Live article connection interrupted. Please refresh your browser - Sydney Morning Herald

9:01am: Cricket. C'mon Fitzy, stop sitting on the fence and tell us what you really think.

8:57am Jon Tuxworth: League. Canberra Raiders star Josh Dugan faces possible sanctions after admitting to management on Monday that he had breached the club's strict alcohol policy for injured players.

A Raiders official said on Monday night that Dugan and team-mate Blake Ferguson had confirmed to the the club they had been drinking.

8:53am Chris Barrett: Cricket. It wasn't by coincidence that Mickey Arthur described Monday's stunning development in India as Australia's ''Kevin Pietersen'' moment.

The standing down of four squad members - including the vice-captain Shane Watson - is the head coach's undeniable statement that enough is enough. It has already echoed around the cricket world.

8:50am: Cricket. No surprises that Shane Warne took to Twitter about the situation with the Australian cricket team.

8:47am Paul Suttor: Cricket. The players stuffed up by not showing commitment when they didn't fulfil their duty by making their presentation but dumping them from a Test is both an over-reaction and a luxury this Australian team cannot afford.

Make them do laps, sweep out the sheds, fine them or make them stand in front of their teammates and explain why they couldn't be bothered to complete what seems to be a simple task. But axing them will divide the dressing room and also mean some out-of-form players will receive an ill-deserved Test cap.

8:42am: Cricket. What do you think of the axing of the four players from the Test squad?

Poll: Did Mickey Arthur and Michael Clarke make the right decision in standing down Shane Watson, James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja for failing to do their 'homework'?

Yes - it's not as if they were asked to write an essay about the meaning of the madeleine cake in Rememberance Of Things Past

33%

No - it's modern management gone mad. How many assignments did Thommo ever complete?

67%

Total votes: 136.

Would you like to vote?

You will need Cookies enabled to use our Voting Feature.

Poll closes in 15 hours.

Disclaimer:

These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinion only of visitors who have chosen to participate.

8:40am Glenn Jackson: League. Asked what he would offer to the debutant Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter, the 658-match veteran Wayne Bennett, thought for a moment, smiled slightly and uttered: "Welcome."

Bennett's Newcastle Knights had dished up a lesson for Potter's Tigers, and the newcomer to the premiership was scratching for positives.

Today's back page of the Sydney Morning Herald.

8:37am: Here's today back page. Chris Barrett reported on the axing of the four players from the Australian cricket squad , while Michael Chammas had the story about how Shane Flanagan is still playing an active role in coaching the Sharks.

8:32am Ben Coady: Welcome to SportsDay Live. Most of us have handed in our homework (unlike Shane Watson, James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja), although we’re waiting for Chris Roots’s long division assignment. We’ll be keeping up to date with reaction to the axing of the four cricketers, plus all the news that happens in sport.