Australia need to fix their ailing batting order. These 12 players are vying for the job

The Sydney Morning Herald - Nov 8, 2026

This week’s Sheffield Shield and ODI games will give the Australian selectors a clear idea of who is in the best form for the looming Test series against New Zealand.

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Alcaraz beats error-prone Shelton to win Paris Masters

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Alcaraz beats error-prone Shelton to win Paris Masters

World No.3 Carlos Alvaraz has become the first Spaniard to win the Paris Masters since David Ferrer in 2012 with victory over American Ben Shelton.

'Prefer to go back': Mostert realistic on title hopes

Nov 8, 2026

'Prefer to go back': Mostert realistic on title hopes

Chaz Mostert will enter the Supercars Adelaide grand final aiming to claim back-to-back championships, but he has a disadvantage before the races begin.

Boks call on lock Etzebeth ahead of France clash

Nov 8, 2026

Boks call on lock Etzebeth ahead of France clash

Thirty five-year-old Eben Etzebeth been called up by South Africa after fellow second row Salmaan ‌Moerat was ruled out for Friday's clash with France.

Striker takes tally to 16 goals in big home win

Nov 8, 2026

Striker takes tally to 16 goals in big home win

Dartford scored four first-half goals to defeat in-form Eastbourne Borough at Princes Park.

Rahm holds off McIlroy, Hatton for debut Abu Dhabi win

Nov 8, 2026

Rahm holds off McIlroy, Hatton for debut Abu Dhabi win

Spaniard Jon Rahm has won the Abu Dhabi Championship Abu Dhabi on his debut appearance, while Australia's Adam Scott ended joint ninth.

Badminton star An Se-young wins Korea Open for record-tying 11th int'l title

Nov 8, 2026

Badminton star An Se-young wins Korea Open for record-tying 11th int'l title

Korean badminton star An Se-young won her record-tying 11th international title of the year on home soil Sunday. An, world No. 1, defeated second-ranked Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 2-1 (21-12, 15-21, 21-16) in the women's singles final at Yeosu Victor Korea Open at Jinnam Stadium in Yeosu, some 320 kilometers southwest of Seoul. The Korea Open is the only Korean event on the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour. This was An's 11th international victory of the year, tying the record first set by the men's singles player Kento Momota in 2019 and equaled by An herself in 2025. This year, An has won eight tournaments on the BWF World Tour and gold medals at the Badminton Asia Championships, BWF World Championships and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. An has lost just once in 72 matches all season — the lone defeat coming against Wang Zhiyi of China in the All England Open final in March. An also extended her winning streak against Yamaguchi to 11 matches. An considered skipping the Korea Open, citing fatigue, but chose to compete in front of home fans. An, who lost to Yamaguchi in the 2025 Ko

Wiz manager benches slumping slugger in do-or-die Korean Series game

Nov 8, 2026

Wiz manager benches slumping slugger in do-or-die Korean Series game

KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul benched his slumping slugger Ahn Hyun-min at the start of his team's first elimination game of the Korean Series on Sunday. The Wiz are trailing the Samsung Lions 3-1 in the best-of-seven championship round, and a loss in Game 5, set for Sunday afternoon at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu, will end the Wiz's season. The Wiz won the series opener Tuesday but have since lost three straight games. Ahn, the 2025 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) Rookie of the Year, homered in that first game, an 8-7 Wiz victory, but has since gone 1-for-12 with four strikeouts. Ahn, normally a designated hitter, was forced to play in right field in Saturday's Game 4, with the regular right fielder Choi Won-jun dealing with a hand injury. Ahn misjudged the flight of the flyball hit by Kim Do-hwan with the bases loaded, and the misplay, which was not officially scored as an error, allowed all three runners to score as part of the Lions' six-run inning. Jang Jin-hyuk, who homered in Saturday's game, will start in right field and bat second Sunday. "Ahn Hyun-

With Korean Series title in sight, Lions manager calls on players to keep having fun

Nov 8, 2026

With Korean Series title in sight, Lions manager calls on players to keep having fun

With his team just a win away from winning the 2026 Korean baseball title, Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man said Sunday he wanted nothing more from his players than to keep having fun. "I had no special pep talk for the team before the game," Park said in his media availability before Game 5 of the Korean Series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu. The Lions lead the KT Wiz 3-1 in the best-of-seven championship battle, and a win Sunday will give them their first title since 2014. "I just want them to keep doing the same thing, which is to have fun on the field," Park added. "They have been doing a great job of that, and I just hope they will keep enjoying themselves." Winning obviously helps in that regard. The Lions lost the first game of the series last Tuesday but have since won three straight games, the last two here in Daegu. Park credited outfielder Park Seung-kyu for injecting some much-needed energy into the team. The manager said the Lions had been a stoic group in the past, but Park Seung-kyu has changed the culture with his over-the-top celebrations

Lions beat steep odds to capture Korean Series title

Nov 8, 2026

Lions beat steep odds to capture Korean Series title

Before their Korean Series began against the KT Wiz last week, the Samsung Lions were widely regarded as a heavy underdog. The Wiz were the No. 1 seed and the best regular-season record netted them a bye to the Korean Series. Prior to this year, the top seeds had won the Korean Series about 86 percent of the time. The Lions, as No. 2 seed, had to play the penultimate round of the postseason, and they needed the full five games to knock off the Kia Tigers. All the while, the Wiz were enjoying their three-week layoff. Between 1989, when the Korea Baseball Organization ditched the split regular-season format, and 2025, teams that had to go through the penultimate postseason round had won the Korean Series only five times. And when the Wiz took the first game of the Korean Series 8-7 last Tuesday at their home in Suwon, it appeared as though the battle would play out the way many had predicted. Game 1 winners had won the Korean Series on 31 out of 42 previous occasions, or about 74 percent of the time. The Lions got a split on the road by taking the second game 3-2 in 12 innings. Back home in

Lions defeat Wiz for 1st Korean Series title in 12 years

Nov 8, 2026

Lions defeat Wiz for 1st Korean Series title in 12 years

The Samsung Lions are the king of Korean baseball once again. The Lions hammered the KT Wiz 12-1 in Game 5 of the Korean Series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu on Sunday to close out the best-of-seven battle and capture their first title in 12 years. The Lions blew the game wide open in an eight-run fifth inning before a sellout crowd of 23,550 fans, while starting pitcher Won Tae-in tossed five innings of one-run ball for the victory. Captain Koo Ja-wook went 3-for-5 and scored twice en route to earning the Korean Series MVP award. The Lions lost the series opener Tuesday on the road in Suwon, just south of Seoul, but then won the next four games in a row, including the past three at their home in Daegu. The Wiz had the best record in the regular season and earned a bye to the Korean Series. The Samsung Lions finished the regular season in second place, eight games behind the Wiz, and the Lions are the first No. 2 seed to be crowned the Korean Series champions since the 2018 SK Wyverns. The Wiz were going for their first title since 2021. They were also the r

Lions captain Koo Ja-wook voted Korean Series MVP after playing through injury

Nov 8, 2026

Lions captain Koo Ja-wook voted Korean Series MVP after playing through injury

After leading the Samsung Lions to their first Korean baseball title in a dozen years Sunday while playing through a hamstring injury, captain Koo Ja-wook was voted the MVP of the Korean Series. Koo earned 72 out of 97 votes from the media following the Lions' 12-1 victory over the KT Wiz in the title-clinching Game 5 of the Korean Series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu. In five games, Koo batted .500/.565/.850 with a home run, two doubles, one triple, six RBIs and five runs scored. Koo, 33, won the regular-season batting title with a .371 average but he missed the last dozen days of the campaign due to hamstring issues. He was still not back to full health when the Lions' postseason began in the penultimate round on Oct. 26 against the Kia Tigers, but Koo, normally an outfielder, ended up playing every game of that five-game set as designated hitter. Koo only batted 3-for-20 with zero extra-base hit in that series. However, with his health improving, Koo found his groove in the Korean Series. Koo homered in the series opener last Tuesday as part of a two-hit g

Wales vow to improve as All Blacks, Aussies lie in wait

Nov 8, 2026

Wales vow to improve as All Blacks, Aussies lie in wait

Wales captain Dewi Lake insists his side must improve dramatically following their lacklustre 28-21 Nations Championship victory over Eddie Jones' Japan.

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