BATTERED, bruised and having burnt its SOS, Australia is staring down the barrel of defeat in the second Test in Abu Dhabi.

PAKISTAN v Australia, second Test, day three ? Australia needs to make history if it is going to escape the Test series against Pakistan with a draw let alone a victory.

JACKSON Bird says he?d be shocked if he ever played for Australia again after selectors showed their hand by overlooking the Tasmanian quick for the current tour of the United Arab Emirates.

SHANE Warne has picked his Australia Test XI, calling for five changes from the side currently playing in Abu Dhabi.

CHANGE has come to Sydney FC.

HEADING into a new A-League season, the form line resets.

MELBOURNE Victory?s incredible journey to become unlikely A-League champions last season has been immortalised in film, with Believe: The Finals Story premiering on Fox Sports on Thursday night.

A potentially serious knee injury to Usman Khawaja and concerns over Mitchell Starc?s fitness have compounded Australia?s woes in the second Test against Pakistan.

WHAT just happened?

AUSTRALIA great Mike Hussey has implored under-pressure batsman Shaun Marsh to play with more freedom to turn his form around.

THE NBL?s newest franchise, a team based in South East Melbourne, has taken its first significant step since its inception.

?WE?LL get Marnus and Azhar to make a movie: Dumb and Dumber? ? Allan Border.

THE NRL faces the possibility of its referees taking strike action over a pay dispute.

SOME MVP candidates peaked their heads, a powerhouse was overthrown, and top rookies showed glimpses of a bright future.

WALLABIES coach Michael Cheika continues to stress the need for increased alignment between the Test team and Super Rugby clubs if Australia is to arrest its alarming decline.

THROUGHOUT October, all of the speculation and all of the moves are in service of one thing - winning the premiership.

MARC Marquez could head to next weekend?s Australian Grand Prix as a seven-time world champion.

JOE Ingles had a first half to remember to lift the Utah Jazz out of a hole, before Danté Exum came in and finished the job.

A FURIOUS Jeff Horn has slammed Anthony Mundine and asked for a review of their fight contract six weeks before their planned superfight at Suncorp Stadium on November 30.

AUSTRALIA face a huge test against Tonga and don?t they know it.

BULLETS import Alonzo Gee says the Golden State Warriors? Oracle Arena is the craziest venue he played in during his time in the NBA.

THE 2018 trade period is only just in the rear view mirror, but already clubs will be planning to try and reel in a big fish in 2019.

YOU only have to have a quick chat to Queensland?s Lauren Bella to be warmed by the bubbly and charismatic character.

AUSTRALIA?S surge to the 2015 World Cup final after turbulence the previous year has convinced re-signed Wallabies five-eighth Bernard Foley the team can do something similar and potentially go one better in next year?s tournament.

IT?S one of the tightest A-League seasons to call, but the experts have had a crack.

WELCOME to Off-Season Central.

WILL Genia is a slight favourite to deny the inspirational David Pocock and land his first John Eales Medal as a raft of big name Wallabies jostle for Australian rugby?s highest individual honour.

IT?S here at last ? the Caulfield Cup ? that engrossing race-and-a-half over a mile-and-a-half that tells turf fans the spring?s in full swing.

SUPERSTAR import Keisuke Honda is both supremely ready for Saturday?s Melbourne derby and unprepared for the occasion.

FOX SPORTS has every Supercars practice session, qualifying session and race LIVE and AD BREAK-FREE in HD from the 2018 Vodafone Gold Coast 600.

PAKISTAN?S Danish Kaneria has finally admitted his role in a fixing scandal that led to the imprisonment of former Essex teammate Mervyn Westfield after six years of denials, Britain?s Daily Mail reported Thursday.

HE MAY no longer be playing at a Premier League level, but this free kick from Wayne Rooney is as good as you?ll ever see.

FOX SPORTS has every Formula 1® practice session, qualifying and the race EXCLUSIVELY LIVE in HD from the Formula 1® 2018 Pirelli United States Grand Prix.

FOX SPORTS has every session of MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 LIVE in HD and AD-FREE across the weekend from the 16th round of the 2018 world championship, the Motul Grand Prix of Japan.

THE Waratahs will embark on new frontiers in 2019 after announcing they will host three Super Rugby games at the new Western Sydney Stadium in Parramatta.

RUGGED Waratahs forwards Jed Holloway and Jack Dempsey are the big winners in a Wallabies squad that also features the return of Samu Kerevi for the third Bledisloe Cup Test.

PREMIER LEAGUE giants are on red alert as German clubs plot a mega-raid on their kids, reports The Sun.

WEST Coast forward Mark LeCras has announced his retirement.

FLOYD Mayweather says a money-spinning bout with UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov ?is happening?.

AUSTRALIA lock Josh McGuire believes Tonga pair Tevita Pangai Junior and Joe Ofahengaue are ready for State of Origin football - if they want to play it.

KONRAD Hurrell is leaving Gold Coast after gaining an immediate release.

THEY would have felt this hit back in Moscow.

THE trade period is done and dusted - and some fans are happier than others.

THE November 1 deadline signals the start of the transfer market for players coming off-contract in 2019.

AFTER a whopping 46 moves across the free agency and trade periods, the AFL exchange period has finally drawn to a close.

FOX Sports commentator, Simon Hill, has spoken to all ten Hyundai A-League coaches in the build up to the new season. Today he chats to Melbourne Victory?s Kevin Muscat about championships, marquees, and the intense rivalry with Sydney FC.

AUSTRALIA has lost a wicket every 25 runs against Pakistan in this month?s two-Test series, but an English great has offered his old rivals some comfort.

THIERRY Henry claimed he was forced to ?re-learn the game? under Pep Guardiola when he left Arsenal for Barcelona.

GOLD Coast list boss Craig Cameron said it best. The Suns ?needed to break the cycle?.

STEVEN May capped Gold Coast?s horror off-season exodus with a deadline-day move to Melbourne.

THEY finished in the top four in 2018 and enjoyed a strong trade period which saw them add the likes of Chad Wingard and Tom Scully to their list. But two AFL greats say the Hawks will slide down the ladder in 2019.

ANDREAS Pereira has revealed the truth behind Paul Pogba?s training ground bust-up with Jose Mourinho.

LIVE: Welcome to Fox Sports? daily roundup of the stories you need to know about in the world of sports right now. Join us every weekday from 6.30am ? 9am. Play on!

A CONOR McGregor fan has explained that he leapt into the cage after the UFC 229 main event to defend the Irishman from Khabib Nurmagomedov?s team.

CANELO Alvarez is boxing?s new half a billion dollar man.

USAIN Bolt?s new football career looks set to land him a place on FIFA 19 ? and make him the fastest player in the game.

AUSTRALIAN Megan Anderson will return to the Octagon at UFC 232 in Las Vegas against Cat Zingano in a featherweight showdown, foxsports.com.au can confirm.

CRISTIANO RONALDO has been relegated to a minor role in EA Sports? new FIFA 19 promotional video.

AUSTRALIA have been left frustrated in the UAE by a ?strange? and little-known rule which has twice cost them crucial wickets in the Test series against Pakistan.

MAURICIO Pochettino has heaped praise on his Tottenham stars in the England team and admitted he was ?proud? to see Eric Dier put in a big challenge on Sergio Ramos.

BRONCOS winger Corey Oates has reportedly sacrificed up to $200,000 a season to commit to Brisbane.

AUSTRALIA faces a ?very long? summer unless its batsmen complete a rapid turnaround, Shane Warne has warned.

AUSTRALIA?S hopes of a first Test series win in Asia since 2011 are all but over after another shambolic performance with the bat.

THE pandemonium of the AFL?s Trade Period has come and gone with an abundance of big deals sending stars of the game off to new homes.

AN understrength England trounced France 44-6 in a lopsided rugby league match in Leigh on Wednesday, as coach Wayne Bennett rang the changes ahead of an eagerly-awaited series against New Zealand.

USAIN Bolt will continue his football education with the Central Coast Mariners in Australia after turning down Valletta FC?s two-year offer and deciding against a move to Malta.

AFL trade: News, rumours, live updates, final day of trade period live blog and chat, Wednesday October 17, offers, done deals ? everything covered as it happens!

COLLINGWOOD?s Dayne Beams says his heart has ?always been at the Pies? and has explained the personal pain that saw him keen to move back to Melbourne.

LACHIE Neale?s trade wish has been granted, with the star ball magnet to play for the Brisbane Lions in 2019.

DEPARTING Port Adelaide goalsneak Chad Wingard has posted a heartfelt social media message, thanking the club for seven seasons of support after he was involved in a big three-way deal on Wednesday.

TIM Kelly?s wish to return to Western Australia hasn?t been granted, with the gun midfielder to remain in Geelong and see out his contract in 2019.

WILL Pucovski has showed his immense appetite for big scores, putting Victoria on course for a Sheffield Shield win against Western Australia with a double century.

DAYNE Beams has got his wish and will return to Collingwood, after being traded by the Brisbane Lions.

THE season is over ? and silly season has come to an end.

AFL trade news, Trade Tracker 2018: Every trade and done deal from every club!

SOMETIMES all the analysis is too much. Sometimes you don?t have time to read the full story.

AND just like that the silly season is over for another year.

MARNUS Labuschagne?s eventful start to Test cricket has continued, with the rookie Australia player suffering a shocking brainfade as Tim Paine?s men were bowled out for 145 on day two in Abu Dhabi.

DYLAN Shiel has been traded to Essendon.

JESSE Hogan has spoken of the influence of Brownlow Medal winner Nat Fyfe helped to convince him to head home after Melbourne and the Dockers came to a trade agreement.

JASON Taumalolo says he?s still coming to grips with the impact his commitment to Tonga has had on the country ahead of Saturday?s sold-out Test against the Kangaroos.

THEY started the year with centuries and dominated the Ashes, but Shaun and Mitchell Marsh?s form has taken a turn for the worse since leaving home soil.

A RED-HEADED legspinner has delivered Australian cricket a crystal ball.

AUSTRALIA rookie Marnus Labuschagne gave Fox Cricket a peek behind the curtain on day two of the second Test, breaking down his bat-pad stunner.

ST GEORGE Illawarra are reportedly considering a making a play for off-contract Parramatta star Jarryd Hayne.

WE WERE all expecting most of the big trade names to be left in limbo until the last minute.

KANGAROOS forward Felise Kaufusi understands the Tongan rugby league revolution better than most but insists the Australian jersey is the right one for him in Saturday?s historic Test.

AUSTRALIA?S historic first rugby league Test against Tonga will attract a sellout crowd, with the final tickets for the match being sold on Wednesday morning.

NICK Kyrgios was ?surprised? to be cheered by the home crowd as he beat Russian youngster Andrey Rublev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Kremlin Cup first round.

STEPHEN Curry had 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Kevin Durant added 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and the Golden State Warriors opened their quest for a three-peat by holding off the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-100 on Wednesday (AEDT).

BEN Simmons put on a show, but the Philadelphia 76ers still don?t have an answer for these Boston Celtics.

STEVE Corica is exploring his options after losing Trent Buhagiar to a serious knee injury, but the Sydney FC coach is confident in his squad depth if he doesn?t manage to bring in a new signing.

STAR key backman Steven May will bolster Melbourne?s defence in 2019 after he was traded from the Gold Coast Suns on Wednesday.

AFTER a relatively quiet trade period, the Sydney Swans have made a move on the final day of dealing, obtaining Geelong defender Jackson Thurlow.

ON the eve of the new season, A-League stars are split on the identity of the tournament favourites.

ARON Baynes? final line is usually never sexy, and neither is his game, but his impact can?t be understated.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian remains confident a deal will be struck between Parramatta and the operators of the Western Sydney Stadium for the NRL club to play at the new venue next year.

KYLE WALKER wants a slice of the Harry Maguire pie and has called on the Bank to England to make his team-mate the face of the new £50 note.

BENJI Marshall pored over footage of himself from the 2018 season at Wests Tigers before deciding to play one more year in the NRL.

BRISBANE forward Josh McGuire has backed Jason Demetriou to step up to a head NRL coaching role but insists the Broncos can?t lose regardless of who replaces Wayne Bennett.