Maybe even shock us with a century opening partnership (there have been none in 15 Tests since David Warner retired).

For much of the past decade Australia has been blessed to have the Fab Four of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon as the bedrock of their march to the top of the world.

Even when the batsmen snare man of the match awards, as Travis Head often does, significant credit goes to the smart work of the attack who minimise the amount of time the batsmen spend in the field and give them low totals to chase.

But the absence of Cummins and Hazlewood for the first Test has put the pressure squarely on the batsmen to do extra heavy lifting.

To shape the game and allow Brendon Doggett and Scott Boland to undo their top buttons and not be stifled by the pressure of weenyburger totals.

Doggett could be Australia’s surprise packet.

Since learning last Saturday that the Test debut he has craved for a decade should be coming his way he has been cool, calm, chatty and radiating the vibe of a man well prepared to claim his heart’s desire.

But he is on debut and that’s never easy.

Cameron Green looked good in his last Sheffield Shield match and don't be surprised if this is the series in which he turns from a boy into a man.

Australia has made the right call in allowing Jake Weatherald to become the seventh ∼ repeat seventh ∼ man to open the batting with Usman Khawaja since Warner’s retirement but the fact that the excellent Beau Webster has been squeezed out puts pressure on the entire order to shape up.

The game kicks off in Perth at 1:20 (our time) on Channel 7 and Kayo, Foxtel and 7plus.

On the local scene in the womens BBL both games were washed out however, the Melbourne Star beat the Sydney Sixers by 111 runs and the Hobart Hurricanes beat the Melbourne Renegades by six wickets. ↑

Nvidia was last down 1% after surging as much as 5% earlier in the day. Most chip-related companies also turned negative, with the Philadelphia SE Semiconductor index now down 2.1%.

The world’s most valuable company forecast sales above analysts' estimates for the final three months of the year and surpassed expectations for third-quarter revenue.

This situation is fine for now, but what happens in three months' time when the market waits with bated breath for Nvidia’s next quarterly earnings update? Even though Nvidia’s profits and cash flow remain as healthy as an ultramarathon runner, there are some red flags to consider, said Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell.

CEO Jensen Huang shrugged off concerns about AI on a call with analysts, saying, We see something very different.

A year-long rally in high-flying technology stocks had begun to lose some steam as investors became increasingly cautious of a potential AI bubble.

Concerns about monetization prospects over the technology, circular spending within the sector and debt issuance have weighed on markets with the Nasdaq sharply off its October high and Nvidia down nearly 9% from its peak.

The people who are selling the semiconductors to help power AI doesn't alleviate the concerns that some of these hyperscalers are spending way too much money on building the AI infrastructure, said Robert Pavlik, senior portfolio manager at Dakota Wealth.

At 12:11 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 143.02 points, or 0.30%, to 46,000.74, the S&P 500 lost 30.57 points, or 0.46%, to 6,611.59 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 147.42 points, or 0.64%, to 22,419.92.

Most megacap and growth stocks were also well off their day’s highs, with Amazon.com down 0.8%.

The information technology index was last down 1% after jumping early on, while consumer staples was in the lead.

Walmart advanced 6% after the retailer raised its annual forecast for the second time this year and also set a December date to change its stock listing to the Nasdaq from the NYSE.

Meanwhile, data showed U.S. job growth accelerated in September, but the unemployment rate rose to 4.4%, suggesting labor market conditions remained sluggish.

Traders continued to bet the Federal Reserve will skip an interest rate cut in December, though there was a small pull-back after the release of the jobs data.

Thursday’s report marks the last jobs report before the Fed’s December meeting, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics set to skip its October report and instead combine nonfarm payrolls for that month with November’s report.

Palo Alto Networks dropped 6.3% as the cybersecurity firm said it would buy cloud management and monitoring company Chronosphere for $3.35 billion.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.35-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.2-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

The S&P 500 posted 12 new 52-week highs and 10 new lows while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 67 new highs and 172 new lows. ↑

Anthony Albanese said the compromise was a major win for Australia, throwing his full support behind Mr Bowen to fulfil the demanding international role as he scrambles to chart a way out of the nation’s energy crisis that has seen power bills soar by 24% this year alone.

The settlement, including provision for pre-COP events to be held in the Pacific, comes as delegates at this year’s climate summit in Brazil pile pressure on countries including Australia to phase out fossil-fuel exports.

Asked whether Mr Bowen could continue as minister while becoming COP31 president for climate negotiations, the Prime Minister declared: You bet he can, because action domestically is also about action globally.

Sussan Ley challenged the decision, saying Australians -simply cannot afford to have a part-time minister in charge of energy policy<\q>.

Families deserve an Energy Minister who is focused on their bills, not on chasing headlines overseas, the Opposition Leader told The Australian.

Mr Bowen will need Assistant Climate Minister Josh Wilson and special envoy for climate change adaptation and resilience Kate Thwaites to take on extra duties to stay on top of his massive domestic policy load. His ministerial to-do list for the next 12 months includes overseeing overhauls of the National Energy Market and east coast gas supplies amid household and industry anger over energy prices and network instability.

Saul Kanovic, head of energy research at MST Financial, said Mr Bowen needed to prioritise fixing the nation’s energy policy mess rather than hobnobbing with global leaders".

The truth is Chris Bowen’s department has been struggling to keep on top of its current workload, Mr Kanovic said. Now we'll have a part-time minister preoccupied with gallivanting around the world. It’s only going to put further strain on urgent decisions that need to be made.

Australia had been locked in a standoff with Turkey over the COP31 conference, after a long-running Labor campaign to secure the 2026 hosting rights for Adelaide. The government was close on Thursday to sealing the deal with Turkey to drop Australia’s bid, amid growing concerns in cabinet over the financial and political costs of hosting the event.

Mr Bowen said that, under the agreement, the COP is held in Turkey but Australia ∼ myself ∼ is appointed COP president for the purposes of negotiations.

As COP president of negotiations, I would have all the powers of the COP presidency to manage, to handle the negotiations, to appoint co-facilitators, to prepare draft texts, and to issue the public decision, he said at the COP30 summit in Belem, Brazil.

Mr Bowen’s office noted he was a seasoned COP negotiator, having played senior roles in the past four climate conferences.

As he sat bunkered in his locked office for more than an hour, a besieged Liberal leader Mark Speakman contemplated his future.

The 66-year-old barrister had come out fighting on Thursday after an attempt by a cross-factional delegation of MPs to dislodge him from the top job late Wednesday night had failed.

The trio ∼ as revealed by The Daily Telegraph ∼ had marched into his office to show him how he had lost the support of the majority of his MPs.

But instead of taking the cue to stand aside and in the absence of a direct challenge, Mr Speakman dug in.

Yesterday morning, he hit the phones to radio talkback hosts, declaring his intention was to bat on.

One-on-one media appearances were also organised — including with this masthead.

He’s about to do KOFM community radio in Swansea, one bemused MP quipped.

But the media blitz only angered his MPs.

Several began publicly calling for an end to the leadership farce.

By midafternoon, bizarre scenes began to unfold.

About 10 pre-organised media interviews were cancelled.

His staff stopped returning media calls.

MPs claimed Mr Speakman had locked himself in his office.

Several MPs who tried to visit his office ∼ including Vaucluse MP Kellie Sloane ∼ were greeted only with a locked door.

Among those who were able to meet with Mr Speakman included senior moderate MP Mark Coure.

A Liberal source said he was more honest with Mr Speakman about how the day could end.

It can be revealed former cabinet minister Rob Stokes also spoke to the Liberal leader.

Mr Stokes ∼ also once a leadership contender and a member of the moderates ∼ was in Parliament House in his capacity as an Anglicare Sydney executive, for a Christmas toys and tucker charity event.

Upon hearing of Mr Speakman’s predicament, he checked in on his former colleague.

It is understood Mr Stokes played a supportive role and did not try to influence Mr Speakman’s decision.

But the Liberal leader had already made up his mind.

Mr Speakman later emerged from his office and walked into Ms Sloane’s office, where she told him she wished to take the leadership".

Less than two hours later, Mr Speakman resigned.

Ms Kellie Sloane had long been a somewhat reluctant challenger.

While being open to taking on the top job, the former TV journalist and charity CEO has only ever indicated she would take on the role if it was vacated.

But in the end, it was Ms Sloane herself declaring that she wanted the job that would set the course of history.re said Mr Speakman has no numbers in the event of a challenge. ↑

NSW Health has confirmed someone has become infected with measles despite not attending any exposure sites and not knowingly coming into contact with anyone with measles.

The health body has warned others may have been exposed to measles without realising.

With the source of the infection unknown, it is likely measles is currently circulating within the community, and other people may have been unknowingly exposed to measles, the health alert states.

The fresh infection comes a week after a measles alert for Sydney Airport, the Oasis concert, the city, and the Jelly Roll concert in Brisbane was issued.

Those who attended the Oasis concert at Accor Stadium on November 8 or visited Sydney Airport, the CBD, areas in the inner west, and trains at various times between November 8 and 10 were warned to monitor for symptoms, with a full list of times and locations on the NSW Health website.

South Western Sydney Local Health District director of public health Mitchell Smith said it could take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear following an exposure.

He emphasised the importance of staying vigilant should someone develop symptoms, urging them to call ahead to GPs and emergency departments to make sure they don't spend time in waiting rooms with other patients.

Symptoms to watch out for include fever, sore eyes, runny nose and a cough, usually followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head and face to the rest of the body, Dr Smith said.

He urged people to check they were up to date with vaccinations.

This should be a reminder for everyone to check that they are protected against measles, which is highly infectious, he said.

Anyone born after 1965 needs to ensure they have had two doses of measles vaccine. This is especially important before overseas travel, as measles outbreaks are occurring in several regions of the world at the moment.

He said the vaccine was safe, effective, and also free for children at 12 and 18 months of age, as well as for anyone in NSW born after 1965 who has not had two doses.

Children under the age of 12 months can have an extra, early dose of MMR from six months of age if they are travelling overseas. Parents should consult their GP, he said.

People who are unsure of whether they have had two doses should get a vaccine, as additional doses are safe. This is particularly important prior to travel. MMR vaccine is available from GPs (all ages) and pharmacies (people over five years of age).

During the week on Sky News, I interviewed two mums who'd taken their four-year-olds out of Queensland government preschools after getting official letters demanding that they nominate their child’s preferred pronouns.

Are we serious? A kid that can't even write his or her name is supposed to be a them or a they?

In response to queries, the Queensland LNP government said that this was the doing of the independent Education Department at the insistence of the former Labor government.

Not good enough, LNP - you can't wash your hands of this issue. You're the government, and parents are right to be angry that trans-activism is being pushed at their little ones. After all, what’s the point of electing a government if things are run by unaccountable bureaucrats?

As it happens, the Queensland Education Department is very proud of the fact that it’s just achieved platinum status in the Australian Workforce Equality Index, as an LGBTQ+ employer, with its website inviting people to watch its LGBTQ+ inclusion video.

The Index is run by ACON, originally the AIDS Council of NSW and now the Australian equivalent of the UK’s Stonewall. And, like Stonewall, a body once concerned with gay rights, ACON is now at the forefront of pushing the radical trans agenda with business, government departments and, particularly, among young people.

In order to achieve gold or platinum status, enterprises must affiliate to ACON, with principal partners paying this trans-inclusive body some $12,000 a year. According to its website, ACON is a charity with an annual income of almost $28m. Remarkably, 72 per cent of this revenue comes from government &#$8212; meaning you, of course.

I'm an admirer of the government in Queensland because of the stand it has taken to ban puberty blockers for minors, with many experts agreeing that so-called gender-affirming care risks harming our children.

But rather than wait to deal with mixed-up kids in later years, how about we stop the trans-adulation when they are in preschool?

This is exactly the kind of destructive brainwashing that LNP voters expect their government to fix.

THUMBS UP

King Charles for stripping his brother, Andrew, of his birthright titles can't have been easy but was the tough and honourable thing to do.

THUMBS DOWN

British rugby union authorities for surrendering to trans activism and demanding that, for men’s rugby, that man of the match become the player of the match".

But I no more alleged he hated Jews than that he harbours an irrational animus toward Eskimos. My contention was and remains, that his tweet stating 7000 Jews died in the Warsaw Ghetto. 68,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza was a shocking distortion of historical truth and of moral argument.

The fact is that of the roughly 450,000 Jews herded into the Warsaw Ghetto, barely 30,000 survived. At least 80,000 ∼ not 7000 ∼ died in the Ghetto itself and another 340,000 were murdered during the successive deportations or in the death camps.

As for Adams’s claim that Israel’s conduct in Gaza was even more appalling than that of the Nazis, it abandons all reason by equating the Germans' coldly planned extermination of utterly defenceless men, women and children with the civilian casualties of a brutal urban war waged against an enemy that systematically uses its own population as human shields.

Yet Adams, in what he presents as his response, did not address a single one of those contentions. Instead, he cast himself as the target of an ad hominem attack — an assault on his character rather than a challenge to his statements.

That manoeuvre would simply be hackneyed were it not as shop-soiled as the argumentative sleights on which his initial tweet relied. For well over 70 years — ever since the Stalinist witch-trials of the early post-war period, when Czech communist leader Rudolf Slánský, hanged in 1952, confessed that he and other Jews had deliberately sought to intimidate Zionism’s opponents by calling them anti-Semites — Israel’s critics have relied time and again on the same device: to recast any scrutiny as a spurious charge against them of anti-Semitism and thereby avoid engaging with the substance.

The trick has its own kind of low cunning. In pretending to repel an unjustified ad hominem smear, its practitioners launch one themselves, impugning both their critics' logic and their integrity while posturing as the wronged party.

But the reason the ploy is now ubiquitous is not merely that it is a cheap get-out-of-jail card; it endures because it perfectly mirrors the ethos gutting serious debate on issues ranging from Gaza to Indigenous policy, multiculturalism and transgender rights.

That ethos spurns the politics of reason in favour of the politics of position. Every disagreement is reimagined as a confrontation between self-proclaimed victims ∼ whose asserted victimhood confers moral superiority ∼ and morally tainted perpetrators. Arguments no longer concern propositions but identities; disputes cease to be disagreements and become existential struggles.

We saw that logic on full display only days ago in the proceedings pitting Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi against Pauline Hanson, where Senator Faruqi’s barrister, Jessie Taylor, characterised Senator Hanson’s remarks not just as profoundly offensive but as an assault on Faruqi’s whole identity, in which her Muslimness is integral and indivisible. And as for Hanson herself, her conduct was, Taylor insisted, far worse than a momentary lapse or everyday political mudslinging: it flowed from Hanson’s own hardwired identity, with its ubiquitous and notorious racism, and a hatred and hostility towards outsiders not divided cleanly along the lines of race or religion.

Entirely lost in these battles-to-the-death between identities is one of the Judeo-Christian tradition’s most momentous contributions: the distinction between deploring the sin and damning the sinner.

The ancient Greeks made no such separation, viewing character and conduct as fused and fated. Nor can it be said that medieval or early modern Europe scrupulously observed it, when alleged heretics were routinely put to the sword or stake, their supposed errors inseparable from their very being. But it was precisely by reaffirming and redefining that distinction that the Enlightenment’s most searching thinkers ∼ beginning with Pierre Bayle and John Locke ∼ laid the foundations of modern liberty.

Elegantly synthesised in the mid-19th century by Orestes Brownson’s apothegm that Error has no rights but the man who errs retains every right, including the right to err, their core contention was that while attacking individuals on account of their ideas offends human dignity and is more likely to suppress than advance the truth, critiquing ideas is not just a right but a duty.

It is no accident that the emergence of this contention coincided ∼ indeed, for the first time since Aristotle ∼ with sustained efforts to distinguish valid from invalid forms of argumentation, so that the untrammelled right to debate dogmas, ideas and opinions would allow the truth to shine.

That was the context in which ad hominem arguments came to be viewed as fallacious, for they breached what John Stuart Mill called the real morality of public discussion.

That morality not only demands the avoidance of vituperative language but also rejects the intellectual cowardice and want of candour involved in using attacks on a speaker’s person to avoid answering the substance of what that speaker said.

But Adams’s tweet, which claimed that I had called him anti-Semitic, did more than that. It exemplified the prevailing tactic of fleeing the argument and instead rousing one’s rusted-on supporters. In ancient Rome, upper-class men could rally gangs of roughs to intimidate critics and opponents; today, the gangs are mustered in X’s rigidly segregated echo chambers.

That so few of those who saw Adams’s post will have read my article ∼ and so many instinctively despise anyone routinely branded a Zio ∼ is exactly what gives the tactic its devastating effectiveness.

That effectiveness, however, compounds the harm it causes. Bayle put the danger with characteristic clarity: This is the surest means of having no longer any common principle of reasoning, and of reducing (argument) to the laws of the strongest, and to these ridiculous maxims: this is very good when I do it, but when another does the same, it is a detestable action.

In writing those words, Bayle well understood what had destroyed the Roman republic. The proliferation of invective ∼ the rabid, undisciplined tone Cicero deplored ∼ fostered a war of reputations that mirrored a deeper crisis of legitimacy. With formal procedures losing authority, political struggle shifted into character destruction, which made compromise impossible.

That not only intensified the conflict. As German historian Christian Meier showed, it also prevented the contenders from sensibly discussing, much less agreeing upon, any path forward. The collapse of public reason produced a crisis without a solution, condemning the republic to its eventual demise.

What the fate of our own polity ∼ and, more broadly, of the West, which suffers the same ailments ∼ will be remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: a civic culture that abandons the discipline of public reason abandons itself. That is why Adams and those who deploy similar tactics, must be held to account.

And that is why Adams should now do what intellectual honesty requires: address the arguments or apologise for his appalling tweets.