Newcastle United have “begun discussions” with a Premier League “leader” over a move to St James’ Park this summer, according to a new transfer report.

Centre-back a priority for Newcastle this summer

The Magpies are eyeing new signings all over the pitch, from James Trafford in goal to Anthony Elanga out wide, but a new centre-back is vital before the new season gets underway.

A freshness is required in that area of the pitch, especially with the likes of Fabian Schar and Dan Burn not getting any younger, and Marc Guehi is seemingly a front-runner to come in and bolster the options at Eddie Howe’s disposal. A £70m move to St James’ continues to be mooted.

The England international is far from the only defender being mentioned as an option for Newcastle, though, with Marseille ace Leonardo Balerdi linked with a summer switch to the Magpies.

Similarly, Atalanta central defender Giorgi Scalvini has also been toured as a potential signing for Howe before next season gets underway, and now another name has been thrown into the hat.

Newcastle in talks to sign Premier League "leader"

According to a fresh update from RMC Sport [via Sport Witness], Newcastle are among the clubs to have “begun discussions” with Axel Disasi over a summer move to the club.

The Magpies’ interest is described as being “particularly” strong, with the Chelsea defender valued at around £25.8m by his current club.

Disasi is another good option for Newcastle this summer, even though the jury may be out on him slightly more than someone like Guehi.

The Frenchman was deemed surplus to requirements by Chelsea last season, hence him being loaned out to Aston Villa midway through the campaign, but he is a player with plenty to admire in his game.

Appearances

7

Starts

5

Minutes played

488

Clearances per game

2.6

Aerial duel wins per game

1.1

Tackles per game

1.1

Pass completion rate

89.1%

Goals

0

The 27-year-old Disasi has won five caps for France, which is no mean feat, considering some of the elite centre-backs representing Les Bleus currently, including William Saliba, Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano. Meanwhile, journalist Nizaar Kinsella has hailed him as a “leader”, while Jamie Carragher lauded one performance from him last year.

Now back at Chelsea, it seems unlikely that he has a future there, with the above report stating that he has an “exit ticket” out of Stamford Bridge, and he could be a cheaper option than Guehi for Newcastle, albeit also being more of a gamble.

Newcastle likely to see £30m bid accepted to sign a Scalvini upgrade

Eddie Howe is keen to bolster his defence this summer at Newcastle United.

1 ByRoss Kilvington Jul 7, 2025

At 27, he is at a good point in his career to be an instant success, though, so the Magpies signing him would be far from a disaster.

Ten points was the margin between Arsenal and Liverpool in 2024/25. With the arrivals of Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez, the Reds are looking to make that gap even bigger next term.

That’s certainly a real expectation too, particularly as the Gunners are yet to sign their elusive striker.

Viktor Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko. Take your pick as far as Mikel Arteta is concerned. Either would significantly strengthen the squad at the Emirates Stadium, take them closer to Liverpool who will be gunning for glory again.

Who Arsenal pick will likely come down to price, but they are two different players we’re talking about here.

Gyokeres is the readymade goal machine. The Swede was the most in-form striker in Europe last season, scoring 54 goals in 52 games. Sesko, on the other hand, boasts immense potential but did only find the net on 21 occasions for RB Leipzig last term.

So, as Andrea Berta goes about improving Arteta’s forward line, he’s also moved to strengthen the middle of the park with Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard set to arrive.

Why Arsenal are signing Zubimendi and Norgaard

Principally, these deals are happening because the Gunners are set to lose both Jorginho and Thomas Partey.

The former has already departed the club and is now at Flamengo, who are currently at the Club World Cup in America.

Partey’s future has been a little less certain. He wants to stay. Arsenal want him to stay. Still, the latest reports have suggested that an agreement hasn’t been found and he now looks likely to depart at the end of the month.

Thus, the arrivals of Zubimendi and Norgaard are key. The Spaniard is undoubtedly the more exciting addition here.

Set to join for just over £50m, the midfielder will be coming in from Real Sociedad with a fine reputation for being one of the finest tempo setters in the game.

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has hailed the 26-year-old as “one of the best midfielders in the world” while European football expert, Sid Lowe, has noted that he “is just about as good a deep-lying midfielder there is in Europe, apart from maybe Rodri.”

Norgaard doesn’t possess the same sort of calibre but as far as Jorginho replacements go, he’ll be a steady pair of hands.

Set to arrive in a £10m deal, Arsenal will be bringing in a Premier League captain who won’t play very many minutes for a bargain fee. Even if he doesn’t make a huge impact on the field, his experience off it will undoubtedly be key.

Goals

0.16

0.13

Assists

0.13

0.22

Goal-creating actions

0.42

0.32

Pass success rate

82%

83%

Progressive passes

4.92

6.11

Passes into final 3rd

4.38

4.36

Tackles

2.52

1.69

Succesful take-ons

0.22

0.42

Confirming the arrival of new signings is always an exciting time for fans, but has a more important deal now been announced?

Another exciting deal for Arsenal has been announced

While this summer is very much about strengthening the squad, whether it be through Zubimendi or the arrivals of a Sesko or Gyokeres, the Gunners also need to keep their best players at the club.

In 2027, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba’s deals are all set to expire, and while the threat of Saka leaving is minuscule, there is a real threat that Saliba could depart.

Real Madrid have been courting him and we know how that story usually ends. Thus, getting new deals sorted for those three players will be a key part of Berta’s strategy.

He’s already tied down Gabriel to a new deal and the next announcement has seen Myles Lewis-Skelly put pen to paper.

The club’s official channels revealed on Thursday lunchtime that he’d signed a new long-term deal in N5 and the youngster was absolutely delighted.

Why is this more important than Zubimendi? Well, several reasons, the most prominent of which is that Lewis-Skelly is one of the best young players in world football.

Just 18, the full-back/midfielder has burst onto the scene in a remarkable way. A year ago, he was yet to make his senior debut for the club. Now, he ended the campaign as an England international, notably scoring on his debut, and as a PFA Young Player of the Year nominee.

It was a hell of a campaign for the teenager who, despite a few issues with discipline at the start, became a major force on the left-hand side of Arsenal’s defence.

He had the cojones to mimic Erling Haaland’s celebration after scoring against Manchester City and sparkled during the club’s run to the Champions League semi-finals.

“I’m sorry, is Lewis-Skelly really 18?”, commented Rio Ferdinand during Arsenal’s quarter-final victory over Real Madrid. “His date of birth is right, isn’t it? He looks so calm and so cool in and out of possession. Before the game he was on a call, just talking and chilling. He is special.”

He also earned acclaim from Gary Neville, who stated: “He’s gone in there and has made it look like he’s always been there. That’s the biggest compliment you can give a young player.” Fine praise indeed.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

What makes Lewis-Skelly stand out so much is his temperament. As Neville says, he looks like he’s been playing at the senior level for years.

Not just boasting an elite mentality, his technical attributes aren’t bad either. His composure is remarkable and his ability to evade the press and draw fouls is first-class.

In 2024/25, no Arsenal player won more duels (6) per 90 minutes than the teen. No Arsenal player ended the campaign with a better success rate in duels than his 69.7%.

He’s a special talent and even finished the season as the most fouled player in this Arsenal side. Not many players can get near him.

1. Myles Lewis-Skelly

47

2. Leandro Trossard

46

3. Bukayo Saka

39

4. Thomas Partey

31

5. Jurrien Timber

29

6. Kai Havertz

23

What makes his rise even more incredible is that he’s a midfielder by trade. Coming up through the youth ranks, the English talent played in the centre of the pitch but he’s been crafted into an inverted full-back.

From that position, he’s not just become one of the best young players in England, but one of the best young players in Europe’s top five leagues.

Considering Madrid have also been sniffing around him, getting a new deal is absolutely vital. His future is immense; probably even brighter than Zubimendi’s.

A better move than Zubimendi: £68m star "will sign" for Arsenal this summer

The game-changing international could be sensational for Arsenal.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 26, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

da supremo： Vanderlei Luxemburgo foi demitido do Corinthians na tarde desta quarta-feira (27) e logo passou a ser ligado ao Santos, que está sem treinador efetivo desde a saída de Diego Aguirre. O técnico tem um admirador importante no clube: Alexandre Gallo, coordenador técnico alvinegro, mas o nome do profissional não é unanimidade na diretoria.

da bet7： + Veja tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro-2023 clicando aqui

O Lance! apurou que Gallo gosta de Luxemburgo e considera a possibilidade. Porém, o treinador encontra resistência interna e, em caso de negociação, a contratação pode ser reprovada pelo Comitê de Gestão santista. No ano passado, o Peixe negociou a chegada do treinador, mas o CG barrou a possibilidade.

+ Garanta a sua vaga no curso que formou craques como Pet, Dante e Léo Moura! Cupom: LANCE1000

Mesmo com este cenário, além de sondagens, não há tratativas oficiais em andamento entre Santos e Luxa. Neste momento, o Peixe está focado na decisão contra o Vasco, no domingo (1), na Vila Belmiro. A partida significa um confronto direto para o time tentar deixar a zona do rebaixamento.

Quem comandará o Santos será o interino Marcelo Fernandes, até então favorito para seguir no cargo no restante do Brasileirão. Porém, a continuidade está relacionada ao desempenho da equipe contra o Cruzmaltino. Posteriormente, a depender do resultado do duelo, Luxemburgo pode ganhar força internamente.

Antes, o preferido da diretoria era Fábio Carille, mas as negociações esfriaram. Luxa trabalhou no Santos em 1997, 2004, 2006-07 e 2009 e conquistou um Brasileirão, dois estaduais e uma Taça Rio-São Paulo.

Thomas Muller revealed his reasons for joining Vancouver Whitecaps after leaving a long stint at Bayern Munich.

Müller signs with Whitecaps after Bayern exitCites ambition, and clear plan as reasonsSet for August 17 debut vs Houston DynamoFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Bayern legend Muller has officially joined Major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps, bringing down the curtain on his legendary 25-year spell at the German champions. The 35-year-old forward has signed a short-term deal that will see him join immediately, with the option to become a Designated Player from the 2026 season. Muller is expected to make his debut on August 17 against Houston Dynamo, pending match fitness and final paperwork.

The Whitecaps, currently battling for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, have made it clear they’re aiming higher, and Muller’s arrival is a signal of serious intent.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT MULLER SAID

Muller shed light on the motivation behind his decision to join the Canadian club, making it clear in his monthly newsletter that the move was carefully thought out. 

He wrote: "What I particularly like is that since the season is already entering its final phase, I'm getting straight to the point. My first minutes of play will probably be on August 17 against Houston Dynamo. The overall package just worked. From a sporting perspective, we/they are in contention for the title and are currently in second place in the Western Conference. The discussions with managing director Axel Schuster and coach Jesper Sorensen were really good from the start, I noticed they know where they want to go. Clear words, as you know, I've always liked that. 

The 2014 World Cup winner also threw light on being present at the turf with old team-mates until recently: "To be honest, this doesn't feel as strange as you might think. I've known about my situation since March and have had time to adjust. I'm now happy that my next stop has been decided and I can continue doing what I love: playing football. In the last few days, I've met my old team-mates and shared some wonderful moments. It was relaxed, with no feeling of farewell or anything like that." 

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Muller’s move to Canada marks one of the most high-profile European arrivals in MLS history. While many stars choose larger US-based franchises, Muller’s decision reflects both personal and sporting factors, from club vision to lifestyle. Besides, the weather in Canada is also quite suitable for the Bavarian. It’s a major coup for the Whitecaps and a signal that the MLS continues to evolve as a genuine destination for world-class talent who still want to compete at a high level.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR THOMAS MULLER?

Muller is set to link up with his new teammates immediately and is expected to feature against Houston Dynamo later this month. With Vancouver firmly in the playoff mix, he could have a decisive impact on their title push. The club also has the option to register him as a Designated Player in 2026, a move that would further elevate his role as the face of their project both on and off the pitch.

لا يتوقف لامين يامال، نجم فريق برشلونة، عن إثارة أجواء ما قبل الكلاسيكو، بعدما لجأ إلى حسابه الشخصي بموقع “إنستجرام” من أجل استفزاز ريال مدريد بطريقة ما، قبل مباراتهما مساء الأحد.

ويستضيف ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” مباراة فريقي ريال مدريد وبرشلونة، في الجولة العاشرة من الدوري الإسباني، موسم 2025/26.

وأثار لامين يامال الجدل بطريقة واسعة، قبل يومين، بعدما أدلى بتصريحات هجومية ضد ريال مدريد، حيث قال عنهم: “يسرقون ويشتكون”.

ولم يكتفِ لامين يامال بذلك، بل نشر عبر حسابه الشخصي بموقع “إنستجرام” مقطع فيديو، عبر خاصة ستوري، جاء به: “اللاعب الذي جاء الحي لا ينافس على الشهرة، بل ينافس من أجل المستقبل، لا يلعب من أجل الأضواء، بل يلعب ليتجنب النظر إلى الوراء”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ماركا: لامين يامال يثير القلق في برشلونة

وأضاف: “الضغط الحقيقي ليس في الملعب، بل في عيون أولئك الذين لم يتوقفوا عن الإيمان، وعندما يسجل، لا يحتفل لنفسه، بل لأن هذا الهدف يمكن أن يغيره ويغير عائلته وحيه”.

وتضمن مقطع الفيديو صورًا من مغامرات طفولته في حي روكافوندا، وأصدقائه، وزملائه، وعائلته، وهدفه في البرنابيو في الدوري الإسباني الموسم الماضي، واختتمه قائلًا: “تركت خوفي في حديقة ماتارو منذ زمن طويل”.

⏳ El vídeo que ha subido Lamine Yamal en su Instagram a horas de El Clásico pic.twitter.com/V8ZUU1F0WM — Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) October 25, 2025

كما نشر لامين يامال منشورًا ثانيًا، عبر “إنستجرام”، عبارة عن صورة احتفاله بهدفه في سانتياجو برنابيو الموسم الماضي، حيث تعرض حينئذ لصيحات استهجان من جانب جماهير ريال مدريد، وهو يشير إلى رقم قميصه ثم يدير ظهره، وذلك خلال فوز برشلونة برباعية نظيفة.

😁 Seguido de esta foto ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/jMCPsQ2ZwT — Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) October 25, 2025

Filling in as opener, Babar Azam had a good day with the bat but was left to ponder what could have been

Danyal Rasool06-Jan-2025Babar Azam found himself rooted to the crease in disgust. He couldn’t believe the shot he’d played after being set on a surface where there was limited threat from either the pitch or the bowlers. He must have thought he’d never make that mistake again, but two sessions later it happened.So, on a day where Babar scored two half-centuries, the bigger talking point surrounded his shot selection. Well set during Pakistan’s first innings in the opening session, Kwena Maphaka had bowled one well down leg side, and managed to coax Babar into tickling it through to the wicketkeeper. It has been a persistent issue with Babar – the strangle down leg. But then again, so is his manner of dismissal two sessions later when, in the dying throes of the day, he threw his hands at a wide delivery from Marco Jansen, and edged it straight to gully.Related

• Pakistan need to know what they want from Test cricket

• Babar, Masood fight for Pakistan after South Africa enforce follow-on

• Stats: Masood and Babar raise the follow-on bar for openers

• Masood practices the art of not letting go

Babar admitted the dismissals meant it was disappointment rather than relief that dominated his emotions. “I’m very disappointed with both innings. I started well, but didn’t finish well,” he said. “If you settle, you must go much bigger. That is why I was a bit upset. There were just 15 minutes left.”It was all the more frustrating because South Africa posed no danger of dismissing either him or Shan Masood, who scored an unbeaten hundred. Having sent down nearly a hundred overs across the two innings, their discipline over the last two sessions had been poor; they bowled 10 no-balls in 49 overs of the second innings. There was almost no swing or movement of the seam, and Pakistan’s openers appeared set to finish the day unbeaten, looking to salvage something after the disaster of the first.”The conditions here are different from Centurion,” Babar said. “When you come to South Africa, you don’t expect that [the pitch will be so flat]. With the new ball, it was a bit challenging, but once you settled down and built a partnership, it became easier. But there are some rough patches; you saw a couple of overs from Maharaj to Shan which got some turn and bounce. So the spinner is a bit of a challenge for the batter. But against the fast bowler, if you’re settled, just play your normal game.”There was, however, some relief for Babar. After about two years without a Test fifty, he had scored three on the trot, a run stretching back to the second innings in Centurion. However, all three dismissals were down to poor shot selection rather than bowlers working him out.”I should have capitalised during our partnership, but unfortunately it didn’t happen,” he said. “In the second innings, my partnership with Shan has helped us come back into the game a little. Tomorrow, we have to try and build a partnership, and the longer those partnerships are the more pressure there’ll be on South Africa.”But there is a bigger picture, one that his continued struggle of late has put him in a better position to appreciate. He is the highest run-scorer for Pakistan this series, and now has something every batter values: competitive time at the crease under his belt.”Things change in life all the time,” he said. “I learned a lot during this time [of poor form] when what I wanted to do I wasn’t able to do, and when I couldn’t do the things that people expected of me. I just kept telling myself to stay calm, and believe that my ability and hard work would be vindicated, and to try and enjoy myself. But what was really important was to spend some time on the pitch, and thankfully [that has happened this series].”

West Bromwich Albion’s drawn-out search for a new manager has ended with Ryan Mason now officially in the Baggies’ hot seat.

There is plenty of intrigue surrounding this appointment as the Championship side ditch the tried and tested approach of Tony Mowbray for something left-field and fresher, with the 33-year-old taking on his first ever head coach role having only once been a stand-in option at ex-employers Tottenham Hotspur.

He will want to get down to business soon in the transfer market to begin to leave a lasting mark on his new side, with plenty of signings rumoured to be entering the building alongside the fresh-faced manager.

West Brom locked into talks with new striker

Mason could utilise those Spurs connections when adding to his Baggies squad, with North London prodigy Mikey Moore already being tipped to make a loan move to the EFL to expand his horizons, away from previous links suggesting Jamie Donley could call the West Midlands home shortly.

Further, it looks as if West Brom could win themselves a new deadly marksman in the form of Hearts’ goal machine Lawrence Shankland.

Journalist Mark Hendry has now revealed that West Brom are locked in talks about bringing the prolific 29-year-old to the Hawthorns, as the Hearts captain increasingly looks more and more likely to walk away from the Edinburgh giants on a free transfer.

But, the Championship promotion hopefuls aren’t alone in their interest, with Hendry surprisingly adding that both Al-Ettifaq and Al-Wedha are sniffing around from Saudi Arabia.

How Shankland could be West Brom's best striker since Maja

If West Brom were to pip these outfits to the coveted signature of the Scotsman, they could be about to seal their best striker signing since Josh Maja’s addition, with the equally lethal attacker going on to be a golden purchase up top himself, considering he joined the ranks in 2023 on a free transfer as well.

Maja has endured difficult periods at the Hawthorns, however, with a mammoth 44 games missed through injury over the last two seasons.

But, when he’s fit, there’s a real lack of strikers in the Championship that possess the same clinical edge the Nigerian has in abundance, with the devastatingly effective number nine picking up 12 goals last campaign, despite only being fit enough to line up for 26 league clashes.

Shankland has also displayed a “ruthless” cutting edge – in the words of pundit Chris Sutton – throughout his celebrated spell on the books of Hearts, with this last-gasp goal against arch rivals Hibernian just one of many crucial strikes the Glasgow-born attacker has powered home for Derek McInnes’ men.

Having played up and down the various Scottish leagues across his goal-laden career to date, it does feel like the time is right for Shankland to test himself in a new and challenging environment, with the 6 foot 1 menace hopeful he can take to the pressures of the Hawthorns in his stride, much like Maja did when taking the plunge two years ago.

Shankland’s G/A record for Hearts by season
Season	Games played	Goals scored	Assists
24/25	43	9	11
23/24	47	31	8
22/23	47	28	4
Sourced by Transfermarkt

After all, before his return to England, the ex-Sunderland forward had begun to garner his own reputation for being a reliable source of goals when leading the line for Bordeaux, with 29 goals tallied up from 93 appearances.

Therefore, when assessing Shankland’s monstrous total of 68 strikes from 137 contests for Hearts, he should find his shooting boots are an equally uncomplicated find in the EFL’s elite league.

Mason would love to welcome in Shankland then as one of his first signings, with the 33-year-old no doubt crying out for a potent forward line to help his new side instantly gun for promotion.

Mason can sign West Brom's next Fellows in young star who's like "Neymar"

Ryan Mason would love to welcome this stunning star to this brand-new West Bromwich Albion squad.

1

By
Kelan Sarson

Jun 4, 2025

Jasprit Bumrah struck with the last ball of the day after India were bowled out for 185

Deivarayan Muthu03-Jan-2025

Scott Boland finished with figures of 4 for 31 in 20 overs•Getty Images

Australia 9 for 1 (Bumrah 1-7) trail India185 (Pant 40, Boland 4-31, Starc 3-49, Cummins 2-37) by 176 runs
Off-field chaos swirled around India in the lead-up to the Sydney Test. Their on-field batting performance on the opening day in Sydney was just as chaotic after Rohit Sharma dropped himself in a nearly unprecedented move in Indian cricket and Jasprit Bumrah took over as captain. After Bumrah chose to bat, India struggled in the face of relentless bowling from Australia and were eventually dismissed for 185, just before close of play.Bumrah produced the final twist when he got rid of Usman Khawaja off the last ball of the day, and Australia went to stumps on 9 for 1.Related

Pant: 'Sometimes you have to play more sensible cricket'

Great Scott Boland, the supersub calling the shots for Australia

Bumrah leads India as Rohit chooses 'to rest' in Sydney

Smith '100%' certain he got his hand under Kohli's catch

Rohit did the decent thing, so why cloak it in intrigue?

Scott Boland led the line for Australia, returning staggering figures of 20-8-31-4. His metronomic accuracy and mastery of length, with the new ball as well as the old one, was too much to handle for India’s batters. He hardly bowled a bad ball and kept generating sharp seam movement off a lush-green Sydney pitch that also offered variable bounce.Mitchell Starc had gone too full in search of swing in the first over while Pat Cummins erred on the shorter side with the new ball. Boland, though, located the perfect length in his first over and never veered away from it. He struck with his fourth ball when he put one on a good length and got it to seam away to have Yashasvi Jaiswal nicking off to debutant Beau Webster at third slip for 10.Boland nearly had Virat Kohli out first ball•Getty Images

By then, KL Rahul had already been dismissed for 4, having chipped a leg-stump half-volley from Starc straight to Sam Konstas at square leg in the fifth over. Shubman Gill, who had replaced Rohit in India’s XI, started well but his innings was cut short at 20 when he advanced at Nathan Lyon only to offer a catch to slip off what turned out to be the last ball before lunch. Gill has reached 20 three times in four innings on this tour but hasn’t passed 31.Virat Kohli could have been out first ball, but he survived by the skin of his teeth. Boland had Kohli wafting an outside edge to second slip, where Steven Smith dived low to his right and appeared to have grabbed the ball close to the ground before somehow scooping it up to gully, where Marnus Labuschagne completed the catch. After much rocking and rolling, Joel Wilson, the TV umpire, deemed that the ball had touched the ground before Smith lobbed it to Labuschagne.Kohli then left the next ball and 16 more balls before Boland sucked him into nicking another one, with Webster holding onto this chance with his bucket hands at third slip. Kohli has been dismissed seven times in this Border-Gavaskar series and all his dismissals have followed a pattern: edging behind to the keeper or the cordon. It was also the fourth time in six Test innings that Boland had bested Kohli.Kohli had gone to great lengths to avoid this pattern – he had ditched his open stance for a more side-on one – but it proved unavoidable as he fell for 17 off 69 balls.Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja briefly repaired the innings with a 48-run partnership for the fifth wicket in 25 overs before Boland damaged India again, this time with a double-blow. He first had Pant splicing a pull to mid-on, and next ball he had Nitish Kumar Reddy, India’s hero from the MCG Test, caught at second slip for a duck. Boland was denied a hat-trick but remained a threat, nipping even the old ball off the seam from both over and around the stumps.Jasprit Bumrah ended the day with the wicket of Usman Khawaja and this glare at Sam Konstas•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Pant had played an unusually subdued knock, managing 40 off 98 balls. After having been caught on the boundary in both innings at the MCG – his failed first-innings scoop drew particularly severe criticism – he sat back and relied more on his defensive technique. In a rare show of aggression, however, he stepped out to Webster and launched him over the sightscreen for six. It was only the sixth boundary for India in 46 overs.The depth and skill in Australia’s attack meant there was no breathing room for India’s batters. Webster, the allrounder who had switched from offspin to medium-pace during Covid-19, put in a tidy shift, coming away with figures of 13-4-29-0, and his slip catching was even more memorable.Starc and Cummins then took care of India’s lower order. Despite battling back issues, Starc cranked it up to 147kph and discomfited India’s batters, using the uneven bounce to his advantage. He first pinged Pant on his bicep and left him with a bruise before knocking him on his helmet. Pant copped a number of blows on his body during his painstaking stay.Ravindra Jadeja’s vigil (26 off 95 balls) came to an end when Starc pinned him lbw. Cummins then wrapped India up for 185.Bumrah had some fun with the bat, clubbing his way to 22 off 17 balls. He had more fun with the ball when he struck with the final ball of the day. He celebrated it animatedly by spinning around and advancing at Konstas, the non-striker, who had been involved in a fiery exchange with him moments before Khawaja’s dismissal. The on-field umpire had to intervene to diffuse the tension.Bumrah and Konstas promise more entertainment on day two at the SCG.