Another controversy for Australian basketball star, the upcoming Commonwealth Games and the latest AFL news headlines for this week’s Wednesday sports round up.

Cambage and Sparks announce a ‘contract divorce’, part ways immediately

Basketball star Liz Cambage’s time as a Los Angeles Sparks player has ended after a ‘contract divorce’, despite only signing with the organisation in February this year.

It is the latest controversy for the 30-year-old centre, who dominated headlines last year when she pulled out of the Australian Opals squad for the Tokyo Olympics after claims she racially vilified Nigerian opponents in a warmup match.

Cambage initially seemed happy as a Sparks player.

“I’m living my best life. I’m supported, I’m protected on a level that the Opals or the Australian team never gave to me,” she said in May this year.

Cambage has made no comment on the exit at this stage.

Australia looks to continue Commonwealth Games domination

Australia will seek to maintain their sporting stranglehold over the Commonwealth when the 22nd edition of the Commonwealth Games begins tomorrow in Birmingham.

Australia have topped the medal chart at the Games on 13 occasions. If recent form means anything, then it will work in Australia’s favour, given less than a year ago Australia equalled its best Olympic medal haul in Tokyo.

Australia’s 435 competitors range from 14- and 63-year-old debutants to last year’s Tokyo sensations. The Women’s Cricket side will also make its debut, headlining the games along with Rohan Browning and Peter Bol on the track, and Ariane Titmus in the pool.

Ponting wants Clarko to take a Punt on the Kangaroos

Former Australian Cricket captain and long-time North Melbourne supporter Ricky Ponting will this week meet with AFL coaching great Alistair Clarkson in a bid to lure him to his beloved Kangaroos.

Clarkson’s name continues to be thrown around as more coaching vacancies arise, with the Kangaroos job appearing likely given Clarkson’s 93 game spell for the club. He has expressed his interest in coaching next year.

Ponting labelled Clarkson as a “perfect fit” saying he can see the similarities between the current North Melbourne side, and Hawthorn when Clarkson initially took over.

“I guess if you think about where the footy club is now, it’s actually not dissimilar to where Hawthorn was when he first started there,” Ponting said.

Matthews ‘losing sleep’ over umpiring debacle

Legendary AFL player and coach, Leigh Matthews has proclaimed the “fabric of the game is being attacked” after Collingwood forward Jack Ginnivan wasn’t awarded a free kick after being hit with a blatant high tackle on Sunday.

Matthews voiced his displeasure with the incident on Tuesday nights 3AW Sportsday program.

“It’s only one free kick but it’s a symbolic free kick that’s showing this is where the game is,” he said.

This is just the latest controversy for Ginnivan, who had been previously exploiting the high tackle rule to win free kicks. “Every other player in the competition would’ve got that free kick,” Matthews said.

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