All posts by h716a5.icu

Alex Lees, Keegan Petersen and Ned Eckersley help give Durham solid base

ECB Reporters Network19-May-2022Durham 256 for 5 (Eckersley 57) vs MiddlesexBen Stokes was one of two victims for Luke Hollman on an absorbing opening day of the LV = Insurance County Championship clash between Middlesex and Durham at Lord’s.Two weeks away from leading out England in his first match as Test captain and fresh from hitting 17 sixes against Worcestershire a fortnight ago, Stokes was clearly in the mood to make a statement. But Hollman, who’d been on the receiving of a tousing not once but twice in last week’s draw with Nottinghamshire, took his scalp for just 15 in surely the biggest moment of his young career so far.The legspinner would return figures of 2 for 49 while Toby Roland-Jones took 2 for 40, but Ned Eckersley made an unbeaten 57 against the county of his birth to guide the visitors to 256 for 5 and leave the game delicately poised.For much of the morning Middlesex’s decision to bowl first looked a strange one with the ball barely deviating off gun-barrel straight, meaning Alex Lees, in a dress rehearsal for the first Test, and fellow opener Michael Jones got off to a quick start. Save for one lbw shout and a loose drive that flew wide of second slip Lees looked in good touch in making 44 before, returning for his second spell, Roland-Jones trapped him lbw, though the England man’s reaction suggested he’d hit it.Jones, who’d begun fluently, straight driving Roland-Jones for four and twice sending Ethan Bamber deliveries to the fence, was increasingly becalmed as the home bowlers dried up the runs. Reward came soon after lunch when Jones pushed tentatively at Tim Murtagh and inside edged on to his stumps.Then Hollman took centre-stage, enticing Durham skipper Scott Borthwick to injudiciously cut one too close to him and lose his stumps. That brought Stokes to the crease and he signalled his intent to dominate immediately by reverse sweeping the legspinner to the third man fence.He muscled his way to 15 in the blink of an eye, but Middlesex skipper Peter Handscomb stuck by his bowler and was rewarded for his bravery. Stokes gave Hollman the charge, but the allrounder tossed one a little wider with the result the lofted drive got more height than distance and Roland-Jones gobbled up the catch at deep mid-off.At the other end, South Africa batter Keegan Petersen nudged and deflected his way his way into the 40s almost unnoticed, but two short of 50 his first loose shot saw him slash Roland-Jones into the hands of Josh De Caires at backward point.His departure left Eckersley as the senior batter and the wicketkeeper set about frustrating the hosts. His cover-drive off Roland-Jones just after the second new ball was taken was a candidate for shot of the day and he reached a deserved 50 shortly before stumps. His partner Liam Trevaskis was granted a life on 21 when Sam Robson grassed a difficult chance low to right at second slip, but scare survived he and Eckersley’s sixth-wicket stand had realised 73 by the close.

Newcastle United are believed to have sent a proposal for an “extraordinary” former Premier League title winner, as they look to sign him during the January transfer window.

Newcastle transfer news

The Magpies continue to be linked with plenty of potential new signings with January looming, with Barcelona defender Eric Garcia one player who has been mentioned as an option. The Spaniard is struggling for playing time at the Camp Nou this season, only managing four starts in La Liga under Hansi Flick.

In goal, Newcastle may be looking for a long-term replacement for Nick Pope between the sticks, and James Trafford continues to be backed to seal a switch to St James’ Park. The Englishman was seen as a target throughout the summer window, but a move failed to materialise.

Meanwhile, Southampton teenager Tyler Dibling has also been linked with joining the Magpies, with the 18-year-old one of the few positives to emerge from a dismal campaign for Saints so far. Seen as similar to England stars like Cole Palmer and Jack Grealish in style, he could add much-needed quality in attacking midfield, proving to be a good option on the right-hand side.

In what would be a controversial piece of business, Newcastle are also said to be eyeing a move for Sunderland defender Daniel Ballard, which would not go down well with Black Cats supporters.

Newcastle send proposal to sign "extraordinary" player

According to a new update from Sport [via Sport Witness], Newcastle are pushing to sign Barcelona centre-back Garcia in January, now taking the first major step in a move by sending a proposal to Barca. The details of the offer are unknown, but the Magpies are looking to entice the 23-year-old away from the Catalan giants.

Garcia could be a really astute signing by Newcastle, even though his lack of game time at Barca may put some supporters off the idea of bringing him in. Centre-back reinforcements are imperative for the Magpies, with Fabian Schar and Dan Burn both ageing players, and the former Manchester City player has one Premier League title to his name, making 19 appearances in the competition.

He has been hailed by Xavi, who has said of him: “Eric is extraordinary. I value him a lot, he is important to us. He plays in a very complicated position because, at Barca, a centre-back is always exposed. But he is a role model in the dressing room and we value him a lot.”

Granted, Garcia hasn’t necessarily kicked on as much as some expected during his younger years at City, but he is still only 23 years of age, meaning his peak may still be some time away.

"Terrific" £15m player "would love" Newcastle to make new move for him

The move has been described as “one to watch”.

ByDominic Lund Dec 23, 2024

Leaving his £95k-a-week deal at Barca doesn’t appear to be an option in his own head currently, but if Newcastle were able to lure him to the club with a great offer, he could be a mainstay at the back for a long time.

The operator of an illegal streaming service in Lebanon has received a jail sentence after a complaint by the Premier League.

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Premier League and Sky Sports brought complaintIllegal stream provider based in LebanonReceives 11-month jail sentence and fineFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The governing body joined forces with Sky Sports to take the provider to court and the defendant was eventually found guilty of five charges. They were sentenced to 11 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $90,000 (£70,000).

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Illegal streaming has increasingly become a problem for the Premier League, who sell TV rights to their product for lucrative fees around the world. They joined forces with both Sky and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment to make the complaint, while the Lebanese Cyber Crime Bureau were also involved.

WHAT THE PREMIER LEAGUE SAID

Kevin Plumb, the Premier League general counsel, said: "The outcome of this case highlights the severity with which courts across the world continue to treat all forms of piracy, and the stark consequences for those responsible for this criminality. The case further demonstrates the Premier League’s commitment to protecting its intellectual property around the world. This is not only important to us and our broadcast partners, but it is essential for the future health of English football and the protection of our fans."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR THE PREMIER LEAGUE?

The UK Premier League TV rights have been sold for the next four years, with Sky Sports and TNT Sports agreeing to broadcast games until 2029.

Leeds United bounced back to winning ways in the Championship on Saturday with a thumping 4-0 victory over Oxford United at Elland Road.

Goals from Dan James, Jayden Bogle, Manor Solomon, and Brenden Aaronson secured all three points for the Whites, after they had failed to beat Preston North End at Deepdale last weekend.

Daniel Farke’s side needed a stoppage-time own goal to seal a point in Lancashire, but they showcased their true quality at the top end of the pitch with a ruthless display in West Yorkshire this time out.

One of the stars of the show for Leeds in the comprehensive victory at Elland Road was Tottenham Hotspur loanee Solomon, who scored his third of the season.

Manor Solomon's performance against Oxford

The forward set up the opening goal by bursting into the box down the left flank before sliding a perfect ball across for James to fire into the back of the net from close range.

Solomon recorded his second assist of the afternoon for the third goal of the game, playing a brilliant pass into the path of Aaronson – who brilliantly controlled and produced a composed finish past Jamie Cumming.

The Israel international then got his name on the scoresheet with a rasping near-post shot that was too powerful for the Oxford goalkeeper, who appeared to let it go through him.

Solomon, who also completed three of his five attempted dribbles, was directly involved in three of the four goals and deserves plenty of praise for his exceptional display on the left flank.

Amid all the praise that will likely come the way of the attacking players who scored or assisted the goals, an unsung hero from the game could be central midfielder Ao Tanaka.

Why Ao Tanaka was the unsung hero

The Japan international was not directly involved in any of the four goals but his outstanding performance in the middle of the park paved the foundations for Farke’s team to dominate and win.

His metronomic presence in possession and tenacious play off the ball helped to facilitate a terrific all-round team display from the Whites against Oxford.

He made one tackle and two interceptions without being dribbled past a single time, which shows that the opposition players struggled to get the better of him in transition moments when the away side did win the ball back.

Minutes

90

Touches

122

Pass accuracy

92%

Passes made

100/109

Duels won

4/6

As you can see in the table above, Tanaka was almost perfect in possession for the Whites, completing a staggering 100 passes – 28 more than central midfield partner Joe Rothwell (72).

Only Ethan Ampadu at centre-back (104) completed more passes than Tanaka and this speaks to how involved the former Fortuna Dusseldorf star was for Leeds, as he was central to the way they built the play and carved open the Oxford defence.

Therefore, the Japanese maestro was the unsung hero of the game for Farke because his sensational display was up there with Solomon’s contributions, despite not registering a goal or an assist.

Leeds now plotting January move to sign "composed" Premier League defender

The Whites have turned their attention towards January.

ByTom Cunningham Dec 21, 2024

Vettori thinks the Mumbai batter has “soaked up balls” this IPL season

Yash Jha12-May-20223:10

Is Pollard a critical part of Mumbai Indians’ future?

Kieron Pollard may be in the middle of his least productive IPL campaign but, according to former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop, there may still be more to come if the 35-year old is open to a little bit of tinkering.”Pollard himself has to reinvent his game, however he chooses to do that, because he’s still got a future ahead of him we hope,” Bishop said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time: Out. “People are saying he’s washed, I’m not going to go there. I think he’s a player who can reinvent himself.”Eleven games into IPL 2022, Pollard has 144 runs under his belt at an average of 14.40 and a strike rate of 107.46 – his lowest strike rate in any IPL season. The only previous instance of Pollard finishing a season with a strike rate below 130 was more than a decade ago, in 2011. Having been a vital cog in the Mumbai machinery since 2010 – and a key contributor in each of their five IPL title wins – Pollard has had the backing of the team even as he goes through a difficult campaign.”Yeah, they’re keeping faith and being loyal to a great player for them. We have to have long memories – when I say we, in the media; fans, some fans anyway, have short memories,” Bishop said. “You look at Pollard’s numbers when Mumbai have won the championships: 400 runs [420] in 2013 at [an average of] 42, up to 2019 and 2020, where he averaged over 30 with a strike rate sometimes in the 160s to 190s [156.74 in 2019, 191.42 in 2020] – he’s been integral to them. You can’t forget that as a franchise, so they’re giving him every possible chance.”A strike-rate problem?•ESPNcricinfo LtdFour of Pollard’s five fastest-scoring campaigns have come in years where Mumbai won the IPL – 2013, 2015, 2019 and 2020 – and over the years he has become part of the side’s leadership group as well. The dwindling returns through this frustrating season (Mumbai are rooted to the bottom of the table with just two wins in 11 games) may see some fans clamouring for his removal – or even a break, to try out other options in the team’s remaining games – but Daniel Vettori agreed with Bishop’s take.”Franchises can’t think like fans; they have to be dispassionate towards what they’re talking about,” Vettori said. “What Mumbai have to do is to have a long memory, as Bish says, but also look to the future.”Is Pollard in that future? I suggest he is. I think we’ve had seasons before from him where he maybe hasn’t been on top of his game and he’s bounced back. So Pollard playing these last few games is critical, because I think he’ll be a critical part of the franchise going forward.”Kieron Pollard vs spin•ESPNcricinfo LtdAmong the bigger concerns for Pollard – the batter – is his visible struggle against spin. He has averaged 6.80 versus spinners this season while striking at just 82.92, with teams having clear strategies and saving overs of spin for him. Vettori, who himself bowled a fair bit to Pollard in his playing days, believes he is being hampered not as much by waning powers, as he is by tentative thinking.”In terms of spin bowling, he is terrifying to bowl to as a spin bowler, generally,” Vettori said. “His reach just dominates everything, and a lot of the time he can go from ball one or ball two. I think what we’re seeing [this season] is that he’s soaked up balls. But him at his best is if you overpitch, he’s going to hit you for six first ball. It just feels like there’s a tentativeness there; maybe that’s symptomatic of the season as well or where the season has gone, that he wants to put it all on his shoulders and carry the team right through to the end, like he’s done in the past, but it just hasn’t quite worked this season.”Bishop reckons it’s a question of confidence. “As a bowler, if you know that a guy is tentative, you know he’s out of form, you know you have the wood over him, then you’re very confident in executing whatever plans you have,” he said. “When Pollard has been in his best form, I’ve seen him take apart some legspinners, I’ve seen him take apart some left-arm spinners.”Kieron Pollard needs confidence; he’s not that type of guy – when you get on top of him, it’s harder for him to come out. He needs the confidence, he needs the backing, he needs a good start to the season.”Having seen Pollard from close quarters from a young age, how much of the surround sound does Bishop think is getting through to him? “100%,” he said. “Pollard would be feeling disappointed, he’d be concerned with his form, he’d be trying to find a way, because he knows as well. We talk about Mumbai being loyal to him, he knows as well that while he has performed for them they continued to be loyal to him, and he would want to repay that faith. And I’m sure that he’s concerned about the fact that he hasn’t scored the volume of runs.”As great a player as he has been for the Mumbai Indians, I’m telling you, 100%, that it has concerned him. He wants to – not prove the critics wrong, because there’s justification in some of the criticism of his form, it’s been obvious – but he’d want to show them that he still has it.”

Harry Kane has sent his best wishes to Bayern Munich team-mate Alphonso Davies after the defender's season was ended due to an ACL injury.

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Davies suffered ACL injuryWill miss remainder of campaignKane sent get well soon messageFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Canadian full-back was withdrawn early during Canada's CONCACAF third-place play-off win over the USMNT. He was able to leave the pitch in the 12th minute himself but looked in a heap of discomfort, with the injury later revealed to be a torn cruciate knee ligament. As classy as ever, Kane was one of the first to send his best wishes to the Bayern Munich man.

AdvertisementWHAT KANE SAID

In a message on Instagram, Kane said to his team-mate: "We're all behind you @alphonsodavies. No doubt you'll come back from this injury stronger than ever."

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Although Kane is supportive of Davies on the surface, the England captain will be aware that his absence is a significant blow to Bayern's Bundesliga title hopes. The former Tottenham man is hoping to break his major trophy duck but the Bavarian club cannot afford any more slip-ups in the race against current champions Bayer Leverkusen, who are only six points behind the current league leaders.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Davies is already on the road to recovery but will miss at least the next six months of action. Kane's head will be turned back towards domestic action after his international exploits with England as Bayern face St. Pauli on Saturday.

Tottenham are looking to get ahead of Barcelona in the race to sign a new target for Ange Postecolgou in the January transfer window, according to a fresh report from Spain.

Tottenham draw 2-2 with Wolves

Spurs failed to record a first Premier League win in three on Sunday, drawing 2-2 at home to Wolves. Tottenham came from behind thanks to goals from Rodrigo Bentancur and Brennan Johnson, however, Jorgen Strand Larsen’s late equaliser made it just one point from nine in the last seven days.

Ange considers cut-price January deal for ex-Man City defender at Tottenham

The Australian has been made aware that he could be available next month.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 28, 2024

The result leaves Tottenham in the bottom half at the halfway stage of the season, with the club miles away from challenging for European football next campaign.

Fortunately, with the January transfer window just around the corner, Tottenham will have the chance to strengthen their squad as they look for a better second half of the campaign, with Postecoglou keen to add new blood to his ranks in the next month.

Ahead of the Nottingham Forest defeat, the Australian coach explained: “Like I said a while ago, we’ve been planning. A lot of it was going to be around where we’re at around this time. [It’s] fair to say we’re still a little bit short in a couple of areas and we need to reinforce.”

A defender and a new forward are reportedly on their wishlist, and now they may have found a new option to bolster their backline.

Tottenham in race for defender who could leave in January

Spurs have been linked with moves for the likes of Ben Godfrey and Abdukodir Khusanov already ahead of the January transfer window, but have now been handed another, more unlikely name.

Now, a report from Spain has claimed that Tottenham are now in the mix with Barcelona and several other clubs around Europe to land Rayo Vallecano defender Andrei Ratiu in January, with the defender “very likely to leave” the La Liga side in January.

Though Ratiu is under contract until 2028, the report claims that the defender is set to leave this winter after a string of impressive performances. An international teammate of current Spurs defender Radu Dragusin, Ratiu has a €25m [£20.7m] release clause in his deal in Spain, which the report suggests could be triggered this winter.

Alongside Barcelona and Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma are all named as potential destinations, with Barcelona reportedly having an advantage due to strong agent relations. However, the Catalan club currently have no money to sign new players in January, already struggling to register summer signing Dani Olmo for the second half of the season, leaving them an unlikely destination for the 26-year-old.

Despite that, a move to Tottenham seems equally far-fetched unless there is an exit from north London, with Ratiu’s 16 appearances this season having all come at right back, where Spurs are already well-stocked with Pedro Porro and Djed Spence, while Archie Gray also spent much of his Leeds career at fullback.

Position

Games played

Right Back

143

Right Midfield

9

Right winger

7

Left back

3

Centre back

1

Therefore, though a transfer may be likely for the Romanian defender, it seems unlikely that it will be to north London this January, with a centre-back likely to be far more of a priority for Postecoglou and co given their current situation.

Former England captain withdraws from Test Match Special following internal criticism

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2022Michael Vaughan has made the decision “step back from work with the BBC”, almost two weeks after being charged over the Yorkshire racism scandal, and will not be part of the Test Match Special commentary team for next week’s delayed fifth Test against India.Vaughan was dropped from last winter’s Ashes coverage after being implicated in Azeem Rafiq’s testimony about the culture of institutional racism at Yorkshire, but was restored to broadcasting duties for the recent three-Test series against New Zealand.That move, however, has caused disquiet for the BBC Sport’s Black, Asian and minority ethnic group, which last week sent an internal email criticising the “totally inexcusable” decision to re-employ Vaughan, whom Rafiq claims told a group of Asian players in 2009 that there were “too many of you lot, we need to do something about it”.That alleged comment led to Vaughan becoming one of seven Yorkshire players to be charged by the ECB’s Cricket Discipline Commission with bringing the game into disrepute.On Tuesday evening, Vaughan responded to the criticism by releasing a statement on Twitter.”On numerous occasions, I have put on record my views on the issues concerning YCCC,” Vaughan wrote. “It is always regrettable when commentary on matters off the field take the focus away from what’s happening on the field. In view of the ongoing dialogue on the subject, I have taken the decision to step back from my work with the BBC for the time being.”The key driver for this is my concern for the wellbeing of my family members and my wish to protect their family life. Stepping back temporarily is also in the interests of the game and I hope that it will minimise any difficulties for my work colleagues.”The BBC responded in a statement: “Following conversations with Michael Vaughan we have accepted his decision to step away from our cricket coverage. This is a decision we respect and understand. Michael remains under contract to the BBC.”

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has opened up on Trent Alexader-Arnold's mindset as the full-back nears a summer move to Real Madrid.

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Alexander-Arnold set to move to Real MadridQuestions raised over Alexander-Arnold's focusSlot speaks out on full-backFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Alexander-Arnold has long been linked with a move to Real Madrid as Los Blancos look to unite the right-back with his England team-mate and good friend, Jude Bellingham, at Santiago Bernabeu. Reports have suggested that Real Madrid are nearing a free transfer agreement for the 26-year-old as his contract with the Reds runs out this summer.

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Questions have been raised by the media and Liverpool fans over the last couple of weeks about Alexander-Arnold's commitment towards the Reds for the rest of the season. However, Liverpool boss Slot has insisted that the right-back remains "focused" on recovering from his hamstring and getting back on the pitch for his current club.

GettyWHAT SLOT SAID

Slot told reporters when asked to comment on Alexander-Arnold's proposed move to Real: "His situation is that unfortunately, he is injured. Otherwise, people probably would have spoken about him having one or two brilliant performances for the England team.

"But he is injured, so for him he is fully focused on his recovery, and for us, we are trying to help him to be back as early as he can."

WHAT NEXT FOR ALEXANDER-ARNOLD?

Alexander-Arnold will be looking to end his stint at Liverpool with his second domestic crown, as Slot's side sit 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League with just nine games to go. The Reds are due back in action on Wednesday when they host Everton in a Merseyside derby clash.

Wicketkeeper hits 146, allrounder unbeaten on 83 after coming together at 98 for 5

Karthik Krishnaswamy01-Jul-20223:11

Can we compare Pant to Gilchrist in Test cricket already?

Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell may have left the UK, but the narrative arc they established during New Zealand’s just-concluded Test tour continues to define the 2022 English summer. From the despair of 98 for 5, India roared back through the sixth-wicket heroics of Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja, who put on 222 off just 239 balls.On a rain-interrupted day in which only 73 overs were possible, India galloped to 338 for 7 at the rate of 4.63 per over. Bazball? Well, Rishabh Pant was doing it long before the term was coined, and he moves to no one else’s rhythm but his own. He scored his fifth Test hundred and his second in England, a breathtaking 146 off just 111 balls.Jadeja, meanwhile, began his innings with India in considerable strife and calmed the dressing room down with an innings of crisp driving and discipline outside off stump. At close of play, he was still batting on 83.Seven overs remain before the second new ball is due, and while India’s first-innings total is already well within the realms of respectability, it is by no means a safe one. Their hopes of getting to 375 or beyond rest with Jadeja, and how much support he can get from their brittle bottom three.All through this summer, the Dukes ball has softened after the 30-over mark or thereabouts and become far less of a threat to batters. This was certainly a contributor to India’s fightback, but another possible factor – and a far more worrying one for the home team – may have been England’s lack of bowling depth, and their over-reliance on the ageless and peerless James Anderson.With a two-hour rain break – which included the 40 minutes of an early lunch – allowing him to rest his legs when the ball was still new, Anderson bowled 15 of the first 35 overs of the day. But he only bowled four of the last 38 overs, a time when England could have done with their other bowlers stepping up.2:15

Giles on Anderson: ‘He’s a genius, still a pleasure to watch him operate’

Instead, England’s third and fourth specialist bowlers conceded 156 runs in just 26 overs. While Matthew Potts’ day unraveled after an encouraging start – he took the wickets of Hanuma Vihari and Virat Kohli – Jack Leach had an entirely forgettable time of it, as Pant – by no means for the first time – toyed mercilessly with him.Pant took 59 runs off Leach, off just 32 balls, and 46 of these runs came through the leg side despite the left-arm spinner bowling with six fielders on that side of the wicket, including three protecting the boundary. He launched the ball thrillingly down the ground, as you might expect, but the highlight of Pant’s takedown of Leach was probably the way he manipulated his quicker, flatter change-ups by sinking halfway onto his back knee and sweeping, swiping or swatting him either side of deep backward square leg. He was quite likely lbw if he missed, but at no time did he seem remotely likely to miss.Pant got through almost his entire repertoire of shots against both spin and pace – there was a not-quite-middled repeat of his reverse-scoop over the slips off Anderson, for instance, and a straight hit off Leach that ended with batter lying flat on his back – but the most brilliant bits of his strokeplay were from the more textbook end of the spectrum, none better than a pair of scorching back-foot punches off Potts.These two shots came during a passage of play immediately after tea when India wrested the momentum entirely away from England, with Potts conceding 37 runs in a five-over spell, only to give way to the even more expensive Leach, who eventually ended the day nursing figures of 9-0-71-0. At the other end, Anderson and then Stuart Broad could only apply so much salve.Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja embrace after the former reached his fifth Test ton•Getty ImagesEventually it was Joe Root who dismissed Pant, finding the edge with a clever change of pace immediately after being hit for a straight six. Ben Stokes dismissed Shardul Thakur soon after with a sharp bouncer, giving England a welcome sight of India’s tail after being under the pump for so long.England couldn’t have envisaged the day ending in that manner given how it had begun. Overhead conditions – and the afterglow of their back-to-back-to-back successful run-chases against New Zealand – prompted Stokes to bowl first, and Anderson justified that choice by dismissing both openers.Shubman Gill got going with three sweetly timed early boundaries, but always seemed a little vulnerable to feeling for the ball outside off stump. He survived two edges that fell short of the cordon, but had no such luck on 17, when he pushed away from his body at a ball from Anderson that straightened from just short of a length.Cheteshwar Pujara, back in the Test XI but opening rather than batting at No. 3, made a typically solid start against testing bowling, but having seen off 45 balls, he got a peach from Anderson that he could do little about: an outswinger angling into the stumps initially before curving away late with extra bounce. At second slip, Zak Crawley, who had just put down Vihari off Potts, held on to this far simpler chance that came straight to him off the shoulder of Pujara’s bat.Then, after the two-hour weather interruption, Potts got two wickets in two overs, trapping Vihari plumb with a nip-backer before having Kohli bowled off his inside edge when he was caught in two minds between playing and leaving.India were in intense strife at 71 for 4, and it only deepened after a short, stroke-filled and ultimately unconvincing innings from Shreyas Iyer, when Anderson aimed at his ribcage and got him to glove down the leg side. The efforts of Mitchell and Blundell may have cautioned England against celebrating too much at this point, but surely even they couldn’t see the same thing happening all over again?