Sportsday - Thursday's news as it happened

Well, we came in to work this morning thinking it might be a bit on the quiet side. We were wrong. Big-time.

A lot has happened, here are a few of the headlines:

Football: Fifa says the English FA "harmed Fifa's image" during the bidding process for the 2018 World Cup. The man behind that report into corruption then criticises Fifa for "misrepresentations and inaccuracies". FA boss Greg Dyke later says the report "has been pointless".

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Cricket: India batsman Rohit Sharma becomes the first man to hit 250 in a one-day international. He scores 264 against Sri Lanka.

Football: David Moyes says his Manchester United experience is behind him as he prepares for the "biggest challenge of my career" at Real Sociedad.

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Tennis: Kei Nishikori fought back to beat David Ferrer in three sets at the ATP Tour World Final; Andy Murray is on court against Roger Federer at 8pm.

Rugby union: England head coach Stuart Lancaster makes one change to his England side, with 20-year-old winger Anthony Watson selected to face South Africa on Saturday.

Former British and European lightweight champion John Murray has been forced to retire at the age of 29 because of a serious eye injury that could lead to blindness.

The 29-year-old from Manchester, who won 33 of his 36 professional bouts, has had two operations for a detached retina.

Murray challenged for the vacant WBA world title in 2011, but was beaten by Brandon Rios in New York.

Ross Barkley has dismissed "natural" comparisons with Wayne Rooney and says he should be judged on his own merits.

The Everton midfielder has been named in the England squad for Saturday's Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia and Tuesday's friendly with Scotland after recovering from a knee injury.

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Barkley, 20, told BBC Sport: ""It's natural for the media to compare us because we came through the Everton youth ranks and are both playing for England, but I don't like all the comparisons.

"I just see myself being the player I am."

Crystal Palace defender Paddy McCarthyhas rejoined Sheffield United on loan until 28 December.

The 31-year-old played five games for the Blades, scoring once, during a spell at Bramall Lane earlier this season.

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West Ham striker Andy Carroll played his first 90 minutes of the season today and scored a goal to mark the occasion.

The striker tore ligaments in his ankle during the pre-season. He made his comeback at the weekend when he came on as a late substitute against Aston Villa.

Carroll played for a West Ham XI today that drew 3-3 with Fulham in a behind-closed-doors game and, reports the Hammers official website, netted from close range.

British middleweight Anthony Ogogo believes he can build a fanbase similar to that of Ricky Hatton's at his peak.

More than 25,000 Brits travelled to Las Vegas in 2009 to see Hatton's light welterweight loss to Manny Pacquiao. And 25-year-old Ogogo, who is managed by 10-time champion Oscar De La Hoya, believes he can also make an impact.

"If we built it properly I don't see why I can't become the next Ricky Hatton, so to speak," Lowestoft's Ogogo told BBC Radio Suffolk.

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Big news in the Liverpool Echo - Reds defender Jose Enrique has "revisited Knowsley Safari for more animal selfies".

That's right, the Liverpool player has been round the park taking pictures of himself with lions and all sorts of other wildlife and posting them on his Twitter site.

Well, it's one way to pass a Thursday.

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David Moyes, settling in to life as manager of Real Sociedad, says his chastening experience in charge at Manchester United is "already behind me".

He told Sky Sports News: "Everybody can see United was a job that was going to take longer to fix than everybody thought. It is important they give Louis van Gaal time to do the job that's needed."He added: "After my last job I want to make sure that I come out here and show everybody what David Moyes is capable of."

The Scot also revealed he starts learning Spanish on Monday.

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A Kensington Palace spokesman say they will be saying nothing about the Fifa criticism of the England FA bid for the 2018 World Cup.

Prince William is resident of the FA. In 2010, he joined the England bid team in Zurich and met FIFA delegates privately and attended the presentation and the announcement of the winner.

At the time, the prince said he was "immensely proud" to have been part of it.

Former Leeds and Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has been unveiled to the media following his appointment as manager of League Two side Burton Albion.

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"I was very determined to get the job because of the club, the chairman and history of the club and what they stand for," Hasselbaink said. "Alex Ferguson always said chose your chairman carefully.

"I am winner and I want to give that to my players. There is already a winning mentality here."

Hasselbaink becomes the third black manager in either the Premier or Football Leagues. Asked about the issue, he told the BBC he was simply the best man for the job.

We've typed the word Fifa so often we are in danger of getting repetitive strain injury. But it's the big story of the day, so what can one do?

The latest development is that FA chairman Greg Dyke has called Fifa's report into World Cup corruption as pointless and 'a joke'.

He made his comments after the man who investigated claims of wrongdoing - American lawyer Michael Garcia - said the report was "erroneous".

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"It has undermined the whole process," Dyke told BBC Sport, adding that it now looked 'pretty ugly for Fifa'.

The report cleared Russia and Qatar of corruption allegations but criticised the FA for flouting bid rules.

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The evergreen Miguel Angel Jimenez, boosted by an unlikely eagle two at his first hole, snatched the first-round lead in the $7 million Turkish Airlines Open with a blistering nine-under-par 63.

The 50-year-old Spaniard, puffing his trademark cigar as he strolled around the course, came within a stroke of tying the course record at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal as he moved one ahead of Ian Poulter.

A further shot adrift on 65 are Australian Wade Ormsby, Brendon de Jonge of Zimbabwe and Britain's Tyrrell Hatton

Bristol Rovers manager Darrell Clarke says he cannot understand why some fans are being "negative" towards the club.

A fan boarded the team bus to confront players and staff after Tuesday's 0-0 draw at Alfreton, which left Rovers - relegated from the Football League last season - fourth in the Conference.

"It feels like it's us against the world," he told BBC Radio Bristol. "When a fan wants to get on a bus at the end of an away draw and wants to have a go at my players, and my assistant is having to calm the fan down, it's a bit of a disgrace."

As we touched on earlier (08:25), Chelsea have now confirmed a profit of £18.4 million and a record turnover of £319.8 million for the year ended 30 June 2014.

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This is the second profit in three years and, the Chelsea website reports, the largest since Roman Abramovich became owner of the club in 2003

It is not just QPR who have been charged by the FA today.

So have Sunderland, charged for "failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion" against Everton on Saturday, following the decision to award the Toffees a 76th minute penalty in the 1-1 draw between the clubs.

What a day it has been. Here are the main headlines...

Football: Fifa says the English FA "harmed Fifa's image" during the bidding process for the 2018 World Cup. The man behind that report into corruption then criticises Fifa for "misrepresentations and inaccuracies". FA boss Greg Dyke then adds that the report "has been pointless".

Cricket: India batsman Rohit Sharma becomes the first man to hit 250 in a one-day international. He scores 264 against Sri Lanka.

Horse racing: An investigation has found the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby has been run over the wrong distance for five years.

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Rugby union: Scotland head coach Vern Cotter has opted for the same starting line-up that beat Argentina for Saturday's Test against New Zealand.

Charlton striker Joe Pigott and Peterborough keeper Joe Day will not extend their loan deals at Newport County at the end of the month.

Burton Albion goalkeeper Dean Lyness has been taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg sustained in training.

QPR have been charged by the Football Association with failing to control their players during the 2-2 draw against Manchester City on Saturday.

Rangers players were incensed when referee Mike Riley denied striker Charlie Austin two goals in the eighth minute - the first for offside and the second for an infringement by City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

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An FA statement read: "It is alleged that the club failed to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion."

QPR have until 18:00 GMT on 17 November to respond to the charge.

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Bad news for Scotland. Midfielder James McArthur has been ruled out of Friday's match against the Republic of Ireland because of an injury.

One last snippet from Spain, where David Moyes is speaking about the challenge of taking over at Real Sociedad.

"I believe this is the biggest challenge of my career," said the Scot. "It is an opportunity to show that British managers can work abroad.

"I'm always beating the drum about making sure there are British managers going to other countries so hopefully I'm the first of many. If I can come here and succeed then maybe it will make it easier for other managers to come and do the same.

"I'm well rested. I've had six months off and I'm raring to go. The confidence the president has given me has been great and I'm looking forward to showing him what I can do."

Kei Nishikori has seen off Spaniard David Ferrer at the ATP World Tour Finals and now faces a nervous wait to see if he will qualify for the semi-finals.

The fate of Nishikori, who beat Ferrer 4-6 6-4 6-1, depends on the outcome of tonight's match between Andy Murray and Roger Federer.

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If Federer, who is already through to the last four, beats Murray, Nishikori will finish runner-up in the group.

US Open finalist Nishikori would also qualify in second place if Murray beats Federer in three sets, but he will be eliminated if the Scot wins in straight sets.

David Moyes, sacked by Manchester United in April, says he never had any doubts about his own ability and claims he was offered lots of jobs in the Premier League.

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"I've had several offers to manage back in the Premier League, and spoken to several clubs in several countries, but the only club that has tugged at the heartstrings is Sociedad," he said.

"La Liga is the best league in the world, it has overtaken the Premier League because of the quality of the teams and players."

Asked which Premier League clubs offered him jobs, Moyes said: "I can't tell you that, that's not my style."

David Moyes, for so long a fixture in English football, is starting a new life in Spain as boss of La Liga side Real Sociedad.

The former Everton and Manchester United boss has just faced the media for the first time and said it was the Spanish club's president, Jokin Aperribay, who convinced him to take the job.

"He was fantastically passionate about the club, how special it was, and his love for the club was the thing that pulled me," said Moyes, looking relaxed and happy in his new surroundings.

"Also it has always been an ambition of mine to work abroad. As a coach, to feel fulfilled, you need to work in different cultures."

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Former Northants and Surrey all-rounder Matt Spriegel has retired at the age of 27.

He was released by Northants at the end of last season. Since making his debut for Surrey in 2007, he scored 4,098 runs across all formats in the county game.

More from Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan on his decision to sack Uwe Rosler.

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"All the fans want to see is Wigan Athletic playing good football and they would love us to be back in the Premier League," Whelan tells Sky Sports News.

"It has been an awful day. I made the decision yesterday and gave great thought to it. I regard him as a gentleman and a good football manager and I have to lose him."

Asked if Whelan should remain as chairman, the 77-year-old answered: "I ask myself if I'm getting too old and if I'm the man who can take Wigan forward. Am I getting too old? Yes. Have I lost my love or knowledge of football? No. I love Wigan.

"It has been a difficult day, but I feel it's in the best interests of the club."

Bristol City have recalled midfielder Bobby Reid from his loan spell at League Two side Plymouth Argyle.

The 21-year-old was due to stay at Home Park until 29 November, having originally arrived in September, and made seven appearances for Argyle.

Peterborough United have made an approach to take their former striker Aaron Mclean on loan, according to his club Bradford City.

The 31-year-old scored 82 goals during four years at Posh, and Bantams boss Phil Parkinson says two League Two clubs have made better financial offers for the forward.

"Obviously Aaron's preference is Peterborough, because it's a higher division and he's played there before," he told BBC Radio Leeds.

The Football Association has fined Blackburn Rovers first-team coach Craig Short and Millwall assistant manager Mark Bircham for improper conduct.

The duo were found guilty of charges issued last week which related to their behaviour during a touchline row in the 2-2 draw at The Den earlier this month.

Short has been fined £2,000, while Bircham has received a £1,000 fine.

Wayne Rooney will go down as one of England's all-time greats, according to team-mate Leighton Baines.

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Rooney will join an illustrious group of players to win 100 caps if he faces Slovenia in Saturday's Euro 2016 qualifier.

"Sometimes it's not until later on that people get the credit they deserve," said Everton left-back Baines.

"Everyone will look back when he's finished and has broken all the records and will acknowledge he has been one of the all-time greats for England."

Colchester United have re-signed Ipswich full-back Elliott Hewitt on a month's loan, while West Ham defender Jamie Harney has joined the League One club until January.

Aston Villa are keen to hang on to skipper Ron Vlaar, which means they might not be too chuffed about comments made by the defender's agent.

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"It is obvious that for Ron, now is the moment to make a nice big move in his career," said Arnold Oosterveer, who represents the 29-year-old.

"Ron is very ambitious. The situation is ideal for Ron right now. I don't want to react to the rumour that he will go to either Arsenal or Manchester United, but Ron is very ambitious."

Vlaar is out of contract at the end of the season and will be allowed to talk to other clubs in January.

Some good news for Andy Murray as his chances of advancing in the ATP Tour Finals have been boosted as Kei Nishikori has lost his first set 6-4 in his match against late replacement David Ferrer.

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Spaniard Ferrer was drafted into the tournament earlier today to replace the injured Milos Raonic. A Ferrer win would mean Murray would advance to the semi-finals if he beats Roger Federer tonight. But a Nishikori victory leaves open all kinds of confusing options (see 12:58).

Follow all the action from London with our live text tennis commentary.

England coach Stuart Lancaster explains why he is handing a first start to Bath's 20-year-old winger Anthony Watson in Saturday's autumn international against South Africa.

"I have had personal knowledge of his development over the last four years and he has performed well for Bath this season," says Lancaster.

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"It was a big step for a 20-year-old to take the field as a replacement against New Zealand. Hopefully in seven or eight years' time he will have 60 or so caps."

Watson replaces injured Bath team-mate Semesa Rokodunguni.

Organisers have hailed the 2014 Four Nations an "outstanding success" with record-breaking crowds.

The tournament, which concludes with the final between Australia and New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday, has already set the highest aggregate attendance for the group stages of 119,603, beating the previous best of 101,207 in the 2010 event.

England failed to make the final after narrow defeats by Australia and New Zealand.

We asked for #greatsportingrecords and here is another one.

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Rory Zachilroy: Rafael Nadal's 66-1 Win/loss record at Roland Garros (French Open). Astonishing in this era of tennis.

Poor old Alan Pardew. Five wins on the bounce and he still hasn't won over the Newcastle fans.

The sackpardew.com group, which is calling for the removal of the manager, has told the BBC its stance has not been altered by the team's recent resurgence.

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A 2-0 win at West Brom on Sunday moved the Magpies up to eighth in the Premier League. But prior to that Newcastle had won just five games in the whole of 2014.

"A good run of results will not alter our position. Our stance remains the same," a spokesman for the group said.

A few more to mull over.

1963: Sporting Lisbon set a new record for the highest score in one of the major European club competitions when they beat APOEL Nicosia 16-1 in the first round of the European Cup Winners' Cup.

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1992: Evander Holyfield lost his world heavyweight title to Riddick Bowe in Las Vegas after two years as champion.

1997: Ron Atkinson returned as manager of struggling Sheffield Wednesday. He managed to keep the Owls in the Premier League but stepped down at the end of the season to be replaced by Danny Wilson.

2006: Luton manager Mike Newell apologised to assistant referee Amy Rayner after describing her appearance at the 3-2 defeat by QPR as "tokenism for the politically-correct idiots".

Now we're sure you already know this but today is pretty special in the history of rugby league.

It was on 13 November, 1954, that Great Britain won the first rugby league World Cup, defeating France 16-12 in Paris.

There were only four nations involved and GB won a very fancy-looking trophy, donated by the French, which was worth eight million francs.

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Kei Nishikori versus supersub David Ferrer - in for the injured Milos Raonic - is under way at the ATP World Tour Finals in London.

It is going with serve at the moment and, remember, this is an important game for Andy Murray.

We'll spare you all the mathematics but, put simply, a Nishikori defeat would improve Murray's chancing of making the semi-final stage. However, the British number one has the small task of taking on Roger Federer later.

Live coverage of Nishikori-Ferrer is on the BBC Sport website here and on BBC Two. The Murray match starts at 8pm.

Mauro Zarate has taken to Twitter to deny reports that he wants out of West Ham.

The Argentine striker said: "According to recent news articles I would like to inform that I have no agent and I never said that I wanted to leave West Ham.

"If that were to happen it would be because of a joint decision between the club and myself.

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"The most important thing is that West Ham will keep progressing. The manager is doing a great job and has my full support."

Zarate, who joined on a free in the summer, last played for the Hammers on 5 October in a 2-0 win over QPR.

An investigation has found the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby has been run over the wrong distance for five years.

Instead of the official three miles and 'about' one furlong, it has been staged over 78 yards too short, and the start will now be moved.

Menorah won this year's contest, one of the big early races of the jump racing season, on 1 November.

Denmark has dropped out of the battle to host the 2022 Ryder Cup, leaving six European nations in the running.

Austria, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey have all announced their intention to submit a formal bid.

Remember that World Cup semi-final when Brazil were humiliated 7-1 by Germany, a thumping so comprehensive that it was difficult not to feel sorry for the host nation?

Well, good news. Brazil have bounced back and after last night's 4-0 friendly win in Turkey they are today being hailed by a media who so recently savaged them.

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Neymar scored twice in Turkey in what was a fifth straight win since their World Cup exit.

"Brazil whip Turkey and maintain Dunga's 100 percent record," said Brazilian paper Correio Braziliense, while Estado de Sao Paulo noted: "Neymar given standing ovation by Turks."

Happy days are here again.

Gordon Strachan: "If you take Gibraltar out, there has just been one goal in every game in our (Euro qualifier) group. That's how tight this group is.

"The sides know each other very well. There is nobody that will surprise us in the game because of the video analysis you can do now. It may just come down to a bit of bad or good luck, I hope not, I hope the winner is the team who performs best.

"I can only ask the players to perform. We have done that in three games."

Strachan added: "You should wait and see how the group looks when the teams have played each other once, and then that will give you a better idea of how things stand."

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Gordon Strachan: "I am looking forward to it, everybody is. The fans, the media… it has all built up and this is a hot game now.

"We want to turn Celtic Park into the home of Scottish football. You will know full well you are in Scotland tomorrow, that's for sure. They are coming into our territory."

Scotland manager Gordon Strachan is speaking to the media ahead of Friday's Euro 2016 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland.

He began by apologising for being late. "On the upside, I had a nice dinner, though," he said.

When you are captain, your place in the team is usually pretty secure.

Not so, it seems, at Crawley Town.

The League One club have appointed Joe Walsh as their new club captain, after transfer-listing former skipper Josh Simpson.

Simpson, who has scored 13 goals in 162 appearances for the Reds, is one of five players to be made available for loan or transfer by boss John Gregory.

It is a busy day, but remember we're still asking for #greatsportingrecords after Rohit Sharma's innings of 264 in India's one-day international against Sri Lanka. Here are some more of your memories.

Paul: Huddersfield Town's longest unbeaten league run 43 games in 2011.

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Andrew Priestley: Michael Phelps' record of 22 Olympic medals, 18 of them Golds. Not to mention 33 World Championship medals, 26 Golds.

The Fifa report - you know the one, we've mentioned it quite a bit today - said the Russian team hired computers that were subsequently destroyed, denying the inquiry access to email accounts.

But chief of Russia's 2018 World Cup organising committee, Alexey Sorokin, insists the country has nothing to hide.

"We were always confident that there could be nothing which would come out from this investigation," he told Sky Sports News. "It's something FIFA deemed important to do. We complied. What more can we do?

"There were no deleted emails. We rented the equipment, we had to give it back then it went - we don't even know where it went - to some sports schools so quite naturally other people used it."

A couple of footie titbits for you.

Bristol City recall midfielder Bobby Reid from loan at Plymouth Argyle, while Oscar Gobern has returned to Huddersfield following a spell on loan at Chesterfield.

Just in case you've been hiding under a rock all morning, Fifa has issued a report criticising the English FA, but since then the author of the report has criticised Fifa's representation of it.

Clive Efford MP, Labour's Shadow Minister for Sport, has become the latest to respond to the saga.

"Fifa has no choice but to publish Michael Garcia's report in full, if it expects anyone to believe their claims that that there has been no cover up over allegations of corruption in the World Cup bidding process," said Efford.

"Our FA has been accused of wrongdoing regarding its bid for the 2018 tournament in the conclusions published by the Fifa Ethics committee, but these have been attacked by Michael Garcia for being 'incomplete and erroneous in its representations of the facts.'

"The FA will only be able to defend itself if it is given full access to the report."

BBC horse racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght on the disqualification of The Young Master.

"The disqualification is understandable and correct; the responsibility of trainers when it comes to race entries are very clear.

"There is a big 'however' here too because the Authority is having it both ways.

"On the one hand, it's saying the horse shouldn't have run, so is thrown out, but on the other the performance is still being taken into account when assessing The Young Master's future weights. That, plus a fine, looks like kicking a man when he's down."

Wincanton winner The Young Master has been disqualified and his trainer Neil Mulholland fined £250 after a British Horseracing Authority (BHA) inquiry.

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The horse was found not to have been qualified after a seven-length victory in Saturday's Badger Ales Trophy.

The BHA objected to the result as entries should have run three times previously over fences but the winner had only done so twice.

One further line from Mesut Ozil's injury is that the German FA first said the midfielder would be out for 12 weeks. Arsene Wenger then disputed that by saying he could be back within six weeks.

But it turns out the Germans were right all along.

So we told you that David Ferrer has replaced Milos Raonic in the ATP World Tour Finals. So what does that mean for the competition? Who qualifies?

The answer is in this picture. So get your calculators out and prepare to lie down at the end of reading it as you will probably have a headache, but here is the official version.

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Got that? Good stuff.

A little more from FA chairman Greg Dyke.

Asked about the allegation that the Russians deleted emails during the bidding proces, Dyke replied: "Those who cooperate the most and gave them the most information seem to be the ones that have been most criticised. Others who didn't co-operate didn't get criticised at all. Now there's a surprise.

"I don't think anyone will accuse the (English) FA of anything other than behaving properly."

Asked if England would bid to stage another World Cup, Dyke replied: "Never say never but under present leadership we won't be."

Greg Dyke has given his reaction to Fifa's criticisms of the English FA during the bidding process of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

"I'm less worried about what it says about the FA than the whole thing and it doesn't seem to add anything to what we already knew," Dyke, chairman of the FA, told Sky Sports News.

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"I still don't understand why the 2022 World Cup was given to Qatar when Fifa's own technical committee said it would be high risk.

"I'm pretty certain the tournament won't be held in the summer. Isn't that an odd decision? The Qatar bid was advertised as for the summer of 2022. The people who won it can't play in the summer of 2022, yet they still won."

Some breaking news from the ATP World Tour Finals as Milos Raonic has withdrawn from the remainder of the competition in London with a "low-grade tear in his quad".

David Ferrer will replace him in today's match against Kei Nishikori.

Adam Lallana says he has been "trying a bit too hard" to catch the eye since his move to Liverpool.

The attacking midfielder joined the Reds for £25m in the summer and has scored one goal in 12 appearances so far.

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"I always knew it was going to be difficult settling in," he told the club's website. "I was so desperate to do well, maybe trying a bit too hard to impress, not doing things that I'd normally do.

"Gradually, the more I've played, my form has improved and I'm getting closer to the levels I was at last season for Southampton. There's still an improvement to be made but I'm getting there."

TeamV Kishan Patel: Sachin Tendulkar becoming the first player in ODI cricket to make it pass the 200 mark #original #first #legend.

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Alex Derham: Wimbledon 2010. Isner-Mahut tie break. Epic!

American John Isner outlasted Frenchman Nicolas Mahut to win 6-4 3-6 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-3) 70-68 in the longest match in history, taking 11 hours and five minutes over three days.

Keep tweeting us your suggestions.

More reaction to the Fifa report criticising England.

Britain's Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce said he hoped lessons had been learned from the chain of events that led to Fifa's report.

"The findings would appear to confirm that no further action should be taken on the decisions that had been made by FIFA in respect of the awarding of the World Cups for 2018 and 2022," he said.

"The people charged with issuing this report, Michael Garcia and Hans-Joachim Eckert, are people of the highest professional integrity and following their extensive investigations I feel it is now very important that people should concentrate solely on the wonderful occasion that the World Cup provides to the many millions of people who enjoy our game."

Wonder if he'll change his mind when he hears Garcia's comments about his report being 'misrepresented' and 'incomplete'?

An incredible twist to the World Cup story, which saw England's 2018 bid criticised as "harming Fifa's image".

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Michael Garcia, the man who investigated and compiled the original report, has said it has been misrepresented by Fifa and is incomplete.

"It contains numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations of the facts and conclusions," says Garcia.

So, in simple terms, it means that a Fifa official who compiled the report, is now criticising Fifa's report. Shambles.

Scotland have named an unchanged side for Saturday's visit of world champions New Zealand to Murrayfield.

Head coach Vern Cotter has kept faith with the 15 that started the impressive 41-31 win over Argentina last weekend.

It means that all five of the match-winning try-scorers - locks Jonny and Richie Gray and back-three trio Stuart Hogg, Sean Maitland and Tommy Seymour - earn a return to the fold.

The match starts at 5.30pm on Saturday and is live on BBC Two, Radio 5 live sports extra and the BBC Sport website.

The man responsible for hitting the highest ever one-day score looks as fresh as a daisy as he gives an interview immediately after his wonder innings of 264.

"I am not really tired because I have just had a two month break," says Rohit Sharma. "I was ready to bat another 50 overs.

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"Once I got to 50 I knew that I had to convert because it was a god batting wicket. We wanted to get a big score and that made me want to stay there as long as possible."

Here's a stat for you which puts Sharma's score into perspective ... his 264 is 18 runs more than the average total by teams batting first in one-day internationals this decade.

India's 404, by the way, was just 14 runs short of their highest ever one-day score of 418.

Our discussion point is turning more than a Shane Warne googly today. Right, we are moving from a very serious subject of Fifa and World Cup corruption, and to a less serious one of the great sporting records of all time.

We have been inspired by Rohit Sharma's incredible 264, and we want those 'wow' moments in sport.

Tweet us on #greatsportingrecords or leave a message on the BBC Sport Facebook page.

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No wonder Keegan Brown looks so pleased. The World Youth Champion defeated five-times world champion Raymond van Barneveld last night to reach the last eight of the Grand Slam of Darts.

Brown, 22, works as a medical lab assistant at a hospital in the Isle of Wight and has taken holiday to compete in Wolverhampton.

"Van Barneveld is probably the second greatest player ever behind Phil Taylor. I'm absolutely over the moon," Brown told BBC Radio Solent.

There are four more second-round ties this evening, with defending Grand Slam champion Phil Taylor and reigning BDO world champion Stephen Bunting among the players in action.

BBC Essex tweet: Southend assistant manager Dave Penney tells @BBCEssex that Blues remain positive despite one win in seven games.

India batsman Yuvraj Singh, talking about Rohit Sharma's incredible innings of 264, writes on Twitter: @ImRo45 u beauty! Amazing to watch such control of batting! Great knock brothaman.

That's it, it's all over, and Rohit Sharma is the toast not just of India but the world.

The batsman has just clattered his way into the record books, smacking a sensational 264 off 172 balls - the highest ever individual score in one-day cricket and way ahead of the previous best, 219 by Sharma's fellow Indian Virender Sehwag.

He holed out off the final ball of India's innings and, as you'd expect, was given a huge reception as he walked off the field.

India have finished on a whopping 404-5 against Sri Lanka, who have yet to bat and - if they didn't already know it - are distinctly second-favourites to win this game.

All hail Sharma - what a performance and a record that is surely to stand for many years to come.

Not only can you watch loads of great content on this site, you can also download the latest BBC Radio 5 live podcast.

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Mark Pougatch rounds up the latest football news, starting with the latest on Ched Evans and Sheffield United.

Plus, Stewart Downing speaks about his first international call up for nearly two-and-a-half years before England v Slovenia and Phil Neville discusses Wayne Rooney, David Moyes and Salford FC.

India's Rohit Sharma is playing the most astonishing one-day innings you will ever see.

He's hitting every ball bowled to him for runs. The Sri Lankan bowlers do not have a clue what to do.

Sharma is way beyond the previous best ever ODI score of 219, set by fellow Indian Virender Sehwag, and has just moved to 250 not out.

Astonishing. The fist man ever to get to 250 in a one day international.

Cricket fans listen up. One of the best one-day international batting performances of all time is happeningat the moment.

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India's Rohit Sharma has blasted 227 from 160 balls against Sri Lanka - that is the highest ever score in one-day cricket. Ever. What a guy. He replaces Virender Sehwag as the record-holder - Sehweg only got a paltry 219.

And Sharma is still going strong. We'll let you know how many he gets...

India, meanwhile, are a mammoth 362-4 and they still have three overs of their innings left.

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Time to take a break from the hard slog at work and enjoy these cracking videos. Go on, treat yourselves.

Gymnastics: Feeling flexible? Well, watch the head-spinning incredible routine that won Rachael Letsche the World Tumbling Championship. The hamstrings and knees of mere mortals are sore just watching it.

Tennis: World number one Novak Djokovic wants the ATP World Tour Finals to move from London in order to "promote" tennis in other areas of the world.

Rowing: Olympic champion Katherine Grainger tells BBC Sport why she is preparing to compete again after a two-year break.

Cricket: Former India captain Sachin Tendulkar tells BBC Radio 5 live that Test cricket remains the "main course", despite the growing popularity of shorter forms of the game.

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To misquote Elton John, sorry seems to be the easiest word to say for Kidderminster Harriers' Jared Hodgkiss.

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The defender was sent off versus Aldershot in the Conference but instead of going back to the dressing room, he went to BBC Hereford & Worcester's commentary team to apologise for the red card.

"I just want to say sorry to the fans, the players and staff," said Hodgkiss. "It was a little error in positioning, I've pulled at his shirt half-heartedly, the lad's made the most of it and I've seen red."

The three players who could prevent Rory McIlroy being crowned European number one for the second time in two years made good starts in the Turkish Airlines Open today.

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Jamie Donaldson, Sergio Garcia and Marcel Siem can still overtake McIlroy at the top of the Race to Dubai, but only if they win both in Turkey and next week's season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

Siem and Donaldson are on two under par, while Garcia is one under.

Scotland's Marc Warren is setting the early pace on four under after four birdies in his first six holes.

In response to the Roy Keane incident, Ireland boss Martin O'Neill has recorded a video statement in the last few minute, making it clear he is backing his assistant.

"The FAI and I have been fully briefed about the circumstances of what happened at the team hotel. Roy asked that the Garda be called and he notified them of what happened," said O'Neill.

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"While this process is ongoing, we are unable to say more at this point.

"However, I can say that having been made aware of the facts, Roy has both my full support and the full support of the FAI."

There are some angry people out there today. And that anger is aimed at Fifa and Sepp Blatter. Here are some more of your Twitter comments.

Matt Claypole: Barely believable. Fifa wipe their own slate 'clean' and have a go at the English FA. Trying to change the subject, eh Fifa?

James Brandon: Fifa accusing the English FA is like a teacher blaming the loudest kid for them being a bad teacher.

Richard Woods: Basically there is no point in England ever bidding again for a World Cup. Until there is a changing of the guard at Fifa.

Missed anything today? Right, here is a recap for the main stories at 11:00 GMT.

Football: A Fifa report clears Qatar of corruption in the 2022 World Cup bidding process but is critical of the English FA.

Tennis: Roger Federer expects Andy Murray to be boosted by his recent form when they meet in the ATP World Tour Finals in London on Thursday.

Rugby union: The Rugby Football Union is investigating alleged homophobic and racial abuse of referee Nigel Owens during England's loss to New Zealand.

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Squash: British three-time world champion Nick Matthew is "past his best", says a title rival.

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It's been a busy old morning so far and one thing we've yet to bring you is the news of an incident at the Republic of Ireland team hotel last night involving assistant manager Roy Keane.

Police were called following what is understood to be an incident between Keane and a member of the public in the hotel's reception area.

The Ireland team are staying at the hotel ahead of tomorrow's Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland at Celtic Park.

Full story here on the BBC Sport website.

What's that Carlisle fans? "What about my team?" Well, here you go.

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BBC Cumbria Sport on Twitter: Keith Curle confirms Steven Rigg, Danny Grainger and Dan Hanford have accepted new deals. Patrick Brough, Brad Potts, Kyle Dempsey and Mark Beck still considering contract offers. No plans to extend Georg Iliev's loan from Bolton after this weekend.

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Today's front page of Spanish sports newspaper Marca says Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho "is going all out" to sign Borussia Dortmund and Germany attacking midfielder Marco Reus.

However, the newspaper adds that Real Madrid have agreed a "first refusal option" if the 25-year-old leaves the Bundesliga club.

After being accused today of "harming Fifa's image" during the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup, the FA has responded in strong fashion.

In a statement released to the media, the FA says: "We do not accept any criticism regarding the integrity of England's bid or any of the individuals involved.

"We conducted a transparent bid and, as the report demonstrates with its reference to the England bid team's 'full and valuable cooperation', willingly complied with the investigation.

"We maintain that transparency and cooperation around this entire process from all involved is crucial to its credibility."

What with all these Fifa shenanigans, it's easy to forget that Andy Murray has a rather big tennis match tonight.

He takes on Roger Federer at the ATP World Tour Finals in London, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.

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"Hopefully I can stay as relaxed as I've felt all week," said Murray, who was impressive in beating Milos Raonic last time out.

Murray-Federer starts at 8pm. There is live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and coverage on 5 live sports extra.

So Stuart Lancaster's England team in full then...

15-Mike Brown, 14-Anthony Watson, 13-Brad Barritt, 12-Kyle Eastmond, 11-Jonny May, 10-Owen Farrell, 9-Danny Care, 8-Billy Vunipola, 7-Chris Robshaw (captain), 6-Tom Wood, 5-Courtney Lawes, 4-Dave Attwood, 3-Dave Wilson, 2-Dylan Hartley, 1-Joe Marler

Replacements: 16-Robert Webber, 17-Matt Mullan, 18-Kieran Brookes, 19-George Kruis, 20-Ben Morgan, 21-Ben Youngs, 22-George Ford, 23-Marland Yarde

England v South Africa kicks off at Twickenham on Saturday at 14:30 GMT. Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live, the BBC Sport website and app, and live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app.

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England coach Stuart Lancaster has named his England side to face South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday.

The big news is that winger Anthony Watson will make his first start, after edging Marland Yarde in the fight to replace the injured Semesa Rokoduguni.

That is the only change from the team beaten by New Zealand last week. Second row Courtney Lawes and hooker Dylan Hartley have passed tests for concussion to retain their places.

In case you have just joined us and need a quick recap, the big news this morning is that the English Football Association has been accused of flouting bidding rules in its attempt to stage the 2018 World Cup.

A Fifa report says the FA behaved improperly when trying to win the backing of a key voter.

Qatar faced a number of claims surrounding its bid, but the 2022 hosts have been cleared of corruption allegations.

The full story is now on the BBC website here.

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The Rugby Football Union is investigating alleged homophobic and racial abuse of referee Nigel Owens during England's loss to New Zealand.

The Welsh official, 43, who is the first openly gay man to referee at the highest level, took charge of the Twickenham Test on 8 November.

The RFU was told of the abuse by a supporter who was sitting close to where the alleged incident took place.

"The RFU will take this seriously and deal with it," Owens said.

BBC Humberside Sport on Twitter: #Scunthorpe United are understood to be signing #wbafc midfielder Liam O'Neil on loan as cover for the injured Isaiah Osbourne. #sufc

Asked if the results of the Fifa report were damaging for the English FA, Palios said: "Without doubt it is damaging. Next time they stand up and take the moral high-ground, people will say 'he who is without sin, let him throw the first stone'.

"But I think people will know the FA is one of the Football Associations that tries to do things properly.

"Every organisation knows they can strengthen their governance procedures and if there are lessons to be learned from this, then the FA will learn them."

Mark Palios has just spoken to Radio 5 live about the allegations the English FA "damaged the image of Fifa" in the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

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Palios, the former chief executive of the FA (pictured right with ex-England boss Sven Goran Eriksson), said: "One has to put a bit of perspective around this. When the FA is judged in this they'll be judged against other FAs, who may well not have come under as much scrutiny because they simply haven't given evidence.

"I understand the Russians wiped all their computers.

"I think Fifa will be quite pleased at the embarrassment this has caused the English FA, because the FA has always been seen as a thorn in their side."

Fifa. Your comments. This could get lively. Try not to libel anyone. Thanks.

Kieran James Wyer: It shouldn't be in Qatar anyway, who wants a winter World Cup? Absolutely ruined it

Ted Locke: Did we really expect anything else from a FIFA investigation into itself?

Matt 'wally' Walford: Time for the FA to lead by example and withdraw from FIFA, if that means the England team are pulled from all international competitions and clubs from European competitions then so be it.

Fifa has issued a statement in response to the findings of the investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

"FIFA welcomes the fact that a degree of closure has been reached," the statement says.

"As such, FIFA looks forward to continuing the preparations for Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 which are already well underway.

"Finally, FIFA acknowledges the recommendations mentioned in the statement with regard to improving the bidding process for future FIFA World Cups."

There is no mention of England in the statement.

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Switching to cricket for a moment, England spin bowler James Tredwell has signed a contract extension with Kent prior to departing for the one-day series in Sri Lanka.

The 32-year-old has been with Kent throughout his career, although he had a loan spell with Sussex for Championship cricket in 2014.

Tredwell has played 39 one-dayers and 17 T20 matches for England, and also won a Test cap in Bangladesh in 2010.

He hopes to play in next year's World Cup, but told the Kent website: "I'll take it one series at a time."

To have your say on Fifa's report, tune into Radio 5 live right now.

There's a phone-in all about the subject, with BBC Sport's Richard Conway - who has been following this story from the start - in the studio, bringing you his expert insight.

Right, we are adaptable here at Sportsday towers, so let's have a change of plan with our debate.

Sorry, Wayne, but we are not talking about you now. Give us your reaction to this news from Fifa.

They say, there has been no problem in awarding Qatar the 2022 World Cup, but the suspicious finger of corruption has been pointed firmly in the English FA's direction. Your thoughts? Get involved on Twitter, using #bbcsportsday

Fifa's report says the English bid team tried to win the support of former Fifa vice-president Warner, who is from Trinidad & Tobago, by:

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1. Trying to help "a person of interest to him" find a part-time job in the United Kingdom

2. Letting the Trinidad and Tobago Under-20 squad hold a training camp in the UK in the summer of 2009

3. Sponsoring a gala dinner for the Caribbean Football Union, at a cost of $55,000, around £35,000

More on the big breaking news. The Fifa report into the bidding process to stage the 2018 and 2022 World Cups says the English FA tried to "curry favour" with former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, who quit his role in 2011 amid bribery allegations.

England won just two of 22 votes in their bid to host the 2018 World Cup, with one of those votes coming from England's representative. The 2018 competition will be held in Russia.

Everyone likes a good gossip. Here are some of the rumours from today's newspapers in our gossip column. Don't shoot the messenger.

Chelsea are ready to sign Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale next summer. The Wales international is also a target for Manchester United. (Daily Express)

Ron Vlaar, 29, has given Manchester United and Arsenal fresh hope of signing him after his agent confirmed the defender is likely to leave Aston Villa.(Daily Mirror)

Liverpool are preparing a £30m move for Porto striker Jackson Martinez, 28. (Daily Express)

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Watch what may well be the best catch from a spectator of all time. A New Zealand cricket fan has won nearly £2,500 for making a spectacular one-handed catch, while sliding down a big hill, as he held on to Michael Bracewell's six.

Other videos on the BBC Sport site to enjoy...

Tennis: Watch five of the best shots from Tomas Berdych's 6-3 6-1 victory over Marin Cilic at the ATP Tour World Finals in London.

Formula 1: Exciting moments from some of the most memorable title-deciding races in Formula 1 history.

Football: A sent-off player is clearly unhappy with a TV camera in his dressing room and takes matters into his own hands.

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Is Wayne Rooney an England great? He will win his 100th international cap with his next appearance and is fourth on the list of the country's top goalscorers.

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But will he be remembered as an England great? Why, or why not? Let us know your thoughts. Which players can be called England greats and why?

Get involved on Twitter, using the hashtag #englandgreat, leave a message on the BBC Sport Facebook page or text us on 81111 (UK only).

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The Sun's back page has a story about Tottenham's Eric Dier, who they claim does not want to be picked for England Under-21 duty, as he would have to play in a right-back position.

The newspaper also has a story from Rio Ferdinand, saying England will miss striker Wayne Rooney when he retires. Which leads us nicely into today's first talking point...

Here are a few other stories to take a look at this morning.

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Rugby union: England captain Chris Robshaw says victory over South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday would be a "huge stepping-stone" for his side.

Cricket:Pakistan beat New Zealand by 231 runs in Abu Dhabi to take the first Test of their three-match series.

Tennis: Novak Djokovic produces another scintillating performance to beat Stan Wawrinka at the ATP World Tour Finals.

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Bad news for the rest of the Premier League. As if Chelsea haven't been good enough this season. They are four points clear at the top and other managers like Arsenal's Arsene Wenger have already thrown in the towel, saying no one can stop Jose Mourinho's side.

Well, they are set to get even better. The Daily Express says they are set to announce a £20m profit, which can be spent on improving the team further.

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The Daily Mirror's back page leads off on the 2022 World Cup, calling the decision to clear Qatar 'a whitewash'.

Fifa's report into how Qatar were awarded the 2022 World Cup is expected to be heard at about 09:00 GMT. But what else can we expect today?

Well, we will have all the build-up before the latest Euro 2016 qualifiers with Scotland (11:00) and Wales (14:00) news conferences.

Elsewhere, Stuart Lancaster will name his England rugby side to face South Africa at 09:45, before the latest match in the ATP World Tour Finals at 14:00.

Hello, good morning and hope you are all well on this cold Thursday morning.

So let's start with the 2022 World Cup latest.

Qatar are set to be cleared of corruption during the World Cup bidding process when a Fifa report is published on Thursday, BBC Sport has learned.

It was alleged that Qatar won the staging rights after Fifa officials were paid £3m to support its bid.

It was a decision that stunned the football world.

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When Sepp Blatter pulled the name of Qatar out of an envelope to reveal the 2022 World Cup hosts, no one could believe how they had made that choice.

How could a tiny, but extremely rich nation which has no history of football, no players of note, no stadiums and no success in the sport be allowed to host football's biggest competition?

Foul play was suggested. Corruption was mentioned. But the decision will remain. There is nothing to see. No scandal. Apparently.