Centre Jamie Roberts says he has told Wales coach Wayne Pivac he is still available for international rugby despite an immediate move to South Africa.

Roberts will join Super Rugby side Stormers from Bath when he flies out to Cape Town next week.

The 33-year-old was not named in Wayne Pivac's 38-man Six Nations squad, but has not given up hope of a recall.

"I told him I'm only one flight away if someone goes down," said Roberts.

The centre has played three Tests for the British and Irish Lions and won 94 caps for Wales with his last international appearance coming in November 2017 against New Zealand.

Roberts has revealed Pivac phoned him to outline his selection decisions.

"Wayne called me and we had a good chat where he told me where he was at and I have huge respect for him," said Roberts.

"I still harness ambitions to play Test rugby and feel I'm good enough. I'm ready to go, I've played quite a bit of rugby this year with Bath.

"So if that call comes I can be on a next flight out of South Africa because that has always been the most important thing to me.

"I am gutted not to be included in the original squad but I am excited to see the youngsters involved.

"There are some old heads in there, a lot of experience, but I am absolutely delighted for the young uncapped lads who get their first shot at Six Nations rugby."

Tompkins 'packs a punch'

One of the five uncapped players in the squad was Saracens centre Nick Tompkins who played for England Under-20s but qualifies for Wales through a Wrexham-born grandmother.

With Jonathan Davies and Willis Halaholo ruled out of the Six Nations through knee injuries, Tompkins is one of only three specialist centres in the squad alongside Hadleigh Parkes and Owen Watkin.

"He's a top player," said Roberts.

"I've played against him a few times and he has massive growth potential. Wales see him as a 12 and 13, he is quick and elusive and he packs a punch.

"He has all the skills and he features heavily in a top side in Saracens this season and he has all the tools to make it at Test level.

"I know we have a bit of an injury issue in the midfield and he is a guy who is playing top level rugby in the Premiership this season.

"So he will take to Test rugby like a duck to water."

For the latest Welsh rugby union news follow @BBCScrumV on Twitter.

Adelaide Strikes 0 for 104 (Salt 67*) beat Brisbane Heat 100 (Renshaw 43, O'Connor 3-30) by ten wickets

If you thought the Brisbane Heat's victory over the Adelaide Strikers at the Gabba was a thrashing, think again. The roles were more than reversed at the Adelaide Oval as the home side romped to a 10-wicket win with a massive 55 deliveries remaining - the third most in BBL history - after dismantling an awful Heat for just 100.

AB de Villiers fell in the fourth over but Heat had reached 2 for 53 in the eighth when it all started to go badly wrong. Liam O'Connor removed Chris Lynn to spark a collapse of 8 for 47 as he claimed a career-best 3 for 30. Only Matt Renshaw showed much composure with 43 and the Heat were bowled out with three overs unused. Michael Neser had a big impact, removing de Villiers and Renshaw in his 2 for 14.

If it's possible, the chase was even more one-sided as Phil Salt, who has had a tricky tournament, carted the bowling to all parts as he and Jake Weatherald got the job done in under 11 overs. It handed the Strikers a handy net run-rate boost and did the opposite to the Heat. There might be another Darren Lehmann spray coming.

De Villiers in - and out - early

There was much excitement, even from some the Strikers players as shown by Weatherald who was on the TV mic, when de Villiers walked in during the third over following another poor shot from Max Bryant who clubbed to mid-off. A chance for him to bat nearly 18 overs…oh, the possibilities. It was all over after three balls when he pulled Michael Neser to deep square leg where Weatherald took a well-judged catch above his head. Speaking on the coverage later, de Villiers said he had perhaps been over-eager on a surface that looked full of runs. Two early wickets meant Lynn had to play it a little safe, but just when he had got himself set the wheels fell off.

Falling in a heap

Lynn tried to clear the off side against O'Connor's second delivery but could only skew the ball over cover where Rashid Khan turned, ran back and took a superb catch over his shoulder. In the next over Travis Head brought himself on and it worked a treat second ball when Joe Burns swung straight down deep midwicket, a poor piece of judgement for an experienced player with a key batsman having fallen the over before. O'Connor, who had never previously taken more than two wickets in a BBL innings and has largely been Khan's understudy, twice found the top edge as Ben Cutting and Jimmy Peirson played cut shots, with Harry Nielsen claiming two excellent catches. The Heat's only hope of even a half-decent total lay with Renshaw who had again played very well, but amid the clatter of wickets he top-edged a pull off Neser. In the end they barely got into three figures as Wes Agar closed things out with a brace of excellent yorkers.

Rubbing Salt into the wound

There are generally two ways to knock off a small total - steady, or brutally quick. The Strikers took the latter route with 13 coming from the second over from Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Salt played out a maiden from Josh Lalor, but it was a momentary pause as the Strikers finished the Powerplay on 0 for 45. At that stage Weatherald was 26 and Salt 15; things soon changed. In a fierce display of striking Salt went from 18 off 23 balls to 67 off 38 hitting eight of his next 15 deliveries for either four or six, finishing the (non) contest with consecutive sixes off Mujeeb.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Toss Australia chose to bowl v India

India lost the toss in what is a must-win match in their third straight limited-overs series. Asked to bat first, Virat Kohli said he didn't expect dew to play a significant role in Rajkot. He said he expected dew to show up only after 8.30pm, by which time the game will be in its final stages.

Australia retained the XI that gave them a 1-0 lead with India making two changes. Surprisingly, though, they didn't pick Kedar Jadhav in place of the concussed Rishabh Pant. The temptation must have been to pick Jadhav for his ability to bowl a few overs, but his losing out to Manish Pandey might be an indication where the career of Jadhav - who will be 38 during the next World Cup - might be headed. The other change was the pace of Navdeep Saini for Shardul Thakur.

The question remained: would India's experiment of Kohli at No. 4 continue?

India 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 KL Rahul (wk), 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Manish Pandey, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Navdeep Saini, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Australia 1 Aaron Finch (capt.), 2 David Warner, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Alex Carey (wk), 6 Ashton Turner, 7 Ashton Agar, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Kane Richardson, 11 Adam Zampa

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Harriet Dart became the fourth British woman to reach this year's Australian Open first round after she won her final qualifying match.

Dart, 23, won 6-1 6-3 against Italian Giulia Gatto-Monticone in Melbourne.

The world number 169, who lost in the first round last year, joins Johanna Konta, Heather Watson and Katie Boulter in the main draw.

She will find out her opponent when qualifying is completed and the winners are placed in the draw.

The Australian Open, which is the first Grand Slam of 2020, starts at Melbourne Park on Monday.

Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask was placed on injured reserve Thursday, two days after he suffered a concussion in a 3-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Rask left just 1 minute, 12 seconds into Tuesday night's game after getting hit in the head by a passing Blue Jackets player. Emil Bemstrom was cutting across the front of the Bruins' crease when it appeared his elbow or forearm caught Rask on the side of the head.

The hit drew the ire of Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy.

"It was an elbow to the head. It's a penalty is what it is, so you have to move on," Cassidy told reporters afterward. "It's just unfortunate that it happens to your No. 1. It was pretty clear to me."

Rask's injury came a day after he decided to skip the All-Star Game, choosing instead to take that Jan. 24-26 weekend for self-care.

Rask, 32, has appeared in 28 games this season, after leading the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final last season, appearing in a combined 70 regular-season and playoff games.

Jaroslav Halak, who stepped in for Rask and made 24 saves Tuesday, got the start Thursday night against the Penguins and stopped 29 of 30 shot attempts in a 4-1 win.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

January 17: India v Australia in Rajkot

Our XI: Aaron Finch, David Warner, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah

NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about a late injury (or other relevant) updates.

Captain: David Warner

A brilliant 128 not out in the first ODI should be convincing enough to select Warner as the captain of your side. But if you are still unsure, Warner has 373 runs at 74.60 in six ODIs in India. Among the countries where has played more than one innings, his average in India is the highest.

Vice-captain: Virat Kohli

The debate is on if Kohli's move to bat at No. 4 in the series opener was the right one, and although he got out to Adam Zampa once again, there should be no second thoughts about his inclusion in your fantasy XI. Also, he has to be the vice-captain, if not the captain, of your side.

Hot picks

Aaron Finch: When India toured Australia last year, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had troubled Finch with the inswinger. But by staying leg-side of the ball in Mumbai, Finch not only overcame his weakness but also strengthened his off-side play. Out of his 65 runs against the pacers in Mumbai, 58 came on the off-side.

Mitchell Starc: Starc might have played just two ODIs in India, but his overall record in the format is incredible. Among the bowlers with at least 100 ODI wickets, no one strikes as frequently as Starc. A threat in every phase of the innings, Starc was once again among wickets on Tuesday as he picked up 3 for 56.

Rohit Sharma: Rohit hit a couple of gorgeous boundaries before perishing to Starc in the first ODI but his ODI numbers against Australia are remarkable - 2047 runs at 60.20. Only Sachin Tendulkar (nine) and Kohli (eight) have scored more ODI hundreds against Australia than Rohit (seven).

Value picks

Shikhar Dhawan: Dhawan put all the doubts about his form to rest with a measured 74 on a sluggish Wankhede track. Just like his opening partner Rohit, Dhawan too relishes playing against Australia; his last four innings against them read 143, 12, 117 and 74. The left-hander could be a valuable addition to your side.

Pat Cummins: Perhaps the best all-format bowler at the moment, along with Jasprit Bumrah. Starc might have hogged the limelight in the series opener but Cummins quietly did his work and picked up two wickets. While it may look like the pitches in India will be unconducive to him, he has picked up 20 wickets in 11 ODIs in the country.

Points to note

• The BCCI didn't name a replacement for Rishabh Pant who was ruled out of the second ODI due to a concussion. In that case, KL Rahul is likely to once again keep wicket for India.

As the BBL group stage enters the final weeks of the race for the knockouts this page will keep you updated with all the snippets of news from the tournament

January 17

Lyon named in Sydney Sixers squad

Nathan Lyon is closing in on a return from the finger injury he suffered in the final Test against New Zealand having been named in the Sydney Sixers' squad for the local derby against the Sydney Thunder at Sydney Showgrounds on Saturday.

Lyon split his thumb dropping a return catch at the SCG which delayed his entry into this season's BBL having been overlooked for Australia's one-day tour of India.

A decision will be taken closer to the start of the match against the Thunder as to whether Lyon is able to make the final XI.

The Sixers, who are currently second, are set to get a major boost to their line-up for the closing stages of qualifying and then the knockouts with Steven Smith and Josh Hazlewood due to be available following the ODI tour of India.

I'm really looking forward to getting back out there for the Sixers," Lyon said. "Whether that's Saturday or Monday or whenever, I want to make a contribution as we head towards the finals. We get [Steve] Smith and [Josh] Hazlewood back soon too, so it's a pretty exciting team to be around."

Stars lose Haris Rauf

The Melbourne Stars will assess their options following Haris Rauf's call-up to the Pakistan T20I squad and will see whether there is a window for him to return after three-match series.

Rauf will fly out of Australia on Friday so won't be available for Saturday's match against the Perth Scorchers at the MCG.

The final T20I against Bangladesh takes place on January 29 which means Rauf could be available for the latter stages of the knockouts. With the Stars currently well ahead at the top of the table they are all-but certain to be playing in the Qualifier on January 31. Winning that match would put them straight into the final on February 8, but they would get a second chance - on February 6 in the Challenger - if they lose.

A Stars statement said: "The club is currently working through timelines around any potential return for Rauf following the series and will announce any updates to their international roster in due course."

They will also be without left-arm quick Jackson Coleman, who was Player of the Match against the Scorchers in Perth, for the return fixture at the MCG after he suffered right oblique muscle tightness.

Mushfiqur Rahim has told Bangladesh chief selector Minhajul Abedin that he will not be travelling to Pakistan for the T20Is that start on January 24.

Abedin told news agency AFP: "Mushfiqur rang me today to inform me that he will not go to Pakistan. We are now awaiting his formal letter. Once he does that, we will leave him out of the series."

Bangladesh's tour to Pakistan was confirmed on January 14, after much negotiation between the PCB and BCB. While the BCB had initially said it would only tour Pakistan for T20Is but not for the scheduled Tests due to its security concerns, the two boards eventually drew up a plan by which Bangladesh visit Pakistan over three legs - first, for three T20Is between January 24 and 27, then for the first Test from February 7 to 11, and finally for one ODI and one more Test between April 3 and 9.

It remains to be be seen if Rahim will head to Pakistan for the second and third legs of the tour.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

India have called up Andhra wicketkeeper-batsman KS Bharat as cover for the injured Rishabh Pant, just before the second ODI in Rajkot on Friday. While KL Rahul is expected to keep wickets in Rajkot, Bharat has been added to the squad in case the Indian team needs cover.

Pant didn't keep wicket during the series opener in Mumbai, after sustaining a concussion towards the end of India's innings when he tried to pull a bouncer from Pat Cummins. The ball ricocheted off his bat, onto his helmet and then lobbed to point for an easy catch. Pant did not take the field and later flew to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for rehab, while Rahul kept wicket. Pant's scans came clear from the hospital but he was ruled out of the second ODI and could be fit in time to play the third and final game of the series on Monday in Bengaluru.

While Bharat has impressed more in first-class matches for India A in the last few years, he got a call up for ODIs because Sanju Samson, whom the selectors have identified as the next keeper in line for limited-overs matches, is in New Zealand with the India A team that won its opening match on Friday. Bharat has played 74 first-class matches and scored 4143 runs at 37.66, he averages 28.14 in 51 List A games with a strike rate of just under 70.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow doesn't appear to have any reservations about playing for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jimmy Burrow, the father of the Heisman Trophy winner, told Montreal's TSN 690 radio on Thursday that his son has no qualms about wearing orange and black if the Bengals take Joe with the top overall pick in the NFL draft.

"He's excited to even be in that conversation and if the Bengals do draft him, he's going to be happy," Jimmy Burrow told the Canadian radio affiliate.

The younger Burrow, who led LSU to an undefeated season capped by a victory in Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship, has plenty of experience playing football in Ohio. Joe Burrow played high school ball at Athens High School, which is less than 160 miles east of downtown Cincinnati. Burrow spent three seasons at Ohio State before he transferred to LSU for his final two years of college.

Jimmy Burrow, who had a five-year career in the Canadian Football League, was a longtime assistant at Ohio University in Athens, where he was defensive coordinator from 2005 until his retirement after the 2018 season.

In leading the Tigers to the national championship, Joe Burrow posted some of the best numbers in collegiate history. He set the Football Bowl Subdivision records for passing touchdowns (60) and touchdowns responsible (65).

ESPN's Mel Kiper has Burrow ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect in April's draft, and ESPN's Todd McShay projects he will go to Cincinnati with the No. 1 pick.

In an interview with the Bengals' in-house website, Cincinnati quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt praised Burrow's ability to create plays, limit turnovers and make good decisions.

"He definitely checks off a lot of boxes early on in the evaluation process," Van Pelt told Bengals.com. "He's definitely an intriguing guy.

Jimmy Burrow said he doesn't know if his son will join the Bengals' coaching staff next week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. The Tigers still have a trip to the White House and a parade in Baton Rouge planned before the Senior Bowl, which will include Oregon's Justin Herbert, another quarterback Cincinnati is keeping an eye on.

The Bengals haven't won a playoff game since 1991 and haven't been to the postseason since 2015. In Thursday's radio interview, Jimmy Burrow said his son won't be concerned with the franchise's history if the Bengals select the former Ohio standout.

"He'll look at it as a challenge," Jimmy Burrow said. "But he'll be confident that eventually, they can win a lot of games there in Cincinnati."