Tasmania 2 for 111 (Doolan 54*, Wade 22*, Agar 1-6) trail South Australia 6 for 490 dec (Weatherald 198, Hunt 132, Nielsen 60*) by 379 runs

Tasmania's captain Matthew Wade and former Test batsman Alex Doolan established a promising platform for the visitors after they denied Jake Weatherald a double century on an overcast second morning of the Sheffield Shield match at Adelaide Oval.

Weatherald and Callum Ferguson looked set to continue SA's domination, only to find the second new ball swinging. Weatherald swished at Sam Rainbird's first ball of the day for a thin edge behind, a low key end to a headlining innings.

Ferguson was confounded and lbw when Rainbird went around the wicket, and Jake Lehmann's recent run of poor displays at first-class level continued when he played all around a Jackson Bird in-ducker.

Harry Nielsen then shepherded the Redbacks to a tall tally with typical enterprise, allowing Lehmann to declare on the cusp of 500. Doolan and Beau Webster kept the new ball out, before Wes Agar broke through, and George Bailey did not last long before he became Joe Mennie's first Shield wicket of the season following injury.

However, Doolan and Wade showed considerable patience and technical wherewithal to build a stand that frustrated SA and also left the Tigers in a position to make their presence felt over the final two days.

England XI 285 for 1 (Sibley 100, Crawley 103) v New Zealand XI

Centuries from Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley provided a peek into England's future as the Test leg of their New Zealand tour began.

This is not a first-class game and there were moments, at an almost deserted ground on a bitterly cold day, when we seemed light years from the intensity of Test cricket.

But, as Sibley and Crawley seized their opportunities with centuries in their first innings in England shirts, it was not hard to imagine a time when both men are fixtures in the Test side.

Sibley is, in many ways, an old-fashioned Test batsman. He is, by modern standards, unusually patient - he made nine from his first 48 deliveries here, faced 22 successive dot balls at one stage and did not hit a boundary until his 60th delivery - with discipline outside off stump that would impress a Trappist monk.

He is not strokeless, though. As he demonstrated once he was set, he can pull, cut, drive and clip with the best of them. It's just that he places a high value on his wicket and prefers to play the percentages as he builds an innings. His first 50 runs - which included a six lofted back over the head of left-arm spinner Theo van Woerkom - occupied 109 balls; his second 50 just 52 balls. He didn't give a chance and has now scored centuries - one of them an unbeaten 215 - in three successive innings. It was all but certain he would open in next week's Test before this innings, but he should now go into the game with confidence high.

His stance - as open, perhaps, as any England batsman since Peter Willey - will raise some eye-brows when it is seen by a wider audience on TV. But there was nothing here that would surprise those who have watched him in county cricket over the past 18 months where he has scored prolifically. While he retains a predilection for the leg-side, the open stance - a characteristic of those coached by freelance batting consultant by Gary Palmer - allows him to retain his balance and avoid his bat becoming trapped behind his front leg. Bearing in mind that he was the only man to score 1,000 Division One Championship runs in 2019 - he scored 1,324 and faced over a thousand deliveries more than any other player in the division - it seems to work pretty well for him. He is, in short, exactly what England have required at the top of the order for some time.

Crawley may be, too. It is asking a great deal of a 21-year-old averaging 31 in county cricket to make a go of things in the top-order of a Test team and he was not, initially at least, quite as assured as his partner here. It took him 16 balls - several of which troubled him - to get off the mark and he was dropped, at short-leg off the spin of Woerkom, when he had 11. But as he settled, he demonstrated a wide array of strokes and produced an increasingly commanding innings. Both men retired once they had reached their centuries to provide opportunities for their teammates. Joe Root, in making a run-a-ball 41 before stumps, looked in fine touch.

"I don't see myself as a blocker," Sibley said afterwards. "But opening the batting is tough. So you have to face a lot of balls and make sure you get through the new ball. Then you can cash in. I like to think I have a few shots in my locker and I know that batting always gets easier at some stage if you stick with it for long enough."

Some caution is required in interpreting these scores. While this New Zealand XI does contain some good cricketers - Benjamin Lister and Henry Shipley were the pick of the seam attack - they are also raw: their entire squad has played fewer first-class matches than Stuart Broad has Tests. There is no doubt the standard of competition will increase sharply in the coming days.

It wasn't a perfect day for England, either. With rain preventing play until 2.30pm, their plans to give all their batsmen an opportunity had to be shelved. As a result, they may well bat into the second day of this match which will provide their bowlers a little less time to prepare in match conditions. Ben Stokes also took a blow when batting in the slips which appeared to hurt his wrist. And while Rory Burns looked pretty solid for the first hour, he will be disappointed with the succession of strokes that led to his dismissal: fortunate to survive a series of near misses through the cordon, he could not help himself having another dart outside off stump which resulted in an outstanding catch at third slip.

Burns' position is not in doubt, though. He will have another chance to prepare for the Test series in the three-day first-class game that starts at the same venue on Friday, with Joe Denly expected to return at No. 3. Realistically, that will mean Jonny Bairstow will depart for England - and some time working on his technique - in the next few days and sentence Crawley to a period on the sidelines. Ollie Pope will bat at No. 6 in the Test side, with Jos Buttler below him. Already it seems a better balanced side than the one that failed to regain the Ashes.

And while Crawley may have to wait for another chance, he hinted that he will ready if the call comes. This may have been the first time Crawley and Sibley scored heavily together for England, but there is no reason to suspect it will be the last.

Sri Lanka's parliament criminalised a wide swathe of corruption-related activity in sports on Monday. This was in the wake of the ICC anti-corruption unit's investigation into the country's cricket over the past two years. Below is a rough guideline to the punishments, and a list of many of the new offences that will be become part of the law once this bill has been gazetted (a process that should be no more than a formality).

Maximum punishment: 10 years imprisonment and 100 million rupees (approx USD 555,000)

What the law says:

Any person who gets involved in an arrangement to make an "irregular alteration of the course or result of any sport" for money or any other reward or benefit has committed an offence.

What the law covers:

• Match-fixing and spot-fixing.

• Soliciting match-fixing or spot fixing.

• Does or fails to do something that alters the course of the game for the benefit of illegal betting.

• Provides inside information on the game in anything other than "bona fide media interviews and commitments".

• Provides or receives gifts, payments, benefits or rewards that might bring the sport into disrepute.

• Players betting on games in which they are involved.

• Match officials misapplying rules for money or another benefit.

• Curators who either prepare a playing surface, or provide information, for money or another benefit

• Introducing potential corruptors to current players

• Betting or encouraging someone to bet on a game in which a person has inside information.

Maximum punishment: Three years imprisonment and 200,000 rupees (approx USD 1100)

What the law says:

Any person who wiflully obstructs, hinders or fails to comply with a government investigation into corruption commits an offence.

What the law covers:

• Fails to appear, without reasonable cause, before investigators.

• Refuses or fails to answer any questions posed by investigators.

• Refuses or fails to comply with a notice issued by investigators.

• Knowingly providing a false or misleading statement.

• Concealing, falsifying, destroying or permits the concealment, falsification or destruction of evidence relevant to an investigation.

• Fails to report a corrupt approach.

• Fails to report a suspected fix, or a corrupt approach to another person.

• If a betting operator fails to report unusual betting patterns.

Maximum punishment: Ten years imprisonment and 500,000 rupees (approx $2800)

Any service provider or person who fails to maintain confidentiality after being asked to provide information or data related to an investigation.

It's Fergie time

All three matches of the final round of the Plunket Shield ended in a draw but that didn't mean you should've taken your eyes off them. Because it's when you do silly things like that that you run the risk of becoming a meme. Like the guy here at first slip who thought he was out of the firing line after Auckland's Lockie Ferguson had clean bowled Wellington's Fraser Colson.

Lockie Ferguson gets the ACES started with a beauty.
150 First Class wickets for the speedster.

Firebirds 2/1 | #PlunketShield pic.twitter.com/Qa9N638DqY

— Auckland Cricket (@aucklandcricket) November 7, 2019

Ferguson hadn't played any first-class cricket since March 2019, but he did have a spectacular World Cup, turning himself into a first-choice pick for New Zealand in white-ball cricket, and on the back of his 4 for 23 in only 9.3 overs, which made league leaders Wellington crumble to 93 all out, he seems to be in line to make the Test squad as well when the two-match series against England starts on November 21.

The entire day four of that game was washed out despite every effort to tempt the sun out from the rain clouds. If mother nature listen to Twitter, does she really even exist?

Dear

We would to you in Wellington today.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

The ACES #PlunketShield

— Auckland Cricket (@aucklandcricket) November 10, 2019

As a result Wellington went into the Plunket Shield break as the No .1 team again with their 21-year old fast bowler Ben Sears making quite a name for himself. In only his third-first class game, he picked up 6 for 43 in 13 overs. Two of those wickets were Black Cap batsmen - opener Jeet Raval who will have to go into the Tests against England with scores of 7, 3 and 14 in his last three innings and Mark Chapman

Hi I'm Ben Sears and I like to bowl fast! While we wait on an inspection at the @BasinReserve there is plenty of time to check out a sharp spell from young @wgtnfirebirds quick Ben Sears this morning v @aucklandcricket. VIDEO scorecard | https://t.co/9120PQW6OT #PlunketShield pic.twitter.com/92dFoe3zA4

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 9, 2019

Watch Wags go

Northern Districts were bowled out for 243 in their first innings in Dunedin and they should have been behind the game but try telling Neil Wagner that. With Trent Boult and Tim Southee out on international duty, the left-arm quick took the new ball and sliced through the Otago line-up, claiming four of the top five batsmen.

Leading wicket taker in Plunket Shield as it takes break is Neil Wagner (17). Took 8 wickets at venue for 1st test, 9 wickets in his last test, 2nd best strike rate and 4th best average in NZ test history (min 100 wkts) #plunketshield #NZvENG

— Francis Payne (@FPayne100) November 11, 2019

But a stunning lower-order fightback, which included Nathan Smith (114) and Michael Rippon (98) putting on Otago's best ever seventh-wicket partnership, going past the 182 set by the great Bert Sutcliffe and Alan Gilbertson in 1952-53, stemmed the fall of wickets and secured a first-innings lead.

It also put overs into Wagner's legs. He got through 40.2 of them to finish with his second six-for in as many innings. England, you're next.

STUMPS - 29/2 | Two wickets to Neil Wagner, including this dismissal of Hamish Rutherford, have made some early inroads into the @OtagoVolts batting line-up.

A day that belongs to Henry Cooper

Video scorecard | https://t.co/SwDDubZaqF#ndtogether #PlunketShield #cricketnation pic.twitter.com/jZrEKewu9m

— Northern Districts (@ndcricket) November 8, 2019

Central Districts, who are looking to become the first team in 80 years to win a hat-trick of Plunket Shield titles, leapt up to second place, from second-to-last, with a draw against Canterbury. The season resumes on November 22 with five rounds still left to play.

Cooper's day

You make your highest first-class score - 149 - but your team gets all out for 243. You've scored 60% of the total, but you were also given four lives. And for all that effort rain still has the final say. So was that a good day or a bad day at the office? Meh, let's just call it a weird one and watch Henry Cooper go to his third first-class hundred with a superb six and remember the next highest score of the innings was 20.

A Henry Cooper was the headline act at University of @otago Oval on day one between the @OtagoVolts and @ndcricket. Catch up on the opening day action with our VIDEO scorecard | https://t.co/xEdvuxsaCX #PlunketShield pic.twitter.com/uSE6Vbw6EX

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) November 8, 2019

Random trivia

Northern Districts captain Daniel Flynn was playing his 100th first-class game. Also,

Plunket Shield returns for NZ's top five:
Latham 20, 224, 23, 0
Raval 7, 3, 14
Williamson 26
Taylor 2, 18
Nicholls 103, 16, 15, 0#PlunketShield #NZvENG

— Francis Payne (@FPayne100) November 11, 2019

Shane Watson has been appointed president of the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) at the body's annual general meeting, and will now head the extended ten-member board, which includes three other new appointments: current players Pat Cummins and Kristen Beams and former player Lisa Sthalekar.

"Through a period of immense change, the players have been, and will continue to be, a strong voice in protecting what's made our game of cricket great, while embracing opportunities that change inevitably brings," Watson said.

The new structure also splits the role of president and chairman, with the latter continuing to be held by former Australia wicketkeeper Greg Dyer. A number of prominent cricketers are elected directors: apart from Beams and Cummins, they are Aaron Finch, Alyssa Healy and Moises Henriques.

ALSO READ: Mel Jones takes on Mark Taylor's Cricket Australia board tightrope

The appointed directors are Sthalekar, Neil Maxwell and Janet Torney, whose work has primarily been in the fields of economics, investment and corporate governance.

One of the recent Cricket Australia initiatives Watson brought up for special praise was the parental policy for women cricketers.

"This policy, amid a host of other changes, assures Australian women that cricket is a sport which can now support you and your family," he said. "And for girls coming through who love sport, like my daughter, it says that cricket is a sport where you will be able to have a career."

Watson, an allrounder who battled a fragile body for the best part of her career and became more of a specialist batsman by the end of his run, played 59 Tests, 190 ODIs and 58 T20Is for Australia between 2002 and 2016. A popular pick for T20 franchises around the world for his big hitting, Watson has continued to play the format, last turning out for Chennai Super Kings in the 2019 edition of the IPL.

Earlier this year, he announced his retirement for professional cricket in Australia but has kept his options open as far as deals outside his home country are concerned.

SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs and their fans said "Merci Tony" as they celebrated former star point guard Tony Parker's career by retiring his No. 9 jersey on Monday night.

"Thanks for all those years. It was a crazy ride," Parker said.

Parker played for the Spurs for 17 seasons after they selected him with the 28th overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft. The Frenchman won four NBA championships with the Spurs' Big Three that also included Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. Parker was also the first European to win Finals MVP in 2007 and a six-time All-Star. Moreover, Parker is considered the greatest Spurs point guard and is the franchise's all-time leader in assists (6,829). He finished his career playing for the Charlotte Hornets last season.

When asked to explain to a French audience unfamiliar with the tradition what merits a jersey retirement, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said: "NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball, all our sports here in America, if somebody has exhibited a long career of excellence on the field, on the court and at the same time done in with class, a good community person, good teammate, all those things rolled into one, and a team has been successful because of their presence, a jersey retirement will naturally follow.

"It doesn't happen very often. But when it does happen, that individual was very special. And that was certainly Tony."

Parker's jersey retirement ceremony took place after the Spurs' 113-109 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at AT&T Center, which tipped off an hour earlier than usual. In recent years the Spurs conducted postgame jersey retirements for Ginobili and Duncan so that there could be no time restrictions. Spurs fans on this night were given black T-shirts that read: "Merci Tony" with a cartoon of him making a layup.

Parker's former teammates in attendance included: Duncan (now a Spurs assistant coach) Ginobili, David Robinson, Bruce Bowen, Sean Elliott, Hornets forward Nicolas Batum, Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill, Washington Wizards center Ian Mahinmi, Boris Diaw, Matt Bonner, Roger Mason, Ronny Turiaf, Tiago Splitter and Malik Rose. Also attending were French soccer legend Thierry Henry, Hornets coach James Borrego, Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Ime Udoka, Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti, French judo star Teddy Riner and executives from Asvel -- the French men's and women's basketball club that Parker owns. Parker said there were 300 people in attendance from his "French mafia."

Robinson actually walked into the arena wearing a Tony Parker VIP credential and was told by a Spurs official that he didn't need to wear it.

"I definitely had to be here for my guy Tony," Robinson said to the Spurs official.

Popovich was the first to speak at the retirement ceremony and he apologized to Parker for coaching him hard early in his career, said he will be a Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer and told him he loved him. Diaw spoke for the French contingent in attendance, saying, "You can't talk about French basketball without Tony coming up."

Robinson described the night as "very special for him" and added that Parker had a "great heart" and was "one of the best teammates" he ever had. Duncan said Parker was "the hardest coached individual" with the Spurs and a "point guard I loved to play with the rest of my career." Ginobili said that Parker's constant support gave him "optimism" early in his Spurs career and it has been a "true pleasure, wish you all the best in your post career and I thank you for everything."

Following a six-minute video tribute, Parker took the microphone at midcourt with the stands packed and his wife, two children, Popovich, Duncan, Ginobili, Robinson, Diaw, Bowen, Spurs general manager R.C. Buford and Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland sitting before him. His four NBA championship trophies were also on the floor.

Parker called Popovich by his personal nickname -- "Popo" -- and said he accepted his apology, called him a second father and thanked him for "believing in him."

Parker called Robinson by his nickname "5-0" and said he was the "picture of how to be a professional" and that Robinson did a lot for him off the court. Parker also told Duncan and Ginobili that he would not want to start a team with any two other players and that he loves their friendship and bond the most. He also thanked several former teammates, his wife and children, his French supporters and the fans.

Parker's speech lasted nearly about 17 minutes and he finished by saying, "Before I go I want to do one thing with the Spurs fans all together. This is my last favor before I go. Just imagine we are in the [Alamo] Dome. I was 19. Just imagine. We're playing the Lakers and it's Kobe [Bryant] and Shaq [O'Neal]. And I want a big, 'Go, Spurs, Go,' on three ... One more last time all together. One, two, three ..."

The Spurs fans loudly obliged Parker's request and next came the long-awaited reveal of his No. 9 jersey hanging in the rafters.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The last of the NFL's unbeatens has fallen.

Despite a spirited fourth-quarter comeback and a wild overtime period, the San Francisco 49ers suffered their first loss of the season Monday night at Levi's Stadium, a 27-24 overtime defeat at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson.

And with that, the 1972 Miami Dolphins celebrated again as they remain the last NFL team to finish an entire season with a perfect record.

With the defeat, the Niners became the final team to lose a game this year dropping to 8-1 on the season.

After the 49ers fought back to kick a game-tying field goal at the end of regulation, Wilson took matters into his own hands on third down in Seattle territory with the clock winding down.

Wilson broke contain up the middle and raced 18 yards into San Francisco territory to set up kicker Jason Myers' game-winning 42-yard field goal. That came after Niners rookie kicker Chase McLaughlin missed a 47-yard field goal earlier in overtime that would have given the 49ers the victory.

McLaughlin, who signed this week to replace injured veteran kicker Robbie Gould, earlier hit game-tying field goals from 46 and 47 yards but was wide left with the chance to win it in overtime.

The Niners also hurt their chances to win in regulation by turning the ball over three times with each of those giveaways resulting in a Seattle touchdown. In fact, all of the Seahawks' first 21 points came off takeaways. Entering the game, the Niners had allowed just 16 points off turnovers in their first eight games.

After falling behind 21-10 with less than two minutes left in the third quarter, the Niners surged back on the strength of a fumble recovery for a touchdown from defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. The Niners defense managed another stop on the ensuing Seattle possession and kicked a field goal to tie it up.

The Niners' first defeat came on a night where it was difficult for many of their key players to stay healthy and on the field. Already without tight end George Kittle, the Niners lost receiver Emmanuel Sanders and defensive tackle D.J. Jones to rib and groin injuries, respectively, in the first half.

Without Sanders and Kittle and with a rusty offensive line attempting to reintegrate tackles Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey, the Niners struggled to block for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and catch passes that hit them in the hands.

With 6:19 left in the third quarter, Garoppolo fired down the right sideline to a wide-open Kendrick Bourne. The throw was a bit high but should have been an easy enough catch for Bourne that would have gone for a big gain.

Instead, the ball went right through Bourne's hands and into those of Seattle safety Quandre Diggs for an interception. At the time, the Niners were clinging to a three-point lead but Diggs' return gave the Seahawks prime field position at San Francisco's 16. Three plays later, the Seahawks scored to take a 21-10 lead.

Bourne later dropped a would-be first down over the middle on the drive in which the 49ers had to settle for a field goal. Meanwhile, the 49ers offensive line struggled to protect Garoppolo, allowing five sacks, two of which turned into fumble recoveries for Seattle.

Such miscues have been few and far between for the 49ers this season but on this night, there were enough to send them home with their first loss of the season and breathe life into what now figures to be a tight battle for the NFC West division crown.

LOS ANGELES -- Clippers guard Landry Shamet suffered a left ankle injury in the second half against the Toronto Raptors and was ruled out to return.

Shamet suffered the injury with 1:45 remaining in the third quarter. Shamet was backpedaling on defense with Fred VanVleet was dribbling toward the basket when VanVleet's foot appeared to contact Shamet's left foot before the Clippers guard fell to the floor and cringed in pain.

Shamet needed to be helped to the locker room and was unable to put much pressure on his left leg. Shamet has started all 10 games for the Clippers this season and averaged 9.4 points per game entering Monday night.

NEW ORLEANS -- Historic scoring marks don't really move James Harden all that much anymore, but that doesn't mean he's going to stop putting them up.

On Monday, it was 39 points on the New Orleans Pelicans to bump his scoring average to 37.3 through the first 10 games, the highest the league has seen in the first 10 games in the past 50 seasons.

"I just go out there and play basketball," Harden said of his scoring. "Try to be assertive as I can. We're really pissed about losing those three games -- that's what we're thinking about [with the first 10 games]. I think defensively we're getting better. We've been really good these last few games. And that's our mindset, just continue to get better. Like, individually, I don't care. I've done a lot of good things, pretty good things individually, so the most important thing is winning and finding ways to get better."

The Rockets improved to 7-3 with a 122-116 win over the Pelicans. Harden scored 28 of his 39 points after halftime -- including 19 in the fourth quarter -- and scored or assisted on 61 of Houston's 91 points while he was on the floor.

"It's go time," Harden said. "Fourth quarter is winning time. So you've got to be more aggressive and make plays whenever they come to you, whether it's my shot, getting to the basket or shooting my floater or making the right play.

"I wasn't really getting to the rim the first three quarters. I was settling," he said. "Kind of just being passive a little bit, so I wanted to be more aggressive. Whether it was shooting my shot or getting to the basket, I was doing that."

As is often the case, what makes Harden's 37.3 average notable is who is now No. 2 on the list: Michael Jordan, with 36.9 points per game through the first 10 games of the 1988-89 season.

"I don't really keep up with my scoring or not," Harden said. "I just know in the fourth quarter, it's time to be aggressive or find certain things I can be aggressive at that can help my teammates get shots off and score as well."

Harden started the season slowly -- by his standards -- scoring 19 in the opener and 29 in game two. The past eight games, he's averaging 40.6 per game, highlighted by 59 against Memphis.

"To me, he's the most difficult matchup in the league," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said.

Harden has won the past two scoring titles, with his 36.1 average last season the highest since Jordan averaged 37.1 in 1986-87. If there were any thoughts that the scoring might dip after integrating new teammate Russell Westbrook -- a two-time scoring champ himself -- there has been no slowing down from Harden.

However, the Rockets have played their best this season when the two don't share the floor. With Harden on and Westbrook sitting, Houston is plus-13, and they're a plus-10 with Westbrook on and Harden off. But when they play together, the Rockets are a minus-17, though that number is heavily influenced by a recent blowout loss to the Heat in which they trailed 46-14 after the first quarter.

"We're still just trying to feel it out and get better," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I'm just a little worried about, we just make some bonehead plays, and that's not going well."