Marko Arnautovic homecoming on the cards as ex-Inter striker's agent reveals talks with team he played for in his youth

Marko Arnautovic's agent has confirmed talks to join boyhood club Rapid Vienna after the striker left Inter on a free transfer.

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  • Marko Arnautovic is a free agent
  • Striker in talks to return to Austria
  • Rapid Vienna has shown prominent interest
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    The 36-year-old striker's brother, Daniel Arnautovic, who is also his agent, is currently discussing a possible move in which the Austrian can head back to his country.

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    Arnautovic was used as a substitute in Austria's win in the World Cup qualifying fixture against Romania. In the press conference later, the Serbian expressed his desire to play for the national team in the upcoming World Cup 2026, only after which he will contemplate his retirement plans. With the ex-Inter striker determined to make an impression on the global stage next year, his priority would be to play in a team where he gets a good amount of minutes. As his brother and agent confirms, there is no agreement with any club as of now.

  • WHAT DANIEL SAID

    Talking to , Daniel Arnautovic said: "Marko is on holiday and is training privately to be fit for his new club. If there is an agreement with a team, he will join them immediately. Rapid have strong interest. We are in contact, but that’s all it is at the moment. A lot of what is written in Austria is not true. Some of the news about Marko is crazy. There is currently no agreement."

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    WHAT NEXT FOR ARNAUTOVIC?

    The forward has scored two goals and provided one assist in the World Cup qualifiers. Austria are currently placed second in Group H and will face Cyprus in their next fixture on September 7.

Palmeiras x Fortaleza: setor indisponível e aumento de até 100% no valor dos ingressos

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras divulgou a data de início das vendas e os valores dos ingressos para a partida diante do Fortaleza, que acontece no dia 2 de novembro, e pode ser a da comemoração do título do Brasileirão. As informações assustaram os torcedores, que além de terem um setor a menos disponível, viram um aumento enorme nos valores.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasLance! BizEntenda por que Palmeiras x Athletico-PR não foi transmitido pela GloboLance! Biz26/10/2022PalmeirasEndrick discorda da súmula, celebra dois gols pelo Palmeiras e agradece carinho dos brasileirosPalmeiras26/10/2022Futebol InternacionalJornais espanhóis exaltam atuação de Endrick na vitória do PalmeirasFutebol Internacional26/10/2022

> Confira os públicos do Palmeiras no Allianz Parque em 2022
> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão-2022 clicando aqui

As entradas começam a ser negociadas nesta quinta-feira, às 10h, com exclusividade para os sócios-torcedores do Avanti. Esse privilégio termina no sábado, também às 10h, quando terá início a venda para o público geral. O ingresso mais barato custará R$ 220.

Mas é bom que os palmeirenses corram para comprar suas entradas, já que o setor Superior Norte estará indisponível para a partida. O motivo é a séria de shows do cantor Michael Bublé, marcados para os dias 5 e 6 de novembro. A montagem do palco tomará parte também do setor Gol Norte, que sofrerá uma adaptação ao setor Central Leste, assim como ocorreu na final do Paulistão deste ano.

A capacidade do estádio deve ser reduzida em até 30%. Assim, a expectativa de público é de cerca de 30 mil torcedores, diferentemente dos 40 mil que tem se tornado rotina na arena.

O que assustou mesmo o torcedor, no entanto, foi a questão dos preços dos ingressos, que tiveram aumento de até 100%, como é o caso do setor Superior Sul, que custou R$ 150 contra o Avaí e custará R$ 300 diante do Fortaleza. O menor aumento foi no setor Central Oeste, o mais caro do estádio, que passou de R$ 300 para R$ 430, ou seja, 43% maior do que no duelo anterior no Allianz Parque.

Confira os valores dos ingressos para o duelo com o AVAÍ:

Gol Norte – R$ 120
Superior Norte e Sul – R$ 150
Superior Leste e Oeste – R$ 200
Gol Sul – R$ 220
Central Leste – R$ 250
Central Oeste – R$ 300

Confira os valores dos ingressos para o duelo com o FORTALEZA:

Gol Norte – R$ 220 (83% mais caro)
Superior Sul – R$ 300 (100% mais caro)
Superior Norte – Indisponível
Superior Leste e Oeste – R$ 320 (80% mais caro)
Gol Sul – R$ 330 (50% mais caro)
Central Leste – R$ 400 (60% mais caro)
Central Oeste – R$ 430 (43% mais caro)

Australia selectors prepare for life after Lanning ahead of India

The squad is due to be named on Tuesday but confirmation of a new captain will likely wait

AAP13-Nov-20231:30

Lanning admits she ‘no longer has the spark’ for international cricket

Australia coach Shelley Nitschke admits a changing of the guard has hit her faster than expected, as officials hold off a decision on Meg Lanning’s full-time successor.Selectors will announce a squad for next month’s multi-format tour of India on Tuesday, less than a week after Lanning’s shock retirement call.It’s unlikely a captain will be named until closer to Australia’s December 13 departure, with a decision still needing to be made and approved by the Cricket Australia board.Related

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Alyssa Healy remains the frontrunner, with the 33-year-old having put her hand up for the job after leading Australia in Lanning’s absence for parts of the past year.Tahlia McGrath is the other potential option if officials prefer a longer-term replacement, given the 28-year-old has served as Healy’s deputy on recent tours.”There’s quite a few things to weigh up around it,” Nitschke told AAP. “It’s just a matter of going through the process.”Sitting down with the selectors and people who make those decisions and working out what’s the best thing moving forward.”Nitschke knew when she took over as coach last year she would oversee a significant period of transition in the all-conquering women’s team.But that time has arrived after Lanning and her previous deputy Rachael Haynes retired in the space of 14 months following a five-year period of Australian dominance.Alyssa Healy is the favourite to take over from Meg Lanning•AFP/Getty Images”We always knew that the transition is coming, but it probably hasn’t played out how you might have guessed,” Nitschke said. “Rach we knew was probably coming at some point.”But I probably didn’t expect to be at this point and having Meg retire. We’ll certainly miss her. Even though she obviously hasn’t been around the group for a little while now. I’d always thought she would return. We’ll miss her presence and leadership and all the rest of it.”Australia’s first assignment in the post-Lanning era is a tricky one in India. The team wants to shift its mindset in the three T20Is and ODIs with a more attacking approach, while the December 21 Test will be Australia’s first in the country since 1984.Lanning’s recent absences have allowed Phoebe Litchfield to step up in the top order, and it’s unlikely there will be mass changes from the squad that drew the Ashes series in July.The fact Australia regularly plays three spinners, including allrounder Ashleigh Gardner, means Nitschke believes the squad always resembles one that suits Indian conditions.But the biggest challenge will come in foreign conditions with the bat in the Test match, particularly with Lanning not there. Australia will keep a close eye on England’s Test in Mumbai against India next month, and Nitschke is hopeful a warm-up match can be organised.”If it starts to turn, particularly in the second innings, it could present some conditions that we haven’t faced for a while,” Nitchscke said. “That’s something that most of the players wouldn’t have experienced before. We’re going to have to talk about and adjust to pretty quickly.”

Sams, Hendricks, Ngidi set for maiden PSL stints

Australia allrounder Daniel Sams and the South Africa duo of Reeza Hendricks and Lungi Ngidi are set to play their maiden PSL events after being picked up in the draft held on Wednesday in Lahore. Sams was a platinum pick by Karachi Kings, Hendricks was a gold pick by Multan Sultans while Ngidi the supplementary pick made by Peshawar Zalmi.Returning to the PSL will be South Africa batter Rassie van der Dussen, who was selected by defending champions Lahore Qalandars in the platinum category alongside Fakhar Zaman. Qalandars also secured Sahibzada Farhan, the highest run-scorer from the 2023-24 National T20 Cup.Last year’s losing finalists Sultans topped up Hendricks’ addition by also selecting England batter Dawid Malan and England allrounder David Willey. Islamabad United stocked up on the English pair of Jordan Cox and Tymal Mills. Karachi Kings supplemented Sams’ selection by adding Kieron Pollard, Tim Seifert and Mohammad Nawaz.Joining Ngidi at Zalmi are Afghan wristspinner Noor Ahmad and the hard-hitting Asif Ali. Quetta Gladiators roped in the West Indies pair of Akeal Hosein and Sherfane Rutherford, while also selecting Mohammad Amir.The PSL 2024 draft had players being selected into six categories. They were platinum, diamond, gold, silver, emerging and supplementary. Teams had to fill three spots each in the platinum, diamond and gold categories. They then had to fill five in the silver and emerging categories, followed by two in the supplementary. A total of 485 overseas players had initially signed up to take part in the draft as the six PSL teams filled the gaps to complete their 18-player squads.

Full squads:

Lahore Qalandars – Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Rassie van der Dussen (South Africa) (all Platinum), Haris Rauf (Brand Ambassador), David Wiese (Namibia) and Sahibzada Farhan (Wildcard) (all Diamond), Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Abdullah Shafique, Zaman Khan (all Gold), Mirza Tahir Baig (Successful relegation request), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Mohammad Imran, Ahsan Bhatti, Dan Lawrence (England) (all Silver), Jahandad Khan, Syed Faridoun Mahmood (both Emerging), Shai Hope (West Indies) and Kamran Ghulam (both Supplementary)Islamabad United – Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, Jordan Cox (Wildcard) (England) (all Platinum), Imad Wasim (Mentor), Azam Khan, Tymal Mills (England) (all Diamond), Faheem Ashraf (Brand Ambassador), Alex Hales (England), Colin Munro (New Zealand) (all Gold), Rumman Raees (Successful relegation request), Matthew Forde (West Indies), Salman Ali Agha, Qasim Akram, Shahab Khan (Silver), Hunain Shah, Ubaid Shah (both Emerging), Shamyl Hussain and Tom Curran (England) (both Supplementary).Multan Sultans – Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, David Willey (England) (all Platinum), Khushdil Shah, Usama Mir, Dawid Malan (England) (all Diamond), Abbas Afridi, Reeza Hendricks (South Africa), Reece Topley (England) (all Gold), Ihsanullah (Brand Ambassador), Tayyab Tahir, Shahnawaz Dahani, Mohammad Ali, Usman Khan (UAE) (all Silver), Faisal Akram, Yasir Khan (both Emerging), Chris Jordan (England) and Aftab Ibrahim (both Supplementary).Karachi Kings – Kieron Pollard (West Indies), Daniel Sams (Australia), Mohammad Nawaz (all Platinum), James Vince (England), Hasan Ali, Tim Seifert (New Zealand) (all Diamond), Shan Masood (Brand Ambassador), Shoaib Malik (Mentor), Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa) (all Gold), Mir Hamza (Successful relegation request), Muhammad Akhlaq, Mohammad Amir Khan, Anwar Ali and Arafat Minhas (all Silver), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Sirajuddin (both Emerging), Saad Baig and Jamie Overton (England) (both Supplementary).Quetta Gladiators – Rilee Rossouw (South Africa), Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies), Mohammad Amir (Platinum), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Jason Roy (England), Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) (all Diamond), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Brand Ambassador) Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Hasnain (all Gold), Will Smeed (England), Saud Shakeel, Sajjad Ali Jnr, Usman Qadir, Omair Bin Yousuf (all Silver), Adil Naz, Khawaja Nafay (both Emerging), Akeal Hosein (West Indies) and Sohail Khan (both Supplementary).Peshawar Zalmi – Babar Azam, Rovman Powell (West Indies), Noor Ahmad (Afghanistan) (all Platinum), Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (England), Asif Ali (all Diamond), Mohammad Haris (Brand Ambassador), Aamir Jamal, Naveen-ul-Haq (Afghanistan) (all Gold), Khurram Shahzad, Salman Irshad, Arif Yaqoob, Umair Afridi, Daniel Mousley (England) (Silver), Haseebullah, Mohammad Zeeshan (both Emerging), Lungi Ngidi (South Africa) and Mehran Mumtaz (both Supplementary).

Stop-clock trial begins with T20I series between West Indies and England

Six-month experiment gets underway to increase the pace of play in men’s T20Is and ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2023

A fielding side defaulting for a third time will have five penalty runs imposed against them•Associated Press

The first T20I between West Indies and England on Wednesday will see a stop clock used for the first time in international cricket. Part of a six-month experiment announced last month by the ICC, the stop clock will aim to restrict the time taken between overs and quicken the pace of play.The bowling team will need to be ready to bowl the first ball of their next over within 60 seconds of the previous over being completed. After two warnings, a third default by the bowling side will result in a five-run penalty imposed against them.The third umpire will start the clock at the completion of an over – the countdown would be displayed on the big screen at the ground, too. In case the batters have called for equipment change, drinks or if there is an injury break, and the 60 seconds are over the fielding time will not be penalised.In the scenario where the bowler is ready, but the batter is not ready, the match officials will deduct the time allowance from the batting team. For example if the batting team exceeded their allowances by two minutes, and are fielding second, then that additional time will be deducted from the overall time which could potentially lead them incurring both in-game and financial penalties if they fail to finish the overs before the cut-off time.As it stands, the stop clock will be used only in men’s ODIs and T20Is and goes one step further from the ICC’s change in playing conditions from 2022 where slow over-rates would force fielding sides to keep one fewer fielder outside the circle in the final over of a game. These in-game sanctions are in addition to any monetary fine that teams have to pay for slow over-rates under the ICC’s playing conditions.Stop clocks aimed at speeding up play are not new in sport. In major tennis tournaments, a player gets 25 seconds to get ready to serve between points. The idea of a stop clock in cricket was proposed in 2018 by the MCC’s World Cricket Committee that included Ricky Ponting, Saurav Ganguly and Kumar Sangakkara, among others, to reduce the ‘dead-time’ between overs in international games.The five-match T20I series between West Indies and England runs from December 13 to December 22, with the sides playing the series opener in Bridgetown, then moving to St George’s for two fixtures and finishing the series with two matches in Tarouba.

‘Most-watched event in human history’ – New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy confident in MetLife readiness to host 2026 World Cup final, says ‘nowhere on the planet’ is more prepared

Murphy called the Club World Cup a successful test for 2026 from logistics, security and fan-experience perspectives

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Gov. Murphy confident in MetLife hosting World CupPraised success of Club World Cup in New JerseySays transportation system equipped to handle matchesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images EntertainmentWHAT HAPPENED?

NEWARK, N.J. – Everything is relative. But when it comes to the scope of the 2026 World Cup, leave it to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy – whose state will host eight matches in next year’s tournament, including the final, at MetLife Stadium – to provide proper perspective.

“Of course, we have the FIFA World Cup next year,” Murphy said Thursday, addressing The Global Game summit at the Prudential Center. “Eight matches, including what will be the most-watched event in human history – not a sporting event – which is the World Cup final. We're incredibly excited about that.”

The expanded 48-team tournament – to be co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada – will kick off on June 11 in Mexico City, and culminate with the final on July 19 in MetLife in East Rutherford. That same stadium hosted this week’s Club World Cup semifinals and will also be the venue for Sunday’s CWC final between PSG and Chelsea.

“If you're the most densely populated state in America, as we are, the one thing you've got to do is move people in things as well if not better than anybody else,” he said. “And whether you're coming from the other side of the globe or just across the Hudson from New York City, the fact is that our transportation system is built to serve the biggest audiences possible. We had 76,000-plus fans at MetLife. It worked.”

Murphy said, to that end, the Club World Cup has been a successful pilot for the 2026 World Cup, from logistics, security, and fan-experience perspectives.

“We actively sought out a major role in the Club World Cup this year, to make sure we could take whatever we’re doing around the track, so to speak,” Murphy said. “It was important to make sure all these things worked not only for this Cup, but that could test it out for next year. So we are incredibly enthusiastic for both years.”

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Murphy said that New Jersey’s preparation for both FIFA events has included the development of an operations command center near MetLife, heightened coordination with various law enforcement and government agencies. NYNJ host committee members and state officials are also planning a number of fan festivals, including a recurring venue at Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

“As a result of FIFA flagship events,” said Greg Kahn, CEO of GK Digital Ventures, organizer of the summit, “soccer will not only take place in the stadium, but will also take place through media and technology. This is going to have a major impact.”

And that impact could be substantial in myriad ways, including financial. Murphy said the World Cup will generate “single-digit billions of dollars” for New Jersey.

“We think one to two million visitors will be in the region,” he said. “There is nowhere on the planet, in my humble opinion, that is more prepared for next year than we are… Welcome to New Jersey, the soccer capital of the world. Right? It wasn't that long ago that that statement would have been, to say the least, farfetched. But today, it is undeniable.”

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Murphy said that he expects MetLife Stadium “to be sold out” for Sunday’s FIFA Club World Cup final, meaning about 82,500 tickets. He also said that the The FIFA-sanctioned fan fest for the World Cup in Jersey City next summer will stream all 104 matches, and will “run the length of the tournament and have a capacity of 45,000 guests at a time.”

خاص | بتروجيت يرد على عرض الزمالك الأخير لضم حامد حمدان

تلقى مسؤولو نادي الزمالك صدمة قوية من نظرائهم في بتروجيت بشأن التعاقد مع حامد حمدان خلال الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية.

ويسعى مجلس إدارة الزمالك، للحصول على خدمات حامد حمدان، خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية، إلا أن إدارة بتروجيت رفضت الاستغناء عن اللاعب

طالع| خاص | رد بتروجيت يحسم انتقال حامد حمدان إلى الزمالك

وقدم مسؤولو نادي الزمالك، عرضًا أخيرًا لنادي بتروجيت لضم اللاعب الفلسطيني حامد حمدان، ورد الأخير بالرفض.

وأكد مصدر لـ بطولات أن حامد حمدان مرفوض رحيله عن بتروجيت للزمالك في فترة الانتقالات الجارية لحاجة الفريق له.

وتابع، أن بتروجيت لم يمانع في خطابه للزمالك على الموافقة على رحيل حمدان في فترة الانتقالات الشتوية يناير المقبل.

وأبرم الزمالك رسميًا 9 صفقات حتى الآن في فترة الانتقالات الصيفية، شملت المهدي سليمان، شيكو بانزا، عمرو ناصر، أحمد شريف، آدم كايد، عبد الحميد معالي، أحمد ربيع ومحمد إسماعيل، وعدي الدباغ.

VIDEO: Marcus Rashford suited & booted! Man Utd outcast all smiles as he arrives at Barcelona headquarters to complete loan transfer ahead of official unveiling

Marcus Rashford has been filmed arriving at Barcelona's headquarters in a suit, ahead of his move to the club being formally announced.

  • Rashford arrives at Barcelona
  • Set to be unveiled
  • Joining Catalan club on loan
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Rashford is at Barcelona's headquarters, ahead of a loan move to the Catalan giants from Manchester United. He is set to join on a short-term deal with an option to buy after the club failed in their pursuit of Athletic Club star Nico Williams.

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    Rashford attended Barca's HQ alongside his family, and was seen giving his mother a kiss before heading into the building, while also waving at assembled supporters. He is now set to seek first-team football in Catalonia, after spending the second half of the 2024-25 campaign on loan at Aston Villa.

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    WHAT NEXT?

    Rashford has already completed the formalities of his move, with an announcement swiftly following. It remains to be seen, however, if he will be able to be registered, given the club's ongoing financial issues.

BPL: Malik leaves Fortune Barishal abruptly after just three games

Shoaib Malik has left the BPL abruptly after playing just three games for his team Fortune Barishal.In a conversation with Sports 24, the Fortune Barishal owner, Mizanur Rahman, said that Malik’s contract was “till February 14”, by when the team would have played nine of their 12 league games. “He left after the third game, and told me that he wants to come back on February 6. We have [next] three games in Sylhet, so I told him that it won’t work for us,” Mizanur said in that chat. “I think he went to meet his family in Dubai.”Mizanur, however, denied having said this to the channel. “We haven’t spoken to anyone in the media,” he said in a video message on the franchise’s Facebook page. “Shoaib Malik is a good player. He gave his 100% to our team. He tried his level best. We haven’t complained about him to anyone. Let us not talk about it and make it a big deal. We have lost two matches, so we should concentrate on the next matches.”

ESPNcricinfo has learned that Malik was unhappy batting down the order. He batted at No. 6 in his three outings and scored 7, 5* and 17*. He bowled one over in each of the first two games but didn’t get to bowl in the third.There was a storm around Malik on social media during the second game, against Khulna Tigers in Mirpur on January 22. Bowling the fourth over of the innings, he overstepped three times and leaked 18 runs as Fortune Barishal failed to defend 187.When asked by Sports 24 about unconfirmed reports that BCB’s anti-corruption unit was looking into Malik’s no-balls, Mizanur said, “They should [do it]. That would be good. An offspinner bowling three no-balls in an over is really absurd. That’s where we lost that match.”Malik is the only spinner to overstep three times in an over in men’s T20s (where data is available with ESPNcricinfo). Only Miguel Cummins bowled more front-foot no-balls in an over, when he overstepped five times in a CPL 2014 match.Ibrahim Zadran also left the Fortune Barishal squad on Thursday, but that’s because of his international commitments. Ahmed Shehzad and Akif Javed are expected to join the team on Friday.

Ollie Pope sweeps England out of deep trouble

Scores 148* as visitors turn first-innings deficit of 190 into a lead of 126 with four wickets in hand

Sidharth Monga27-Jan-2024When the day began, we wondered if there would be a day four in the Hyderabad Test. Then Bazball arrived.After England lost four of their first five wickets in the first innings to defensive shots, you could almost imagine their coach, after whom Bazball is named, telling them it is more acceptable to get out reverse-sweeping than defending. That commitment to the sweep of various varieties brought India face to face with Bazball properly for the first time. England claimed the honours on the third day in Hyderabad, converting a first-innings deficit of 190 into a lead of 126 with four wickets in hand.Ollie Pope’s unbeaten 148 was the biggest turnaround from the first innings during which he meekly followed the turn with his hands and edged to slip. In the second innings, he swept and reverse-swept with aplomb to mess around with the spinners’ lines and lengths and capitalise on the enterprising start provided by Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. He was rewarded with a first century in India, the highest second-innings score by a visiting batter in India since Alastair Cook’s 175 in Ahmedabad 12 years ago.All told, England scored 79 runs with variants of the sweep without losing a wicket to it. Pope alone scored 41 of those runs, pulling the shot off almost every time a spinner troubled him. Consequently England became the first team since Nagpur 2012-13 to score 300 against India in a second innings in India.India will be thankful you can’t reverse-sweep Jasprit Bumrah. For it could have been worse for the hosts without a rousing spell of reverse-swing bowling just after lunch during which he got rid of Duckett and Joe Root. The pitch offered only slow turn, and England kept nailing high-risk options, but the spinners will still be disappointed that Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers on a day-three surface with figures of 12-3-29-2. R Ashwin went at 4.42 an over for his two wickets, and Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja at 4.60 and 3.88 for one each.Jasprit Bumrah sent back Ben Duckett and Joe Root during a fiery spell of reverse-swing•BCCIFor all the talk of Bazball and the excellent start England managed against pace in the first innings, what had stood out was their top three falling to traditional dismissals. All three were caught playing defensively in front of their body, which leaves you at the mercy of the turn, whose degree you cannot predict with any certainty.Having taken the last three Indian wickets for 15 – led again by Joe Root the offspinner – England played what they practised. Not immediately, though. In his first two overs with the new ball, Ashwin could have had both Duckett and Crawley, but the inside edges fell either side of short leg. That was enough to shake them up. No more, they said.Crawley began with the reverse-sweep against Ashwin before taking Axar downtown. All the sweeping played on Ashwin’s lengths. In order to stay one step ahead, he overpitched far more than usual, and it was only when he went back to a proper length that he drew a forward defensive from Crawley. The ball didn’t turn, and the edge went to slip. By then, though, England had put 45 on the board.Duckett and Pope kept sweeping and reversing India to distraction. That a lot of practice has gone into the sweeps was plain to see. Like Ben Stokes in the first innings, they kept almost switching their stance without changing their grip, which allowed them to play the reverse-sweep powerfully and in front of square.Post-lunch Bumrah began reversing the ball, but was let done by a non-review of a close lbw shout against Duckett. He bowled him top of off after highly skilful bowling across two overs, but England had hit four boundaries in that time. Still, when Bumrah trapped Root in front, India had 73 runs in the bag.Jonny Bairstow was bowled shouldering arms to Ravindra Jadeja•BCCIJonny Bairstow proceeded to thwart Bumrah by staying leg-side of the ball to avoid lbw, reacting late if he bowled the outswinger, and picking the slower ones. When it began to look threatening for India, the natural variation from the pitch came to their aid. Jadeja turned one past his outside edge, and the next ball, nearly identical, went straight on to dislodge the off bail as Bairstow left it alone.Then followed about the only period when England allowed the spinners to work on a dismissal. Ashwin craftily pushed Stokes back and dragged him out with his changes of length until he had him playing back to a full ball, which turned past the bat to bowl him. With 27 runs still in the bag, India would have smelled the win here, especially as Pope and Ben Foakes were forced to play defensively.There came a period of 70 balls without a boundary for England as Foakes played more traditionally, and Pope was kept quiet. After tea, though, the floodgates opened again as India began the session, unimpressively so, with Jadeja and Axar. Not for the first time in his short tenure as captain, Rohit Sharma has begun a session with the bowlers who had till then looked the least likely to take a wicket.In the final session, Pope was even more emphatic with his reverse-sweeping, on one occasion even reverse-Dilscooping Jadeja over the keeper’s head. In between he gave the charge once in a while but the backbone of his innings was the sweeping and the reverse-sweeping. By them time he made a mistake with the reverse, he had already scored 110, and even then he was dropped by Axar at backward point.Axar came back to take Foakes’ wicket with one that stayed low, but that was the extent of inroads India would make. At stumps on day three, the new ball was three overs away, which would give India hope. There is every chance that on a pitch with slow turn, and given their spin attack, England might not stretch their lead far enough for this Test but this turnaround could still have implications for the series.

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