match to raise money for a bushfire relief fund in Australia.
The match is scheduled for 15 January, five days before the start of the Australian Open, and will take place at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena.
Australian Nick Kyrgios will also be playing, along with Stefanos Tsitsipas, Naomi Osaka and Caroline Wozniacki.
Fires in Australia have killed at least 25 people since September. Millions of animals have also been killed and almost 2,000 homes destroyed.
CRICKET: Bid for Warne’s ‘baggy green’ crosses 500,000
The baggy green cap that Shane Warne has put up for auction has crossed AUD 500,000, with two days still remaining for the bidding.
The auction is being held to raise funds for the bushfire appeal, with the disaster hitting large parts of Australia. In addition to Warne, another legendary former bowler has also put his baggy green up for auction in Jeff Thomson.
The current price for Warne’s cap is the highest ever bid for a baggy green, beating the AUD 425,000 that was bid for Don Bradman‘s cap in January 2003.
Warne, 50, is Australia’s most successful Test bowler with 708 wickets, and is commonly regarded as the game’s greatest ever leg-spinner.
