Victoria 127 and 162 for 6 (Tremain 5*, Harper 9*) lead Tasmania 226 (Wade 69, Bailey 41, Tremain 4-45) by 63 runs

Test aspirant Will Pucovski made his second low score of the match for Victoria as Tasmania cornered the visitors on another day bowling day in Hobart.

While Matthew Wade was able to reach 69, the highest score of the match so far, to enable Tasmania to scrounge a first innings lead of 99, the Victorians were again in early trouble when they batted a second time.

Travis Dean was caught behind and Pucovski lbw to Gabe Bell before the innings was eight overs old, and though Marcus Harris and the captain Peter Handscomb combined for a steadying stand, they were parted with the visitors only 20 runs in credit.

Without anyone going on to a major score, and Nic Maddinson's recent run of success ending when he was caught behind for 22 off the persevering Jackson Bird, the Victorians were left to limp to stumps 63 runs ahead with only four wickets in hand.

The wicketkeeper Sam Harper must marshall the tail effectively to give them any hope of avoiding a second outright defeat in succession.

Toss Australia chose to bowl v Sri Lanka

Aaron Finch won the toss and Australia opted to bowl first in the third and final T20I at the MCG. Finch believed the surface wouldn't play a big part but wanted to make first use of it with the ball.

Australia made two changes. Ben McDermott slotted in at No.4 to replace Glenn Maxwell, following his withdrawal to deal with mental health issues. Mitchell Starc also returns after missing the second game at the Gabba for his brother's wedding. He replaces Billy Stanlake.

Sri Lanka captain Lasith Malinga said that he wanted his young players to experience Australian conditions. Bhanuka Rajapaksa returned in place of Danushka Gunathilaka after being omitted in Brisbane. Shehan Jayasuriya and Lahiru Kumara were also brought in, with Niroshan Dickwella expected to open with Kusal Mendis.

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

Sri Lanka: 1 Kusal Mendis, 2 Niroshan Dickwella, 3 Kusal Perera (wk), 4 Avishka Fernando, 5 Shehan Jayasuriya, 6 Oshada Fernando, 7 Bhanuka Rajapaksha, 8 Lakshan Sandakan, 9 Lasith Malinga (capt.), 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Lahiru Kumara

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson's bowling action is legal again, the ICC confirmed, following an assessment in Loughborough on October 11.

Williamson had been reported during the Galle Test in August earlier this year. He bowled three overs of offspin in that game, conceding nine runs without taking a wicket. But now, following a test in an ICC-accredited bio-mechanics centre, it was found that the elbow extension of all his deliveries was within the permissible 15-degree level of tolerance.

This was the second time that Williamson's bowling action had come under scrutiny. He was reported in 2014 and had to make some changes before he could bowl in international cricket again.

Williamson is currently nursing a hip injury that had sidelined him from the ongoing five-match T20I series at home against England but, with the ICC clearing his action, he can bowl again when he returns to play for New Zealand.

James Vince already has a 50-over World Cup winners' medal in his possession and he is hoping a productive series in New Zealand can firm up his chances of having a crack at another in T20 cricket after being named Man of the Match in the series opener in Christchurch.

Vince stroked 59 off 38 balls to set up England's chase in the first T20I, seizing his opportunity to bat at No. 3 in the absence of several first-choice players. It was his maiden T20I fifty, coming almost four years since his debut, and a reminder of his talents after a summer in which he was part of the World Cup squad but managed a top-score of 43 from seven white-ball innings for England.

With England resting Jason Roy, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, Vince has a window in which to build on a decent, if sporadic, T20I record. He has reached double-figures in all nine of his outings, but has only played five times since the last T20 World Cup, in 2016.

ALSO READ: Vince seals victory after young guns impress

"The side's been so successful and dominant over the last three or four years, it's a tough first XI to break into,'' Vince said. "But any opportunities like this to push my case and hopefully try to be part of the squad, as I was this summer for the World Cup, is my aim.

"With some of the main guys missing, it would be nice to get a bit of a run in the side, post some scores and make some match-winning contributions."

Capped in all three formats, Vince has yet to fully establish himself in an England XI and he only won a recall to the ODI set-up ahead of the World Cup after Alex Hales was dropped for disciplinary issues. He featured three times during the tournament, scoring 26, 14 and 0 while covering for the injured Roy; he also claimed two catches as a substitute during England's memorable win in the final against New Zealand.

"To be honest, since the end of the English summer I've not had a huge amount of cricket," he said. "I had a warm-up game and a bit of time in the nets but I wasn't quite sure what nick I was in. But I'm pleased with the contribution and for the boys to get off to a winning start.

"The wicket was pretty good, I didn't think it was an absolute belter but there was not much in there, maybe a fraction on the slow side but a pretty true bounce, it came on reasonably well for the majority of it."

Although Vince was able to seal the chase himself, victory in Christchurch was wrapped up by Eoin Morgan and Sam Billings, as an experimental England side got off to an encouraging start. Despite speculation that Morgan might retire after securing the goal of winning a 50-over World Cup, his decision to continue playing ensures continuity as England switch focus to T20 under a new head coach in Chris Silverwood.

Morgan's presence will also be important as England look to asses a number of young players who might push for inclusion in Australia next year, with Sam Curran and Pat Brown among three debutants at Hagley Oval.

"What he's built over the last four years is incredible,'' Vince said of Morgan. "To take the team from where they were to winning the World Cup, I know he'd be a massive loss if he wasn't here, especially with a tour like this with lots of new guys coming in.

"His leadership is outstanding so he'll be great for the young guys here. Everyone's hoping that he carries on for as long as possible.''

Although he has not been involved in the Test side since England's last tour of New Zealand, in 2017-18, an ankle injury suffered in training by Joe Denly has opened up the possibility that Vince could be asked to stay on for the two-match series at the end of November.

"I think I've said it before, although it is a different format, runs in an England shirt are always going to help you," he said. "It's a good start and hopefully I can build on it and continue throughout the series and try to make an impact on it myself."

Rory McIlroy was rolling in Round 2 of the WGC-HSBC Champions. He had just birdied the par-4 fifth to grab the outright lead at Sheshan International Golf Club and added another at the par-3 sixth – his fourth consecutive birdie – to move two clear.

And then he hit the brakes. Or, more appropriately, he started to go awry.

“You start missing a couple of fairways, missing a couple of greens and this course all of a sudden gets pretty tricky,” McIlroy said. “It’s easy from the fairways, but I sort of veered off them a little bit around the middle of the round.”

McIlroy made only one birdie over an 11-hole stretch, compared to two bogeys, and found himself three off the pace with one hole to play. Thankfully that final hole is a par 5.

McIlroy laced two big shots and converted a 3-foot eagle putt to wrap up a second consecutive 5-under 67. At 10 under par, he is one behind leader Matthew Fitzpatrick.

“Sixty-seven around here, I mean, I think after the way I started, 4 under through 6, I was thinking maybe shoot a better score than I shot yesterday,” McIlroy said.

“But it was obviously nice to finish the way I did, especially after the mess I nearly made at [No.] 16.”

Yes, the round nearly came unraveled at that par 4. McIlroy pulled his tee shot deep into the trees and had to hit a provisional. His third shot missed the fairway, but he hit his fourth shot inside 10 feet and converted the bogey putt.

As it is, McIlroy is in position to win for the fourth time on Tour in 2019, over the course of two seasons. He wrapped up his 2018-19 Player-of-the-Year campaign with a victory at the Tour Championship. He began the new one with a tie for third at the Zozo Championship.

But unlike last week in Japan, McIlroy is squarely in the mix entering weekend play in China. He just needs to make sure he keeps it on the straight and narrow.

“I would expect [the course] to firm up a little up going into the weekend, which would make it a tough test.” McIlroy said. “I still think there are birdies out there, you’ve got four par 5s and a couple of shorter par 4s.

“Game plan is, try and keep it on the fairways and from there the course is pretty scoreable.”

Worcestershire and England seamer Pat Brown will head to the BBL next month to join the Melbourne Stars and replace Dale Steyn when his stint ends in early January.

His first game is likely to be against Sydney Thunder on January 8 and he is available for eight group games in 18 days before the knockout stages if the Stars reach that far.

Although just 21, Brown has a burgeoning reputation in T20 following two successful seasons for Worcestershire in the T20 Blast. He made his England debut in the first T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch on Friday.

The wicket he took in that match was his 50th in T20 cricket in 37 matches at an average of 19.90. His economy rate is 8.15 but that is more impressive given he often operates in tough overs at the death.

"I've signed for the last eight games, replacing Dale Steyn, an absolute legend, so no big shoes to fill there then," Brown told the Worcestershire website. "It's going to be nice to test and challenge myself in different conditions against different players and as an overseas player.

"I will go out fairly early, a couple of weeks early, to get bedded in and trained up ready."

Before the BBL, Brown will play the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament for Karnataka Tuskers following the series in New Zealand.

The Stars' other overseas player is Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane. Glenn Maxwell is the captain although his participation is uncertain following the decision to step away from the game for mental health reasons.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- On Tuesday, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was asked if he was OK with not getting much of the attention for his team's unblemished start.

Garoppolo smiled, shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I'm all right with being undefeated, yeah."

Two days later, Garoppolo found himself in the middle of the Niners' locker room being showered by his teammates with chants of, "JIM-MY, JIM-MY, JIM-MY" after helping the Niners not only remain unbeaten by virtue of their 28-25 win against the Arizona Cardinals, but also silence, at least for one night, those questioning whether he could carry the freight when the defense and running game aren't firing on all cylinders.

Not that Garoppolo was too concerned about the outside questions.

"It doesn't bother me," Garoppolo said. "Most of the people saying the stuff are just people, so it's their opinion. You can't think too much about that stuff. It's not going to change who I am as a quarterback."

With the win, the Niners improved to 8-0 on the season for just the second time in franchise history -- joining the 1990 squad. They also joined the New England Patriots as the only unbeaten teams this season.

Garoppolo, who was traded to San Francisco from New England exactly two years ago on Halloween, put together perhaps the best start of his career to get the Niners there.

With the Cardinals loading the box to stop the run and having success, Shanahan put the game in Garoppolo's hands. Thursday's game was the first this season in which the Niners had more passing attempts (37) than rushing tries (31).

Garoppolo finished 28-of-37 for 317 yards with a career-high four touchdown passes, no interceptions and a passer rating of 136.9, also a career high.

"He played great today," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "He made a lot of plays in rhythm and made a lot of off-schedule plays. ... I thought Jimmy played a hell of a game. His best game yet, probably."

Just as important as the touchdowns, Garoppolo delivered on third down repeatedly, including on a pivotal final drive as the Niners put the pesky Cardinals away. He hit receiver Emmanuel Sanders for 16 yards on third-and-11 from Arizona's 25 and tight end Ross Dwelley for 11 yards on third-and-4 after scrambling out of danger to keep that drive going and end the game.

Garoppolo finished 12-of-14 for 159 yards and three touchdowns on third down. Nine of his 12 completions moved the chains or went for a touchdown.

"That's usually where quarterbacks earn their money," Shanahan said. "You can do a lot of things on first and second down. You can mix in run or pass to even out the game, but on third down, that pass rush is coming. They always have their best coverages and blitzes called. You need a good guy back there. Everyone knows how well he can throw, but he was on tonight throwing and he got to the right spots, and when it wasn't there, he made plays with his legs."

With the four touchdown throws in the first three quarters, Garoppolo became the first Niners quarterback to throw that many scores in the opening three quarters of a regular-season game since Jeff Garcia did it in 2003 against the Cardinals.

Garoppolo's fourth touchdown pass was one of his best throws of the night, dropping it perfectly over Arizona defenders in the corner of the end zone to wideout Dante Pettis for the score.

Although he still put together one of his best statistical performances, Garoppolo's stat line could have been even bigger were it not for drops such as receiver Deebo Samuel's in the end zone and another in the fourth quarter on a screen to running back Tevin Coleman that might have gone for a big gain.

Regardless, Garoppolo's effort was just enough to get the Niners to 8-0 as they survived their toughest test since Week 3. The victory puts them with the Patriots in some promising company. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, this is the fourth time in the Super Bowl era that multiple teams have started undefeated through eight games. In each of the previous three instances, at least one of those teams made the Super Bowl, and in 2009, both teams to do so -- the Saints and Colts -- met in the Super Bowl.

The win also bolstered Garoppolo's career record, moving it to 16-2 in 18 starts. Garoppolo is the fifth quarterback in NFL history to win at least 16 of his first 18 starts, according to the Elias Sports Bureau data. He joined Daryle Lamonica, Ben Roethlisberger, Dan Marino and Roger Staubach in that group. He's now 14-2 in his career with the Niners.

"He's pretty good," tight end George Kittle said. "I don't know why people don't think he is. He makes some pretty gutsy throws out there, doesn't he? Goodness gracious ... I can't say enough about how he brings us along. Whether it's on the sideline or in the huddle, you know the leadership that he has. The fire that he has, too, just kind of, he gets the people going. And just to see him make those plays, allow him to get those people off his back that say, "Hey, maybe he's not you know, what we think he is." Everyone in this building and in our locker room knows what he is. It's fun to see that."

NEW ORLEANS -- To say Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone wasn't pleased with his team's performance Thursday night might be an understatement.

Malone ripped into his team following a 122-107 loss to the previously winless New Orleans Pelicans.

"I'm embarrassed," Malone said at his postgame news conference. "That was an embarrassing effort defensively. Gave up 37 fast-break points. You can give all the transition defense rules that you want. To me, transition defense boils down to one thing -- effort. Get back. You can tell them. You can lead a horse to water, whatever analogy you want to use. We did not get back."

Malone called a timeout with 7:53 left in the fourth quarter with his team trailing by 19. On the next offensive possession after the timeout, Pelicans center Jahlil Okafor got a steal on a bad pass from Jamal Murray and ran down the court for a layup.

Malone turned to his bench and immediately replaced four members of his starting lineup and emptied his bench just two minutes later.

"I thought our starting group struggled. I thought they were low energy," Malone said. "We were lucky to be down by four at halftime, and they come out and punch us in the mouth to start that third quarter.

"I thought tonight was a disappointing, embarrassing effort. I thought guys off the bench played hard, gave effort. We gotta find ways to get our starters to play the same way, because they're not playing like that right now. They're just not."

The Pelicans had 20 fast-break points -- more than they had in any of the first four games -- in the first 15 minutes and finished with 37. It is tied for the most fast-break points a Nuggets team has allowed under Malone, according to ESPN Stats and Information research.

"We're a great talk team. We can talk before the season starts about all the things we want to accomplish, and we want to be a contending team," Malone said. "It's all bulls---. Don't tell me about it, show me. And right now we've got a lot of guys that aren't showing me much."

Malone pointed out reserve Mason Plumlee as someone he wants the rest of the team to play like.

"Every night, he's on the bench supporting his teammates," Malone said. "When he goes into the game, he gives 1,000 percent. That's great to see.

"I thought the guys off the bench were really committed. I got to find a way to get those five starters playing the same way for every minute that they're on the court, because it's not happening right now and I gotta figure that out, and that's on me."

Plumlee, who played 15 minutes and had 10 points and seven rebounds while fouling out, agreed that the Nuggets struggled in transition.

"They were faster, you know; faster on the break, faster on the boards," Plumlee said. "They were more into the game all night."

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic said the Pelicans just outworked them.

"Sometimes it's communication, sometimes it's effort, sometimes it's just the turnovers," Jokic said of the fast-break points. "It's not just effort."

When the Pelicans were in transition, they finished with 1.68 points per play on 13-of-18 shooting, according to ESPN Stats and Information research. When the Nuggets were able to slow them down in the halfcourt, the Pelicans dropped to 0.86 points per play on 28-of-59 shooting.

New Orleans also had a 37-35 edge in rebounding. The Nuggets and Pelicans both finished with just five second-chance points.

Thursday night also represented the regular-season debut of Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr, who missed all of last season because of injury. Porter played 21 minutes and finished with a team-high 15 points. He shot 5-of-8 from the floor, including one 3-pointer, and was 4-of-6 from the line.

"It was cool and it was fun, but I was trying to win," said Porter, who was the only one of Denver's 10 rotational players to finish with a positive plus-minus (+1). "I'm not really in a great mood right now. At the end of the day, it's amazing to make my NBA debut, I thank the Lord for the opportunity, but I was trying to get a [win]."

LOS ANGELES -- Kawhi Leonard came off a pick-and-roll and delivered a bounce pass to a diving Ivica Zubac for what appeared to be an open runner.

The LA Clippers got a ghoulish dose of trick or treat, though, as Zubac's shot bounced three times before softly resting on the back of the rim. Leonard, who watched an assist vanish -- or, more literally, get stuck -- could only smile and laugh.

Entering this Halloween game against the San Antonio Spurs, Leonard was averaging a career-high 7.5 assists -- a terrifying prospect for opponents. And even though most of his damage was from scoring on Thursday, torching San Antonio for a season-high 38 points (on a career-high 32 field goal attempts) to go with 12 rebounds and a season-low one assist in a 103-97 Clippers win, Leonard has turned heads with his playmaking this season.

"He's grown in that area so much as a playmaker," said Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego, who worked with Leonard as an assistant coach in San Antonio from 2015-18, including his first two All-Star seasons. "Coming in, he was always a willing teammate, a willing passer. But the game has slowed down for him so much... He's drawing more coverages than ever right now but he's trying to play the right way, moving the ball, [and he] did not have that early on his career... now he's moving the ball better than ever."

"Nobody saw this coming in Kawhi Leonard."

Entering his ninth season, Leonard's career-high in assists per game was the 3.5 he averaged during the 2016-17 season. But in the first four games with the Clippers, Leonard dished five or more, often creating easy buckets for his big men with pick-and-roll bounce passes.

"I think it's funny, the narrative out there was that he can score and do a lot of things. But they didn't know about his playmaking," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said after Leonard's nine assists in the Clippers' win at Golden State. "Over the [first few] games, he has pretty much answered those questions."

After Leonard had six assists in his Clippers preseason debut, Zubac marveled at Leonard's passing and how wide open he was on several pick and rolls.

"I [don't] think he showed us what he got in practice," Zubac said, the beneficiary of several Leonard assists against the Warriors (16 points and 10 rebounds) after barely being able to stay on the floor last postseason.

Leonard attributes his uptick in assists and playmaking to the current circumstances of the Clippers' roster. The Clippers don't have a true point guard in Rivers' rotation. And until Paul George returns, Leonard has taken on the responsibility of handling the ball, probing inside the 3-point line and seeing what defenses will give him.

"The last two teams I played on, was a dominant point guard with Tony Parker and Kyle [Lowry]," Leonard said after a win over the Hornets. "They did much of our playmaking. I feel like I have to step up in that role right now and get our players open shots."

As a result, Leonard has torqued opposing defenses in uncomfortable ways. He can get to his mid-range spots with his size and strength, score off stepbacks or shots in the paint like when he hit seven straight shots during a torrid stretch in the first half of the season opener against the Lakers. In the Clippers' very next game, Steve Kerr tried to take the ball out of Leonard's hands before he could get to his spots. But Leonard beat the double teams by finding open teammates off pick-and-rolls before finishing with 21 points and nine assists in 21 minutes.

"You got two Finals MVPs with two different teams -- your boy can do everything," Clippers guard Patrick Beverley said the win over the Warriors. "They don't just give those awards to people who can't play. He's proven it. Of course he's been put in a lot of positions where you have to make a lot of buckets. Due to the amount of shooters we have, the big guys that roll, our dynamic of the team is going to make his job a lot easier."

"Teams put so much attention on Kawhi on pick and rolls. Zu is there to get all the loose change."

The Spurs obviously know Leonard better than anyone else and seemed content with letting their former star take shots through the first three quarters. After a rough first half that saw Leonard make only 5-of-16 shots, Leonard continued attacking and had 25 second-half points on 10-of-16 from the field.

"Tonight he showed his genes," Lou Williams said. "He just literally put us on his back and made play after play, especially in the fourth quarter. When I couldn't get going, nobody else could make shots, he really carried us and made plays for us."

"It looked like he was pretty incentivized," Williams added of Leonard facing his former team. "It damn sure felt like it."

When the Spurs did send a double team late, Leonard made the right play like when he hit an open Beverley on the wing before the guard found Montrezl Harrell open underneath for a basket and the foul that gave the Clippers a 101-95 lead with 1:27 remaining.

The assists may have been there too had the Clippers shot better; LA missed 10-of-11 shots off of Leonard's passes Thursday night, including 0-for-6 from 3.

"They didn't help off as much as the other teams did," Rivers said of San Antonio's defensive approach to Leonard. "I'm sure they watched film and said, 'If you trap him, he's going to kill you.' He's just so big he can see over everything."

When Leonard was drafted 15th overall out of San Diego State in 2011, the Spurs saw the strength, athleticism and, of course, massive hands. But they also saw a player who needed development with his shot and passing.

Gregg Popovich didn't just say kind words before the game about how much Leonard has developed but spoke at length about the forward, whose much-publicized divorce with San Antonio led to a trade with Toronto.

"When we made that trade and drafted for him, we didn't know he was going to be Kawhi Leonard," Popovich said. "Just like we didn't know Manu [Ginobili] was going to be Manu when we drafted him. People who tell you that are full of crap. You never know how a player is going to develop whether he is drafted fourth or 19th. You just don't know.

"But from the get go, Kawhi had a work ethic that was exemplary," Popovich continued. "... the first thing we did was talk to him about defense. From day one, I hit him. I said, 'You need to be an all-league defender. That's your first goal. The offense will come'... it was obvious that he could be a great defender... but, surely, year after year after year, he got better and better at the offensive end."

George is expected to return from offseason surgeries on his shoulders in mid-November. But Rivers has liked what he has seen from Leonard the playmaker so much that he might keep the ball in his hands when the two stars finally take the floor together.

"Kawhi's been easy to integrate," Rivers said. "You just give him the ball. I'm no fool. But the spacing, what we've learned about Kawhi is how well he sees the floor and the type of passer that he is.

"That's going to make us a lot better and you know now that you can use Kawhi as the passer to PG which should be pretty lethal."