Perth Glory have launched an audacious bid to sign iconic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The reigning A-League champions have approached the 38-year-old Swedish superstar's agent Mino Raiola about a guest player deal, which would reportedly see him play up to six games for them.

Ibrahimovic's contract at LA Galaxy, who were beaten 5-3 by local rivals LAFC in the MLS Cup Western Conference semifinal last week, is set to expire at the end of the year.

He scored 30 goals in 29 matches this season for Galaxy, earning a place in the MLS Best XI for 2019.

"An approach has been made to his agent," Perth chief executive Tony Pignata told Fairfax.

"We've asked the question firstly about his availability and secondly of his interest."

If successful, signing Ibrahimovic would constitute one of the biggest marketing coups in A-League history.

However, he posted a cryptic Instagram video on Wednesday night that could suggest he's planning a return to Spain following the expiration of his contract.

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"Hola Espana, guess what? I am coming back," he said.

The former Malmo, Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United forward has also been linked with South American teams Boca Juniors and Flamengo.

Oman 134 for 7 (Jatinder 67*) beat Hong Kong 122 for 9 (McKechnie 44, Bilal 4-23) by 12 runs

It looked like déjà vu. Just as they had 24 hours earlier against Namibia, the Oman batting order was in the midst of imploding spectacularly with a series of self-inflicted wounds.

But after being involved in a pair of run-outs, Jatinder Singh held his nerve to carry his bat through the Oman innings, including 50 off the last three overs with Naseem Khushi, to give his side a fighting chance. Bilal Khan's yorker spree left Hong Kong's chase in tatters at 18 for 5 before he came back with one more late wicket to secure a dramatic 12-run win for Oman and their second straight trip to the T20 World Cup. It also ended Hong Kong's bid to reach the opening round in Australia for the third successive time.

Jatinder's topsy-turvy innings began in ugly fashion. After he lost his opening partner Khawar Ali in the third over driving away from his body for an edge behind to 17-year-old medium pacer Nasrulla Rana, Jatinder sold out Aqib Ilyas, changing his mind on a single to mid-off in the fourth. Nizakat Khan pounced with a direct hit to beat Aqib's dive back. One over later, captain Zeeshan Maqsood was stuck halfway down the wicket miscommunicating with Jatinder on a run to cover and Kinchit fielded to turn and fire for another direct hit at the non-striker's end.

Three more wickets fell in consecutive overs opposite Jatinder in the seventh through the ninth to put him under heavy pressure. Mohammad Nadeem skied a slog off Aizaz Khan to backward point, Suraj Kumar edged a quicker ball from Ehsan Khan's offspin to the keeper and Mehran Khan copped a rough lbw decision from legspinner Mohammad Ghazanfar when replays showed an inside edge onto his pad.

But from 42 for 6 after nine overs, Jatinder and Aamir Kaleem ground their way through the next eight overs to stretch the innings out and keep Hong Kong's spinners at bay. Jatinder finally felt comfortable enough to expand his repertoire in the 15th, switch-hitting Ghazanfar over the off side for a boundary before playing the shot again successfully for four more off Ehsan in the 16th. By the time the stand ended - when Kaleem mistimed a scoop to short fine leg - the pair had doubled Oman's score.

Kaleem's innings might look ugly on the scorecard, making just 17 off 30 balls, but he soaked up enough time to free up the big-hitting Naseem Khushi to go full throttle at the death. Playing as a specialist bat at No. 9 in a team packed with allrounders, Khushi whacked 26 off his last eight balls. He got off the mark second ball bashing Rana over square leg for six, then drove him over extra cover for four.

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At the opposite end Jatinder switch-hit Kyle Christie for six to bring up a 41-ball fifty, then continued to switch-hit throughout the final three overs for three more boundaries. One more six off the final ball by Khushi took Oman to 134 for 7 in a furious half-century stand to end the innings.

Oman's bowling unit took the momentum given to them by Jatinder and Khushi into the start of the chase behind Bilal's blistering burst. Much of Hong Kong's hope hinged on batting star Nizakat but Bilal wiped him out second ball with a full inswinger that defeated his drive to knock back off stump. Oman caught a break in the second over when Kinchit flicked Fayyaz Butt off his pads straight to short fine leg for the second wicket.

But there was nothing lucky about Bilal's sustained barrage in the third over. An inswinging yorker cleaned up Aizaz Khan for 5 before another inswinging yorker pinged Waqas Barkat in line with leg stump to make it 13 for 4. Fayyaz then bounced out Simandeep Singh, caught by Bilal at short fine leg to make it 18 for 5.

Captain Maqsood elected to keep one over back from Bilal and Hong Kong seized on the opening to rebuild their innings. Scott McKechnie and Haroon Arshad added 52 for the sixth wicket and at the halfway stage, Hong Kong looked rock solid at 62 for 5, needing a very manageable 73 off the last 10 overs.

Khawar's allround skills came to the fore to disrupt Hong Kong's valiant fightback, clipping the outside edge of Haroon playing away from his body for a catch to wicketkeeper Kumar in the 12th. Ehsan Khan tried to guide Khawar to third man but picked out a delivery that was far too full and tight to the stumps, resulting in a drag on for 9 in the 14th to make it 82 for 7. McKechnie's vigil finally ended for 44 in the 17th through another yorker, this time from Nadeem's medium pace to trap him in front.

Bilal's fourth victim, third clean bowled, was Rana cleaned up by - you guessed it - a yorker to wrap up one of the finest fast bowling spells of the tournament. Bilal effectively clinched the match as the last pair were left needing 24 off the last nine. They could only manage 11 as Oman outlasted their Asian rivals in Dubai's first televised thriller of the tournament. Oman now take on Scotland in the fifth-place match at ICC Academy on Thursday for seeding purposes in Australia.

HOUSTON -- Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki is back in Washington's lineup for the deciding Game 7 of the World Series against the Houston Astros.

Suzuki hadn't played the last three games while dealing with a hip flexor strain. The 36-year-old, who homered in Game 2, will be behind the plate to catch for Max Scherzer.

Scherzer, the three-time Cy Young winner, was unable to make his start in Game 5 because of an irritated nerve near his neck. He is starting the finale after a cortisone shot.

Washington's lineup was unchanged aside from Suzuki back in the lineup batting eighth, and center fielder Victor Robles dropping to the No. 9 spot after catcher Yan Gomes hit in that spot in Game 6.

Houston used a familiar lineup against the right-hander, led off by 2017 World Series MVP George Springer.

Astros manager AJ Hinch said Game 6 starter Justin Verlander won't be available for Game 7. After taking the loss in Game 6 to fall to 0-6 in seven career World Series starts, Verlander said he would be available on Wednesday if Hinch needed him. But Hinch shut that down.

"All hands on deck means most hands on deck," Hinch said.

While Verlander is out, fellow ace Gerrit Cole could be used out of the bullpen. Cole got the win in Game 5 on Sunday. Hinch said he'll talk to him before the game about how he might use him on Wednesday.

"It would be in a limited capacity if I ask him to do anything," Hinch said.

The 2019 World Series comes down to a winner-take-all finale at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Our coverage team is on the ground for Game 7 of Astros-Nationals. First pitch is at 8:08 p.m. ET.

Must-reads: Everything you need to know for Game 7 | Game 7 facts

And now ... here's what happening:

Pregame interviews, news & more

New lineup.

Go 1-0 today.#Scherzday // #STAYINTHEFIGHT https://t.co/bBRv4qQkxF pic.twitter.com/WGhJuYU7oR

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) October 30, 2019

#WorldSeries Game 7!

? CLOSED
⚾️ 7:08pm
? @MLBONFOX
? @SportsTalk790 & 850 AM#TakeItBack pic.twitter.com/oY5scnVhNo

— Houston Astros (@astros) October 30, 2019

AJ Hinch on Anthony Rendon: "He's one of the most impressive superstars in our game. But I hope he goes 0-for-4. And then gets a big contract in the offseason."

— David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield) October 30, 2019

Sam Burgess was "made a scapegoat" by rugby union during his ill-fated switch from rugby league, said former Great Britain coach Tony Smith.

Burgess was a controversial pick in the England rugby union squad that was eliminated at the group stage of the 2015 World Cup.

He said his heart "wasn't in" rugby union and was stung by criticism from ex-players.

"I think it was a pretty dark time psychologically for him," said Smith.

Former England rugby league captain Burgess announced his retirement from playing on Wednesday, because of a chronic shoulder injury.

Burgess, 30, is one of rugby league's biggest names and had played for South Sydney Rabbitohs in Australia's National Rugby League since 2010.

He previously played for Bradford Bulls and played 23 matches for England, and two for Great Britain.

He switched codes to join rugby union side Bath in 2014 and was fast-tracked into the England team, earning five caps, but returned to rugby league after just a year.

The 2015 World Cup was seen as a nadir for England's rugby union team and four years later they have reached the World Cup final.

Hull Kingston Rovers head coach Smith, who gave Burgess his Great Britain debut, told Radio 5 Live: "I think he was made a scapegoat by a sport that used him and chewed him up to some degree. Sam was hung out to dry.

"I thought he held a great account of himself in rugby union, to play at the highest level and do such a good job as he did - not many people could achieve that, and I know there wouldn't be many that could come the other way and do it."

Smith added: 'He's one of my most talented rugby league players I've ever coached - also one of my most impressive guys that I've coached as a human being."

CONCORD, N.C. – This Thursday through Saturday, several hundred cars across nine divisions of racing are expected to gather at The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the fourth annual Driven Racing Oil World Short Track Championship.

As the event’s tagline rings true, this is a giant opportunity for the weekly racers to come out and mix it up on a big stage against some of the best competition they’ll see all year.

Now in its fourth year of activity, several drivers have had the opportunity to make the journey to one of the most elite dirt track racing facilities in the world more than once. One of which will be in action this weekend on the FOX Racing SHOX Pro Late Model roster, Trent Ivey.

The 24-year-old from Union, S.C., has several years of Pro Late Model experience behind the wheel of his Ivey Construction No. 88 Longhorn, featuring the Chevrolet Crate performance engine. And he’s certainly no stranger to The Dirt Track or its victory lane stage, having competed in all three previous Pro Late Model events at the World Short Track Championships and winning the 2015 Circle K Shootout as part of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series race at the venue.

Ivey’s nine years of experience driving a Crate engine Late Model will certainly come in handy this weekend as he and the crew prepare for some of the best competition the east coast has to offer. Fortunately, that big win four years ago has given him a ton of confidence and appreciation for the track.

“Ever since then, I’ve had a liking for the racetrack, and it’s liked me,” Ivey said. “Every time I’m there, I’m generally in the top three. I was racing for the lead at this race last year before I popped a right-rear tire.”

It’s true, his solid 2018 World Short Track efforts came to a screeching halt with five laps remaining after blowing a tire while running sixth, leaving him with a 23rd-place finish. Earlier in the race, he was on leader and eventual winner Michael Brown’s heels for the top spot before settling back outside the top five. But it’s finishes like these that motivate him to come back even stronger next year. And what better way to get stronger than to drive something a lot more powerful.

This year has been Ivey’s rookie season at the controls of a super late model around his home track of Cherokee Speedway. Garnering two wins at the track in super late model regional series competition already this year, Ivey said he’s learned a lot from moving up, and it’s made him a more well-rounded pilot.

“Driving a crate and then going to a super and making sure I do everything I can behind the wheel has helped me the most,” he said.

“A lot of people say that super late model experience helps in driving a crate car. I say it’s the opposite. In a Super, you’ve got all this motor and you can get yourself out of trouble. But with Crates, you’ve got to hit it perfect if you’re going to be the man to beat.”

Now a two-time South Eastern Crate Ass’n Late Model champion after his second crowning last year, Ivey’s had a chance to race at several tracks in his region. But to him, there just isn’t anything like The Dirt Track.

“Charlotte’s a big venue, and everybody likes to go race there,” he said. “But I like the track the most. Charlotte’s unique because you can race all over it. You get to see who really can drive.

“The clay gets slick and the track’s really wide, it’s one of the widest tracks we race on,” Ivey continued. “It’s got a top, it’s got a bottom and a middle at times, and that’s everything a racecar driver wants. You pull into a racetrack that you can race all over on, that’s like finding gold.”

Ivey will, no doubt, be putting his super late model knowledge to good use as he chases a win on Saturday.

“I like my chances, especially knowing what I know now from racing supers, I can incorporate it into my crate car,” Ivey said. “When the track gets slick, you can do more things with it.”

With all of his super late model racing efforts this season, he’s only had time for one crate late model start this year. Ivey ran third to Brandon Overton and Ross Bailes in a 75-lap, $50,000-to-win event at Virginia Motor Speedway in September. That solid finish gave him a boost of confidence as he prepares for another real test against his familiar foes of the Southeast this weekend.

“It showed me that maybe I still got it in a Crate, hopefully it’ll carry over into this race,” Ivey said. “It’s a pretty big deal. It’s a big event for the local guys, and I guess I’m still a local guy.”

Carlota Ciganda isn't sleeping on the lead in the battle for the Aon Risk Reward Challenge's $1 million prize, but she's resting with it.

Ciganda leads the season-long competition to see who sports the best scoring average on the week-to-week's designated risk-reward holes, but she won't be defending her position in the competition's final two events, this week's Taiwan Swinging Skirts and next week's Toto Japan Classic. Ciganda has reached the required number of holes played to qualify for the big prize and has withdrawn from these last two qualifying events.

So it's up to Ariya Jutanugarn, In Kyun-Kim and the other closes pursuers to see if they can overtake her.

"It has been a long year, and I am mentally exhausted," Ciganda told LPGA media. "I have played a lot during the summer, including the Solheim Cup. I won in Spain a couple of weeks ago, and I have just run out of gas. I am choosing to listen to my body at the moment."

Ciganda sports a -0.841 scoring average in relation to par on the risk-reward holes this year. Jutanugarn is second at -0.8000 and Kim is third at -0.750. Both Jutanugarn and Kim are in the field this week.

"I am leading the Aon Risk Reward Challenge, but deciding not to play I don't give myself a chance to improve my position," Ciganda said. "I just did not want to play these two weeks against the best players in the world when I am not mentally fit. Also, we have the most important tournament of the year coming up [CME Group Tour Championship], and I want to be ready for that week because my goal is to win."

Ciganda has a chance to take home a wheelbarrow full of money in the last month of the season. She could win the $1 million Aon Risk Reward Challenge before going to the CME Group Tour Championship, where a $1.5 million winner's check, the largest in women's golf, is up for grabs.

The designated risk-reward hole at Miramar Golf Country Club in New Tapei City this week is the 342-yard, par 4 8th hole. There are multiple tee boxes, with the LPGA planning to use the forward tees (255 yards) during at least two rounds.

The Aon Risk Reward scoring system has been identical on both the LPGA and PGA Tour this year, with players taking their best two scores from each Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole. Players must play a minimum of 40 rounds throughout the season.

Barcelona are not contemplating letting Arturo Vidal leave in January but are open to offers of €25-€30 million for Ivan Rakitic, various sources have told ESPN FC.

Inter Milan have expressed an interest in both players in recent months, although Barca have made it clear they do not want to lose Vidal midseason. The Chile international plays an important role in the squad and, even though he doesn't start every week, the Spanish champions feel he will be needed as the season progresses.

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Sources have told ESPN FC that a meeting took place between Barca and Inter officials around the Champions League game between the two sides at the beginning of October, which Barca won 2-1.

Both Vidal and Rakitic were discussed but Barca told the Italian side that they were in no rush to reach an agreement with January still a couple of months away. However, they stressed that even then they will not entertain any offer for Vidal, who has a contract with the club until 2021.

Vidal, 32, has only started twice this season but he has made nine appearances in total and has already contributed three goals. He was on target in Tuesday's 5-1 win over Real Valladolid. Sources at Barcelona told ESPN FC that he is a major character in the dressing room, while pointing out that he offers something different to the other midfielders in Ernesto Valverde's squad.

Inter coach Antonio Conte is one of Vidal's biggest advocates. The two worked together at Juventus and Vidal, speaking this week, expressed his gratitude to Conte for the role he has played in his career at the same time as revealing he would like to be playing more regularly.

"I had some great moments under Conte and was able to really progress thanks to him," he said. "The most important thing in football is confidence and when a coach with his prestige gives you that, you improve a lot."

Inter, though, may have more luck in their pursuit of Rakitic as sources have told ESPN FC that Barca need to raise €124m in sales before June 30. The former Sevilla midfielder said he would be open to leaving in January, having seen his minutes plummet this season.

A source close to the situation has told ESPN FC that Inter continue to "insist" on signing Rakitic. There is interest from Paris Saint-Germain, too, who bid for him in 2018. Juventus also made an enquiry in the summer.

Rakitic, 31, has started just one game this season. He had previously been an ever-present under first Luis Enrique and later Valverde after joining the club in 2014 for €18m.

NEW YORK -- Fresh off their first Final Four appearance, the Ducks are ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press' poll for the first time in school history.

Oregon, led by sensational guard Sabrina Ionescu, received 25 of the 28 first-place votes from the national media panel to grab the top spot in the preseason rankings released Wednesday.

"I think it validates our vision that we had going in here," coach Kelly Graves told the AP. "It validates the hard work from my staff that's been with me the whole journey. On this stage, we had a better opportunity to be in position we now are."

No. 2 Baylor, the defending national champion, received the other three first-place votes. Stanford, Maryland and UConn round out the top five; the Huskies have been ranked in the top five for 239 consecutive weeks, since January 2007.

"That's nuts," Graves said of UConn's streak. "I think I'd be in my mid-70s by the time we reached that."

No. 6 Texas A&M has its best ranking since the Aggies were fifth on Dec. 29, 2014. Oregon State, South Carolina, Louisville and Mississippi State complete the top 10.

Graves knows no one tends to remember who was ranked first in October. He also feels his team, which was ranked third in the preseason last year, is mature enough to handle the pressures of being No. 1.

"I think it's really neat and we're adult enough and smart enough to handle this," he said. "We've kept our heads down and continued to work. Stay humbled and hungry."

Tennessee isn't ranked in the preseason for the first time since 1976, ending a 42-year streak. The Lady Vols, who saw their remarkable run of 565 weeks ranked in the poll end in 2016, fell out of the rankings Jan. 14 last season and didn't return to the Top 25. They changed coaches in the spring, bringing back former star Kellie Harper to coach the team.

No. 16 Notre Dame, coming off two trips to the national championship game, is out of the top 10 for the first time since Jan. 17, 2011. Coach Muffet McGraw lost all five starters to the WNBA, and two top reserves from last year transferred. It is the team's worst preseason ranking since the Fighting Irish were also ranked 16th in 2008.

Ranked Razorbacks

Coach Mike Neighbors has No. 22 Arkansas in the preseason Top 25 for the first time since 2002. In the past decade, the team has been ranked a handful of times but not since a one-week stay in the Top 25 in 2014 when Jimmy Dykes was the coach.

"We're honored by it and definitely not going to take it for granted," Neighbors said.

The Razorbacks return six of their top seven scorers from last season's team that lost in the third round of the postseason WNIT. Junior Chelsea Dungee leads the way.

"My grandpa used to say things are different when the deer gets the gun," Neighbors said of being ranked. "There's a different approach for us with teams having motivation against us. It requires a different level of preparation and understanding, and that's really new for us."

Tip-ins

• No. 24 Indiana has only its second preseason ranking in school history. The Hoosiers were 23rd in the 2016 preseason poll.

• No. 15 Texas has the second-most appearances in the preseason poll with 35. Maryland and Stanford are tied for fourth with 32, one behind third-place Georgia.

• Oregon became the 15th different team to be No. 1 in the preseason. UConn and Tennessee are tied with 12 each.

• Michigan State at No. 17 was one of five teams in this poll that weren't ranked in the final poll last season. The Spartans were joined by Arkansas, Minnesota (23), Indiana and Michigan (25).

Conference supremacy

The Atlantic Coast Conference led the way with six teams ranked. Behind No. 9 Louisville are Florida State (12), NC State (14), Notre Dame (16), Miami (18) and Syracuse (21). The SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12 each had five teams ranked. The Big 12 had two teams, with the American Athletic and Big East each having one.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors big man Willie Cauley-Stein and veteran swingman Alec Burks will make their respective season debuts on Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns. Cauley-Stein, who signed with the team over the summer, missed all of training camp and the first three regular-season games after injuring his left foot in a workout.

"Finally," he said with a bit of a smile, after Wednesday's shoot-around. "[The wait] was long. But they kept me busy. They kept me always doing something. I was always doing conditioning or weights. Or just spot shots. So I haven't been just sitting around. I've been watching and being tortured. Man, I'm just so excited to be out there again."

Cauley-Stein's return gives the Warriors some more big man depth as the organization waits for test results for Kevon Looney. Looney, who played only 10 minutes in a season-opening loss to the Clippers, is expected to see several specialists as the Warriors evaluate "an ongoing presence of a neuropathic condition in his body." Young big man Marquese Chriss started the team's first two games, while Warriors head coach Steve Kerr went small in Monday night's win over the New Orleans Pelicans, replacing Chriss with rookie guard Jordan Poole.

"I'm the biggest guy out there," Cauley-Stein said. "So that mismatch won't be there anymore. But it's not being able to practice and really feel the jell. This will be the first time I even practice with these dudes in a game setting, so it's going to be a lot of learning on the fly."

Cauley-Stein isn't sure how many minutes he will play Wednesday night, but he is looking forward to helping his new group out as it continues to build a new identity after so many years of winning with a veteran core. After four seasons with the Sacramento Kings, Cauley-Stein has enjoyed his brief time being in the Warriors organization.

"It's a different vibe culturally," Cauley-Stein said. "They've got a winning experience so that lingers here, you can feel it when you walk into the building. You can feel it when you talk to fans, so that comes with a big target on your back. When everybody else comes and plays you, we're going to get everybody's best regardless of what everybody thinks of us."

In the midst of his answer, Cauley-Stein revealed that Burks, who also missed most of camp and the first three games of the season because of a right ankle sprain, will make his debut on Wednesday night.

"[Draymond Green] already said it, it's going to take a few games for us to jell," Cauley-Stein said. "Especially now that me and Alec [Burks], this is our first game to get minutes and stuff. For us to really jell, it's going to take a few games for us to get that pace of how we're playing. They're playing extremely fast right now watching, so it's like a lot of fast-paced learning."