Everton's James Tarkowski and wife Samantha made little attempt to hide the truth when asked about their favourite pastime in a new reality series.
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The absence of Rising Pune Supergiant, the runner-up in the last IPL, has given rise to an interesting challenge for the tournament organsiers, who have not yet announced the final schedule for the 2018 edition. The IPL has only said that the tournament will commence on April 7 in Mumbai, which will also host the final on May 27.Usually, the eliminator and the second qualifier are held at the home venue of the runner-up in the previous season. By that token, Pune should be the automatic choice. However, ESPNcricinfo understands that some of the other state associations are lobbying to host those two play-off matches. Lucknow and Kolkata are two venues that have been pushed as potential favourites to replace Pune.In a move to eliminate rival states from staking claim, the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) president Abhay Apte sent an e-mail to the IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla on Monday, requesting that the eliminator and the second qualifier be staged in Pune as per norm.In the two-page letter, Apte noted the MCA request was only valid because the IPL had been following an “unwritten rule” of allotting the tournament opener, the Qualifier 1 and the final to the home venue of the defending champions. “For past several years we are observing a practice, which has become an unwritten rule of playing the first (tournament opener), and Qualifier 1 as well as the final match at the venue of last year’s champions and playing the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 matches at the venue of the runners up team,” Apte said in the e-mail. “Pune IPL team (Supergiant) was the runner-up during the last year’s IPL and of course the home venue was Pune. As such, the venue of the last year’s runners-up of IPL team i.e. MCA’s Gahunje, Pune should be the logical choice to stage the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 matches.”Apte pointed out that “history” could not be changed just because the Supergiant team no longer exists.Pune is also the second choice home venue for the Rajasthan Royals, who are awaiting a final verdict from the Rajasthan High Court on whether matches can be staged at the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur.
Lionel Messi mania at Inter Miami remains in full swing, with the MLS franchise now said to be valued at $1 billion (£787m).
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Argentine icon moved to the States in 2023Made an immediate impact on & off the pitchOnly four MLS teams in the $1 billion clubWHAT HAPPENED?
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner moved to the United States as a free agent in 2023 after reaching the end of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain. Within weeks of his arrival, Inter Miami were celebrating a historic Leagues Cup triumph. They also reached the U.S. Open Cup final before coming unstuck against the Houston Dynamo.
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The Herons were unable to reach the MLS play-offs, as Messi picked up an untimely injury, but positive progress continues to be made on and off the field. They now have a marketing dream at their disposal, with co-owner David Beckham and the club’s board making the most of that.
DID YOU KNOW?
A first international tour is being taken in at the start of 2024 – which includes a meeting with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr – and claims that the club has joined the $1 billion club. Only four MLS sides are said to have hit that mark, with the others being LAFC at $1.15billion (£903m), Atlanta United on $1.05billion (£825m) and the $1 billion (£787m) valued LA Galaxy.
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Nobody gets close to Inter Miami when it comes to annual value increase, as they surge by 74%, with LAFC only up by 28%. In 2023, the Florida-based franchise sat 10th on the MLS chart, but the presence of Argentine all-time great Messi at DRV PNK Stadium has seen them soar up the rankings.
Vidarbha wrapped up Delhi’s innings earlier than expected on the morning, and fifties from seniors Faiz Fazal and Wasim Jaffer kept them in the hunt for a lead
The Report by Vishal Dikshit in Indore30-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rajneesh Gurbani is mobbed by his team-mates•Rajneesh GurbaniWhen it looked like Delhi would ease past 300 early on the second day, Rajneesh Gurbani stalled them with a hat-trick. When it looked like the Vidarbha openers would stretch their partnership past 100, both fell within the space of four overs. And when it looked like Vidarbha would place themselves in a strong position for a lead after crossing 200 and only three down, they lost one more in the final moments of the second day to expose a weak middle order, making the match restore some parity yet again.Vidarbha had dominated much of the day, finishing off Delhi’s last four wickets for only five runs to wrap them up for 295. Faiz Fazal and Wasim Jaffer struck solid half-centuries to help them finish the day on 206 for 4. Jaffer was on 61 at stumps and would be their biggest hope to take a lead and avoid a collapse.Resuming on their overnight 271 for 6, Dhruv Shorey was looking set with a patient Vikas Mishra, amid edges that weren’t turning into wickets. Gurbani then targeted the stumps. On the last two deliveries of his seventh straight over of the day, he produced two incutters against Mishra and Navdeep Saini. Both deliveries nipped in so sharply from outside off that neither could get the bat down in time and were bowled. Gurbani completed the hat-trick in his next over with the most important wicket of the innings, bringing another one to knock over Shorey’s off stump.Hat-trick hero Gurbani on…
Taking a hat-trick in the Ranji final: “It is a fast bowler’s dream to take a hat-trick and a five-wicket haul in the finals, so obviously it is a special feeling. To be frank, I was not aware I was on a hat-trick. I was not thinking about taking it, but I was bowling every delivery with the intent of taking a wicket.”
How he realised he was on a hat-trick: “I had got two wickets off the fifth and sixth deliveries of my over. When I came on to bowl my next over, someone in the crowd shouted “hat-trick ball”. That is when I realised to be frank. So I planned to bowl on the stumps as much as possible.”
Bowling after cramps on the first day: “I had prepared myself that I should remain on the field and bowl the first over today. I was not fit yesterday. I knew that if I would bowl well, the team would win so since the time I could not bowl yesterday [because of cramps] I was waiting to bowl today.”
If he prefers the new or old ball: “I prefer the new ball. But the SG Test starts swinging more after it gets a bit old so I become more [dangerous]. Otherwise I get wickets with the new ball too.”
Four deliveries after he became only the second bowler to claim a hat-trick in a Ranji final – after Tamil Nadu’s Kalyanasundram against Bombay in 1972-73 – he wrapped up Delhi when Kulwant Khejroliya charged and lost two of his stumps. Four bowled in seven deliveries and Gurbani finished with 6 for 59, his fifth five-for in four straight matches.Vidarbha’s openers put on a solid 96 runs after blunting the new ball in the first session. Saini was Delhi’s best bowler of the day by consistently putting his 140kph deliveries in the right areas, posing threats in all three sessions. He did it against Fazal and Sanjay Ramaswamy but he hardly got support from the other end in the absence of Ishant Sharma and Vikas Tokas, who was replaced by Akash Sudan.Barring the occasional edge or appeal, Fazal and Sanjay looked untroubled for the 30 overs they batted together. Fazal was more productive, middling three drives down the ground and steering plenty of short deliveries square. That he scored 29 off 33 against Saini helped Vidarbha in taming the fired-up bowler. Left-arm spinner Mishra’s flat deliveries could not penetrate his defences and Fazal tucked him to long leg for four to complete his first half-century that was not converted into one of his five hundreds this season.Sudan somehow returned in a different avatar in his second spell when the ball was over 25 overs old. He first brought one into Sanjay for an lbw appeal in the 28th over – that the batsman survived – before seaming one in marginally to have Sanjay chop on for 31. Four overs later, he swung one away from Fazal and the left-hander edged behind for 67.Still 188 adrift, Vidarbha had the man in the middle they needed – Jaffer. He steered two partnerships – with Ganesh Satish and Apoorv Wankhade – during which he was as unruffled as ever in his ninth Ranji final. Those two partnerships were not blemish-free on the bowler-friendly pitch. Saini was brought back soon after Fazal’s dismissal and he created two chances against Satish before tea – first an edge fell short of the slips and then the umpire turned down a a loud lbw appeal because it was probably going down leg.Jaffer meanwhile dropped reminders of his calmness. He drove the second ball after tea serenely through the covers. But Saini tasted success in the next over by pinning Satish above the knee roll, which made the batsman unhappy with the decision. Jaffer continued to late cut – his most productive shot – and punch balls off the backfoot to register his 86th first-class half-century. Wankhade also exhibited two elegant cover drives against the pacers, with Vidarbha appearing like they wouldn’t lose further wickets on the day.However, left-arm pacer Khejroliya titled the balance a bit towards Delhi in the third over before stumps when he angled one away and Wankhade poked for an edge on 28. Saini scared Vidarbha before stumps too by making Jaffer edge one that fell short of slip and appealing for a catch down the leg side four balls later, when the ball had gone off the pad.Delhi are 13 overs away from the new ball and Vidarbha 89 runs short with the key in Jaffer’s hands.
There has been an update regarding Manchester United's pursuit of Fiorentina playmaker, Sofyan Amrabat…
What's the latest on Amrabat to Man United?
Following reports that an "agreement" has been reached with the 26-year-old regarding personal terms, Sportitalia have claimed that the Red Devils have 'presented' an offer to the Serie A side, with a fee of around €35m (£30m) having been suggested.
The piece notes that the Moroccan international is now just 'one step away' from joining the Old Trafford outfit, with the player himself said to be 'ready to leave' Florence in order to make the move to the Premier League.
The former Club Brugge ace – who worked under Erik ten Hag previously at FC Utrecht – currently has just a year left to run on his existing contract, thus allowing United to wrap up a deal without breaking the bank.
What is Sofyan Amrabat's style of play?
While Ten Hag began his summer spend by acquiring Mason Mount from rivals Chelsea, it looks as if the former Ajax boss is seeking to bolster his midfield ranks even further, particularly with the likes of Fred and Donny van de Beek facing uncertain futures at the club.
With Mount set to bring extra "dynamism" to United's midfield in an attacking number eight berth – in the words of his manager – the addition of Amrabat is seemingly set to help solve a different need, with the Netherlands-born ace set to offer a composed, ball-playing presence in front of the back our.
In many ways, the "underrated" talent – as described by writer Muhammad Butt – takes on a similar role to that of Jorginho at Arsenal, and before that at Chelsea, with the two men both said to share a number of stylistic and statistical similarities, according to FBref.
That likeness between Amrabat and the Italy international – who also made the move to England from Serie A – can be seen by how they typically operate in a deep-lying midfield role and are unlikely to bomb forward too regularly, with the Fiorentina star ranking in just the bottom 6% among his European peers for touches in the attacking penalty area, while the ex-Napoli man ranks in just the bottom 28% in that regard.
What that disciplined nature does is allow the pair to attempt to dictate the tempo of the game in the centre of the park as well as look to get the ball forward to the more attack-minded talents where possible, with Jorginho notably ranking in the 9% for attempted passes and the top 11% for progressive passes, while Amrabat ranks in the top 11% and the top 8% for those same two metrics, respectively.
The beauty of having such assets at the base of the midfield is that they also rarely play their team into trouble or squander possession, with Amrabat and Jorginho ranking in the top 5% and the top 15%, respectively, for pass completion as a sign of that innate composure.
That comparison to the latter man is of note as it was not too long ago that the Brazil-born maestro was dubbed the "best midfielder in Europe" by ex-United boss, Jose Mourinho, with the 31-year-old having also claimed the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award back in 2021.
The experienced asset did endure his early teething problems while at Stamford Bridge – having suffered early criticism from Blues supporters following his arrival from Naples in 2018 – although has since come out the other side to prove the doubters wrong.
For Ten Hag to find his own version of the Champions League winning playmaker in the form of Amrabat could then represent something of a coup, with the 6 foot 1 gem also offering the benefit of having an added edge to his game, having been branded "a raging bull" by Moroccan journalist, Amine El Amri.
With Jorginho having made a success of himself in the Premier League, perhaps the 49-cap ace can too.
Aston Villa are reportedly interested in former Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as Unai Emery prepares to bolster his squad this transfer window.
The Spaniard has had a strong start to the summer by acquiring the talents of Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby, however, there are expected to be more arrivals at Villa Park.
Who wants to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain?
As reported by Sky Sports yesterday, both Villa and Brentford are chasing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is a free agent following the expiry of his contract at Anfield.
In their Transfer Centre, Sky Sports added that the midfielder has ‘already turned down’ lucrative offers from abroad with the desire to remain in England.
It was reported back in June by Football Insider that the Villans had been in ‘advanced talks’ for the 29-year-old, with a fresh update suggesting that the club remain in pursuit of the former England international.
What position could Oxlade-Chamberlain play at Aston Villa?
Having made 235 Premier League appearances, the midfielder has taken up a host of positions throughout his career, finding the most joy operating in central midfield.
Deployed primarily on the right flank while at Arsenal, the Portsmouth-born gem was renowned for his pace and strength in wide areas, however, struggled to consistently get among the goals.
Jurgen Klopp restored the faith in the Englishman by playing him in central midfield, where he immediately bettered his scoring tally in the league to all seasons prior in north London.
Despite nearing 30 years of age, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said in the club’s final matchday programme that the former Southampton man was in the “shape of his life”, and that his next club will have “won the lottery” in signing him.
For Villa, the time is now to bolster the squad currently on show at Villa Park, as the club prepares for their return to Europe for the first time since 2010.
Emery is building something encouraging in the Midlands, and the squad could still benefit from the signing of a player who boasts such strong experience in England as the Champions League winner.
Oxlade-Chamberlain could add a host of strengths to Emery’s side, most prominently in being available to replicate the service of club captain John McGinn, to whom he bears similarities.
Like the former Liverpool ace, the Scotsman has the versatility to play anywhere in the midfield, with both talents bringing energy and stability in the middle of the park in their approach to play.
Hailed as “superb” by BBC Sport writer Raj Chohan, the Englishman could add another source of reliability in midfield to that displayed by McGinn, as suggested by their numbers.
Likened to the Villa skipper for his statistics obtained in the 2019/20 Premier League season where he was a regular for the Reds, via FBref, the midfielder showcased strengths in progressive play mirrored by McGinn.
That term, the former Arsenal ace averaged 5.88 progressive passes and 2.91 progressive carries in comparison to the 28-year-old’s 4.68 progressive passes and 1.14 progressive carries per 90 last campaign.
The Englishman also showed strengths in his creative play, averaging 1.03 key passes per 90, highlighting another area in which he could benefit the side.
In signing the free agent, Emery could arm his side with a duplicate of McGinn, who is highly valued at Villa Park.
ScorecardFile photo: Tom Curran delivered a matchwinning final over•Getty Images
Tom Curran kept his head in the final over to carry Surrey to a sensational two-run victory in the opening NatWest T20 Blast game of the season at Chelmsford.With Essex requiring 10 off the last six balls, and six wickets in hand, Curran claimed the key wickets of Ravi Bopara and Ashar Zaidi to claim a memorable victory.Bopara’s dismissal off the second ball of the over ended a 46-ball 75, with five sixes, that looked to have put Essex in the driving seat.Earlier Dominic Sibley thumped four sixes in a swashbuckling 61 that enabled Surrey to post a challenging total of 188 after being put in to bat.However, it had looked as though sixes from successive deliveries bowled by Jade Dernbach in the penultimate over by Bopara – one straight, the other over long leg – meant Essex needed less than two runs a ball from the final over.The first ball went for two, but Tom Curran found the extra pace to beat Bopara from the next. With five required off two balls, Curran added the scalp of Ashar Zaidi, bowled to a full-length ball. The boundary required from the final ball as beyond James Foster.Essex had reached 25 in the third over when Varun Chopra left alone a delivery from Tom Curran that pitched outside off-stump and hit middle and leg.
Tom Curran, Surrey: “That knock from Dom was unbelievable. He’s come in not having played a lot of T20 cricket and he’s made a great stake for a permanent place in the T20 side. I thought he batted beautifully.”
Dan Lawrence, who had hit Sam Curran straight for six, followed soon after when he swished inelegantly at the younger Curran and was caught behind for 13.Tom Westley and Ravi Bopara put on 45 for the third wicket in six overs. But Westley was undone by Scott Borthwick’s first ball, which spun in and bowled him for 23. He had earlier edged Ravi Rampaul for six backward of square and then carted Dominic Sibley over cow corner for a second.Bopara hit Jade Dernbach for a straight six, pulled Rampaul for a second and hooked Borthwick for No3 as Essex accelerated. Rampaul went for 16 from one over, Borthwick for 14 the next as Bopara and ten Doeschate made hay.Bopara scrambled a single into the offside to reach a 43-ball fifty, but the partnership was broken by Sam Curran who trapped ten Doeschate lbw on the front foot. Essex still needed 52 from 26 balls, and 25 from the last two overs.Surrey lost Jason Roy to the fourth ball of the game, lbw to one from Mohammad Amir that swung late, and wickets followed in quick succession throughout, bar a sixth-wicket stand of 55 between Dominic Sibley and Sam Curran.Replacing Amir, two of Paul Walter’s first four deliveries were wayward and signalled as wides, but his third legitimate ball arrowed past Mark Stoneman’s bat and took out middle and leg stumps.Finch had already laid into Jamie Porter with a four through midwicket and a six over long leg off successive balls, and was similarly severe on Ashar Zaidi with a four chipped to deep extra cover followed by another six into the second tier of the stand at long leg.But Zaidi had the last word in his first over, tempting Rory Burns into a reverse sweep and bowling him.Finch reached his fifty from 23 balls with his third six, slogged-pulling Zaidi high over midwicket. But four balls later, in trying to work Bopara down to third man, the Australian top-edged behind for 56.Bopara had a second wicket in his third over when Ollie Pope pulled him to the midwicket boundary where Amir leapt to catch. Surrey had lost half their batting for 86 inside 11 overs.The fifty partnership for the sixth wicket came off 28 balls, before Curran on 25 gave himself room against Walter and lost his leg stump. Sibley lost the other Curran, Tom, to an inswinger from ten Doeschate’s first ball.Sibley reached a valiant half-century from 35 balls with his fourth six, but departed for 61 when he was run out off the last ball. Borthwick had his stumps shattered from a free-hit off Walter, but James Foster had a stump out of the ground before Sibley made his ground.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou is urging chairman Daniel Levy to make a move for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, according to a report.
Is Joao Palhinha leaving Fulham this summer?
Back in June, Palhinha appeared to indicate that a move is off the table this summer, stating that he is "very happy" at Fulham and wants to stay, however, that has not stopped a number of top clubs from making their interest clear.
The Daily Mail report that the Cottagers would be willing to let the Portugal international leave during this window, but only if their £90m asking price is paid in full, amid interest from Barcelona, who have identified him as a target to replace Sergio Busquets.
In recent weeks, the likes of West Ham United and Liverpool have been linked with a move for the 27-year-old, and Postecoglou is now eager for Spurs to make their first move, in light of the growing interest from elsewhere.
According to a report from The Sun (via TEAMtalk), the Tottenham boss is urging Levy to make a concrete move for the Fulham star, however, any deal is likely to set Tottenham back a new club-record fee.
Despite paying just £20m for the midfielder a year ago, Fulham now value him at £90m, and Spurs are mulling over a deal which is well in excess of their club-record of the £60m paid for Richarlison.
Postecoglou hopes to convince Levy to launch a bid, and the Lilywhites could look to finance the deal by selling the likes of Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele.
Is Palhinha signing for Tottenham?
Tottenham are yet to make any firm moves for the Portuguese maestro, so a deal is still some way off, but he could be an excellent addition to Postecoglou's squad, should the interest become more concrete.
The former Sporting CP man made a whopping 147 tackles in the Premier League last season, 47 more than any other player in the top flight, showcasing his phenomenal defensive ability, and he also ranks in the 92nd percentile for aerials won per 90 in the past year.
Hailed as a "beast" by members of the media, there is every indication the central midfielder is entering his prime with a career-high Transfermarkt valuation, however, there are still question marks about whether he should be targeted by Spurs.
Palhinha turns 28 later this month, so it may not be financially prudent to spend £90m on a player who is approaching the latter stages of his career, especially considering he has only proven himself in the Premier League over the course of one season.
Liverpool's flight back to Merseyside was cancelled amid the wind and rain of Storm Ciaran, after they beat Bournemouth 2-1 in the Carabao Cup.
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Reds won in terrible conditionsCody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez scoredLiverpool unable to fly back northWHAT HAPPENED?
Liverpool battled to a 2-1 win over the Cherries on the south coast on Wednesday, despite the wind and rain that plagued the encounter. Gakpo and Nunez scored to send the Reds into the quarter-finals of the competition, but the conditions grounded their flight back north.
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Per Liverpool Echo journalist Paul Gorst, the Reds' flight back was cancelled, leaving the squad and staff stranded. Storm Ciaran brought strong winds and heavy rain to the United Kingdom overnight, with large parts of the country ordered to stay inside amid "danger to life" warnings. Liverpool, meanwhile, are not back in action until Sunday, when they face Luton Town away from home.
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The Reds have won the Carabao Cup on nine occasions and are aiming to repeat their 2021/22 success after overcoming the Cherries. They will face West Ham in the last-eight.
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Klopp's side face newly-promoted Luton at Kenilworth Road this weekend.
Remarkable control from the Australian bowlers resulted in massive pressure being built up which led to a steady supply of wickets as India folded for 189 on the first day
The Report by Alagappan Muthu04-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:15
‘Surprised by the Bengaluru pitch’
First there was control, then panic and eventually wickets. Most of them went to Nathan Lyon, whose 8 for 50 was the best ever haul by a visiting bowler in India. He personified Australia’s ability to adapt to unfavourable conditions – which included a lost toss – and by the end of the day they had ransacked 10 wickets for 189 runs, put up a score of 40 for 0 themselves and did their chances of retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy no harm whatsoever.Most teams coming to the subcontinent will be aware they have to invest heavily in maintaining tight lines and lengths for pressure is as good as any help they might receive off the pitch to pick up wickets. The batsman starts to feel trapped, doubts begin to fester, he searches for release and…India know this template well. Yet they lost Cheteshwar Pujara on the stroke of lunch. Virat Kohli gave his wicket away – and then a review as well – by padding up to a straight ball. Were it not for KL Rahul’s 90 on his home ground in Bengaluru, they would have been in far worse shape. And that is saying something considering they were bundled out for under 200 for the third time in as many innings.Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were in prime form with the new ball. Six of the first 12 overs on Saturday were maidens, the result of their getting just enough movement in the air and off the pitch. Lyon was precise with his line and smart with his length. He got the ball to turn and bounce sharply on some occasions and on others he made it drift and go straight on. His biggest strike, though, was simply down to a set up.Kohli was new to the crease and only a few seconds ago had a good length ball jumped past his inside edge and hit his thigh pad. Something told the Indian captain he could trust the bounce here, that if he was playing on the back foot, the ball was unlikely to threaten his stumps. That made picking length very, very important. Lyon flattened his trajectory, Kohli left the ball, suckered into believing it was short, it thudded into his pad in front of middle stump and umpire Nigel Llong put his finger up. While the error in judgment can be forgiven, the gamble with DRS was less so for it was driven not by logic but hope, and even a little bit of fear at losing the best batsman in the team giving Australia the kind of momentum they would love.Watching all this from the other end was Rahul. His innings spanned 205 balls – the next best was a mere 66 – was a battle all through. He was struck on the glove as Starc peppered him with bouncers. He was often unsure against Hazlewood’s two-way movement. He could have been caught on 30 but even Peter Handscomb, whose agility is already becoming legend, was unable to hold on to a rather difficult chance low to his left at silly mid-off.Nathan Lyon’s 8 for 50 was the best figures by a visiting bowler in India•Associated Press
Rahul had the mettle to work past his troubles, to not buckle to pressure and go looking for that boundary that makes him feel better for but an instant. He had had enough of that in Pune. Normally a free-flowing batsman – evidenced by his striking the first ball of the match to the point boundary – he understood the importance of a big score and buckled down to get it. With time at the crease, his defensive game grew tighter but most of all, he was able to absorb all the pressure Australia piled up on him.The same could not be said of his team-mates. Ajinkya Rahane hurtled down the pitch against Lyon only for the straighter ball to beat his outside edge. He was so far past the crease that Matthew Wade even had time to recover from a fumble and pull off the stumping. The 17 runs he made marked the ninth time out of 10 innings that he has fallen for a score under 30. Karun Nair, who was brought in to lengthen the batting line-up, playing for the first time since his 303 not out in December, committed the same mistake against O’Keefe and this time the ball turned sharply to leave him stumped too.Against the vagaries of the M Chinnaswamy strip – hosting a Test for the first time since large-scale renovations of the outfield – and the discipline of the Australian bowlers, it was difficult not to imagine India as those kids waiting for Mum and Dad to slack off so they can raid the sweets in the pantry. But by the end of the day, with no hope of their craving being satisfied, they could only fold their hands over their chest and go “this sucks”.By tea, Australia’s GOAT had gutted India’s middle order and sent back their big three. The first of his wickets was a major turning point. He had a set Pujara caught at short leg off what became the very last ball before lunch and a 61-run second wicket partnership was broken.Against a bowler in such rhythm, the lower order folded quickly. R Ashwin was undone by a spitting cobra. Wriddhiman Saha edged one that didn’t turn as much as he thought. Ravindra Jadeja inside edged a catch off the pad to slip – which was only confirmed when Smith made fine use of the review available to him. Even there, Australia were thumping India. And it all tied in to Lyon’s skill. A newfound skill.In the early part of his career, he couldn’t figure out how to bowl on turners. He would either be too slow and too full and get driven a lot, or too quick and too short leading to outcomes a lot worse. Here all of his wickets came off the 5 to 6m mark. For a batsman, that meant even if he came forward, he couldn’t reach the pitch of the ball. To then make connection, he has to push his hands out in front and that compromises his balance. Playing back is a risk too because Lyon’s overspin generates awkward bounce.Against that, the extra batsman was of little use. M Vijay, however, was not among of the XI having injured his left shoulder in the 333-run defeat in Pune and in his place came Tamil Nadu team-mate Abhinav Mukund. The 27-year old was representing India for the first time in over five years and his team was using their eighth opening pair in the last 12 months. He got an eight-ball duck, the partnership yielded only 11 runs, the position is clearly cursed, it time to call Scooby Doo yet?