Bayern Munich are reportedly planning a very bold swoop for one of Enzo Maresca’s key Chelsea stars, with the Bavarians repeatedly talking about him in behind-the-scenes meetings.

Chelsea seek first December win against Everton

Chelsea host Everton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, desperately searching for momentum after enduring their worst run of recent form under Maresca this season.

The Blues have gone four consecutive matches without victory across all competitions, slipping to fifth in the Premier League table and falling eight points behind leaders Arsenal.

Since their impressive 3-0 Champions League triumph over Barcelona last month, Maresca’s side have struggled to recapture that dominant form.

Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at Atalanta also dealt a significant blow to Chelsea’s hopes of automatic qualification to the Champions League last 16, leaving them 11th in the league phase standings and two points outside the crucial top eight positions with just two games remaining.

Joao Pedro’s opener proved insufficient as the Italian side turned the contest around through second-half strikes from Gianluca Scamacca and Charles De Ketelaere.

Chelsea’s domestic struggles have been equally concerning.

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A 3-1 loss at Leeds United followed their hard-fought 1-1 draw with ten men against Arsenal, before a lifeless goalless stalemate at Bournemouth extended their winless streak.

Maresca’s side have dropped more points from winning positions at home than any other Premier League team this season, with eight points surrendered after taking leads at Stamford Bridge.

Everton arrive in buoyant spirits having won four of their last five Premier League matches, keeping clean sheets in all four victories.

David Moyes’ resurgent side currently sit seventh, just two points behind Chelsea and firmly in contention for European qualification.

Consecutive away wins at Man United and Bournemouth will have their tails firmly up, and the Toffees will draw more confidence from Chelsea’s vulnerability right now.

That being said, Everton haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since November 1994 and remain winless across their last 35 visits in all competitions.

Moyes has personally never won there in 20 attempts, so it’s been quite a sorry hunting ground for the Scotsman.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall returns to face his former club having flourished since his summer departure, scoring three goals in his last four appearances, and the midfielder will be determined to haunt his former employers.

For Chelsea, vice-captain and star engine room man Enzo Fernández will be tasked with containing him.

The Argentine has been key for Maresca ever since his appointment last year, bagging seven goal contributions in a more advanced midfield role this season alone.

Fernandez’s excellent form has attracted interest from Real Madrid, and now Bayern are among the elite European clubs circling for his signature.

Bayern Munich prepare £105m bid for Chelsea star Enzo Fernández

According to reports from Spain, Allianz Arena chiefs have been ‘constantly’ discussing the World Cup winner in recruitment meetings, with Vincent Kompany’s side planning to make a marquee bid.

Indeed, it is believed that Bayern are now preparing a £105 million offer to sign Fernandez from Chelsea, but the west Londoners’ stance on selling their star man is crystal clear.

While a bid that size could get Chelsea contemplating the 24-year-old’s future, the current noise is that they have absolutely no desire to part company.

Fernandez is tied down with a long-term contract until 2032 as well, meaning BlueCo have complete control over his future.

Kompany believes that Fernandez’s arrival would seriously upgrade the team and complement Joshua Kimmich in the middle of the park, so Bayern are the ‘most determined’ to open talks ahead of 2026.

However, Chelsea’s public stance is that he’s not for sale, even if Bayern are ready to make ‘initial contact’.

Regardless of the potential proposal on Maresca’s doorstep, Chelsea made over £314 million in player sales last summer and actually registered a net spend of just £18 million.

Financially, there is absolutely no pressure whatsoever to entertain any offer for Fernandez, so Bayern may need to look somewhere else.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Cruzeiro irá decidir uma vaga na final da Copa do Brasil na noite deste domingo (14), contra o Corinthians, na Neo Química Arena. Para a partida, o técnico Leonardo Jardim terá que decidir quem escalará nos lugares de Lucas Romero e Lucas Villalba.

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O volante, apesar de ter viajado junto com o elenco para o confronto contra o Timão, não irá jogar porque está suspenso. Para a posição, o comandante celeste chegou a pautar duas opções na coletiva após a derrota por 1 a 0 no Mineirão.

Na zaga, depois da lesão ligamentar no tornozelo esquerdo de Lucas Villalba, a tendência é que Jonathan Jesus ganhe outra oportunidade. João Marcelo também é opção.

continua após a publicidade

– Temos alguns jogadores que vão jogar, diferente dos de hoje. Temos um elenco, Walace, o Matheus Henrique, que podem fazer a função. No lugar do Villalba temos o Jonathan. Não preocupa porque o elenco ao logo da temporada mostrou que temos saídas. Eu achava que teríamos o apoio na Toca para esse jogo. Peço aos torcedores que nos deram apoio nos outros jogos, que nos façam uma visita para motivar esses jogadores. O trabalho que fizeram durante a temporada é importante para chegarmos a mais uma final – comentou Leonardo Jardim.

➡️Tudo sobre o Cabuloso agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Cruzeiro

Sendo assim, uma provável escalação do Cruzeiro vem com: Cássio; William, Fabrício Bruno, Jonathan Jesus, Kaiki; Lucas Silva, Walace (Matheus Henrique), Christian, Matheus Pereira, Kaio Jorge, Arroyo.

continua após a publicidadeDespedida com apoio da torcida do Cruzeiro

Antes da viagem do elenco celeste para São Paulo na noite de sábado, torcedores se concentraram na entrada da Toca da Raposa II e foram convidados a ver o final do treino e ter contato com os jogadores.

O Cruzeiro enfrentará o Corinthians na noite deste domingo (14), às 18h (de Brasília), na Neo Química Arena. Para se classificar para a final, os mineiros precisam de uma vitória por dois ou mais gols de diferença, ou por um para levar a disputa para os pênaltis.

Tudo sobre

Copa do BrasilCruzeiroFutebol Nacional

تحدث ديكو، المدير الرياضي لنادي برشلونة، عن أحد لاعبي البارسا وأسباب معاناته في ناديه السابق قبل أن يتعاقد البلوجرانا معه.

وأبرم برشلونة صفقتين فقط خلال الميركاتو الصيفي الأخير، وهما ماركوس راشفورد وروني بردجي.

وتعاقد برشلونة مع راشفورد هذا العام قادمًا من صفوف نادي مانشستر يونايتد على سبيل الإعارة حتى نهاية هذا الموسم.

وعلى الرغم من معاناة راشفورد مع مانشستر يونايتد خلال السنوات الأخيرة، إلا أن ابن الـ28 عامًا ظهر بشكل مختلف مع برشلونة هذا الموسم وقدم مستويات مميزة ليحصل على إشادة كبيرة من الجميع.

ويعتقد ديكو في حديثه إلى صحيفة “التايمز”، أن راشفورد قد تعرض إلى ضغوطات كبيرة في مانشستر يونايتد، خصوصًا مع معدل أعمار الفريق الإنجليزي والذي لا يمتلك لاعبين كثر ذو خبرة.

وقال ديكو عن راشفورد: “إنه سعيد معنا، ماركوس لاعب رائع ولقد واجه مسؤولية أن يصبح لاعبًا مهمًا في مانشستر يونايتد ، هم مثلنا، أحد أكبر الأندية في العالم ويمتلكون فريقا صغيرا جدًا في السن”.

اقرأ أيضًا .. جوهرة برشلونة يثير إعجاب خوان لابورتا بعد عودته للمشاركة في المباريات

وأضاف ديكو في حديثه: “لقد عانى أيضًا بعض الشيء مع هذا التغيير في جيل يونايتد، إذا نظرت إلى مانشستر يونايتد في السنوات الخمس الماضية، ستجد أنهم واجهوا صعوبات في إعادة بناء الفريق ليصبح أقوى من جديد”.

وأوضح: ”كان راشفورد حاضرًا، لذا ليس من السهل على لاعب يطالبه الناس بالكثير أن يلعب بشكل جيد، عندما تكون لاعبًا مهمًا تقع على عاتقك مسؤولية كبيرة”.

وأردف ديكو في حديثه عن راشفورد: ”كنا نبحث عن لاعبٍ مثله في السوق، لاعب قادر على اللعب في جميع مراكز الهجوم الثلاثة، تمكنا من التعاقد مع ماركوس على سبيل الإعارة لرغبته في اللعب مع برشلونة”.

واختتم: ”انتظر كثيرًا، كان يعلم أننا نتعامل مع قواعد مالية لكنه كان صبورًا، انتظرنا راشفورد ونحن سعداء بوجوده”.

There are wins that seal two points, and wins that damage the opposition’s net run rate enough to imperil their path to the final. A half-century from Babar Azam and an Usman Tariq hat-trick walloped Zimbabwe by 69 runs to dent their net run-rate and keep Sri Lanka in contention for the tri-series final on Saturday. It is a final Pakistan are guaranteed to play now, having won all of their first three games. Pakistan’s 195 quickly became academic for a Zimbabwe unit that didn’t have the firepower to challenge it, and found themselves shot out for 126.After winning the toss and batting first, Saim Ayub looked to take full advantage of the powerplay. In a breezy cameo, he struck a pair of early sixes before finding a fielder. Sahibzada Farhan and Babar shifted through the gears through their partnership as they controlled the pacing of their innings, setting up Fakhar Zaman and the middle order for a big finish.Zimbabwe’s top heavy T20I batting line-up meant they could not afford to leave too much work for anyone outside the top five, but in pursuit of 196, risk-taking was inevitable. The warning signs were there when Tadiwanashe Marumani tamely spooned Naseem Shah to cover point. Brian Bennett and Brendan Taylor followed soon after, and the only resistance Zimbabwe offered came in the form of a 34-run partnership between Ryan Burl and Sikandar Raza.With Tariq’s hat-trick running through the visitors at speed, Burl suddenly found himself fighting a lone hand at one end. Somewhat curiously, he appeared disinterested in farming the strike right up until he began to approach his half-century. He would get there in style with a six off Naseem, and while he remained unbeaten, the same could emphatically not be said of his team-mates.Babar, Sahibzada take Zimbabwe onAfter Ayub holed out following a flashy start, it was left to Farhan and Babar – two men who have recently returned to form – to maintain Pakistan’s momentum. The pair went about their business in contrasting fashion. Farhan was intent on making the most of the powerplay, looking to heave at deliveries and partially riding his luck. Even so, the first 20 balls saw him score 32 runs, while Babar was characteristically sedate, looking to get himself in before launching. In his first 20, he had managed less than half of Farhan’s output, with 15 runs on the board.Babar Azam began sedately but accelerated after bedding in•PCB

But they appeared clear-headed about the target they wanted to set, and picked their moment to launch. Babar dispatched Sikandar Raza for a couple of boundaries in the 12th over, with both targeting the next few overs. Farhan brought up the hundred partnership with a colossal six down the ground as Pakistan set themselves up for the final five overs. Raza snared him next ball, but he had scored 63 off 41, and by the time Babar holed out in the deep, his 52-ball 74 had more than made up for the quiet start.The back-end onslaughtWith wickets to spare in the final five overs, Pakistan shuffled their batting order, but everyone had the license for uninhibited attack. Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Nawaz were promoted but failed to fire, with Babar keeping the run rate soaring as he took down Brad Evans and Raza in overs that produced 16 and 11 respectively.When Raza removed Babar, though, Zimbabwe enjoyed an over or so of calm, but all that hard work would be undone in a stunning final over. Fakhar, sent in at No. 7 in a career-first, smashed three sixes and a four off the hapless Evans, plundering 25 in the over to rocket Pakistan to a tournament-best 195. That Evans appeared to have dismissed him off the innings’ final delivery, only for it to be called a no-ball and for Fakhar to dispatch the free hit for six, added insult to injury.Usman Tariq’s hat-trickThe phrase “why did he do that” has become instantly recognisable among Pakistan supporters since it was immortalised when Shannon Gabriel attempted to attack spinner Yasir Shah when on the verge of saving a Test match. Today, Wellington Masakadza attempted something similar when seeing off Tariq’s hat-trick delivery.The offspinner had dismissed Tony Munyonga when he edged a sweep to short fine, and the following ball Tashinga Musekiwa was cleaned up. With fielders crowding around the bat for the hat-trick delivery, Masakadza opted to loft Tariq into the onside. Long-on was perfectly positioned to take the catch, and Tariq was gifted a hat-trick that ensured Zimbabwe would fall to a huge defeat.

Karim Benzema has reignited one of the most compelling storylines of his career by revealing he remains fully open to representing France at the 2026 World Cup, despite a turbulent international history that has long suggested his time with Les Bleus is over. Didier Deschamps' men will be looking to regain the global crown in North America, spearheaded by Kylian Mbappe – and Benzema is willing to lend a helping hand to the cause.

Benzema has played at just one World Cup

Benzema has only featured at one World Cup, the 2014 edition in Brazil. He was ignored by Raymond Domenech in 2010 and remained in exile during France’s triumphant 2018 campaign as the fallout from the Mathieu Valbuena sex tape scandal left him out in the cold. 

When he was finally recalled in 2021 under Deschamps, the return was short-lived. He travelled to Qatar in 2022 but suffered an injury during his very first training session. Subsequently, he left the camp in circumstances that raised eyebrows. Despite never announcing an official retirement, his absence from the national team since then has led many to assume the door had quietly shut.

AdvertisementGettyDoor open to Les Bleus return

Yet, speaking to , Benzema made it clear that the notion of him turning down France is simply not true and insisted that football decisions should be governed by purpose rather than politics.

"I’m a football player. So, I play football. When they call me, I come, I play," he said. "I have goals in my head. I love football and I love winning. I like trophies. That’s what matters most to me. There, I am in my club. If I am called to the national team, I come to play football. And it stops there."

Despite everything that has happened, the idea of refusing a World Cup return holds no truth for him.

"It’s not a story of no longer wanting to come back to the French team," he said. "But we have to ask ourselves the question: what am I coming to do with the French team? We are talking about a World Cup. Obviously, these are not things where you have to say: 'No, I don’t want to.' Because it’s a lie to say: 'No, I don’t want to play in a World Cup'."

Benzema's Al-Ittihad future in doubt?

While Benzema’s national-team fate is uncertain, his club future also hangs in the balance. The Frenchman swapped Madrid for Jeddah in the summer of 2023, embarking on an ambitious three-year project with Al-Ittihad. His impact has been immediate. Last season, he spearheaded the club to a domestic double of the Saudi Pro League title and the King's Cup, scoring 25 goals across all competitions and establishing himself as one of the defining figures of the Saudi Pro League’s global evolution. His numbers remain largely in line with the output of his final years at the Bernabeu. Yet his contract enters its final six months, and speculation over his next move has intensified.

"I’m really focused on what I’m doing, whether it’s for these last six months or for after if I extend my contract," Benzema said. "Some people are better placed to talk about all that. Right now, I have six months left on my contract, so I’m completely focused on football."

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Getty Images SportA European return on the cards?

Benzema had revealed that he still watches Real Madrid regularly, and the Champions League continues to stir a sense of wonder in him. That feeling makes it impossible to rule out any scenario, including a return to Europe. He even revealed that several European clubs have expressed interest. For him, what matters most is choosing a place where he can continue competing at the highest level and feel valued. 

"The best thing for me is to continue here, but also not just stay for the sake of staying for a year or two," he told "I can't do that. I think the level of football in the Saudi league is getting better and better. I've been here for three years now, and it keeps getting better and better. It's true that I have offers from Europe. I have to look at everything, choose wisely, and see where I feel comfortable, without forgetting that I feel good here and receive affection from everyone. But we'll see. They ask me for things, and I give them things. Everything's fifty-fifty, but there are things happening. I'm not going to quit football and stop competing in six months."

Bayern Munich star Harry Kane's latest strike in the club's 5-0 win over Stuttgart in the Bundesliga was clocked at an incredible speed. Kane was on the pitch for a little over 30 minutes but it was enough time for him to score yet another hat-trick this season as the Bavarian side extended their unbeaten league run to 13 matches and are 11 points clear at the top of the table.

• Kane's stunning strike in Bayern's thumping win

  Kane did not feature in Vincent Kompany's starting lineup as Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson started up front. The England captain was only introduced in the 61st minute. It took just five minutes to open his scoring. Kane received a pass near the centre circle and made a solo run down the middle. The striker then launched a pile driver from distance as the ball flew into the goal like a rocket.

  Bayern Munich later confirmed on social media that Kane's effort was clocked at 128 km/h from 25 yards away from the goal. Kane later doubled his tally from the penalty spot in the 80th minute, before completing his treble from Michael Olise's assist.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Why did Kane start against Stuttgart?

  After starring for Bayern, Kane revealed why he was left on the bench during the crucial game, as he told reporters: "It's something I'm not used to, but I did it a couple of times this season. The boss wanted to keep me fresh and save energy. I came on after 60 minutes with a couple of other guys and we were able to exploit the space and get the goals. We had a tough battle in the cup mid-week and today we faced one of the best teams in the league away, but we looked stronger in the last half an hour and punished them."

  Kompany then added: "I had this change in mind before the game started. We have 4 games in 11 days. If I start Harry every game and he plays 90 minutes, I'll get questions about why he always plays. Every time we played Stuttgart, we've always grown stronger as the game progressed. I felt the spaces would be bigger when Harry came on. It was a good moment for him to come. And he did what he does."

• Will Kane return to Spurs?

  Amid rumours of Kane exiting the Allianz Arena next summer, his former club Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly shown interest in bringing back one of their finest players of all time.

  Kane, however, has been warned not to return to a former club as Spurs icon Stephen Carr said: "He left and even the fans in the end understood that he needed to leave in order to win something. He deserved to win something, which he has now. I’m sure he will win more this year. He had unbelievable success there [Spurs], is a legend there, and I think he is still looked at like that. 

  "He scores goals regardless but whether he would have that same success, I don’t know. It would be great if he did go back, but I think he will be looking at it differently. After leaving Tottenham, giving up on the English goal record – he would have caught [Alan] Shearer the way he was going – he’s not going to get younger, he does adjust his game, but I get the feeling he will stay there or go somewhere else in Europe. He might want another challenge, rather than going back to Tottenham."

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• Getty
  

  Will Kane stay at Bayern?

  Kane has offered no indication that he is considering a change of scenery, having spoken on a regular basis of how happy he and his family – including wife Kate – are in Bavaria. He is tied to a contract through 2027 that may yet be extended.

The allrounder made a successful comeback for Baroda with a match-wining performance on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2025Hardik Pandya is set to make a comeback to T20Is when India’s selectors pick the squad for the five-match series against South Africa on Wednesday. There are doubts about the availability of Shubman Gill, India’s T20I vice-captain.The Gill question is likely to be top of the agenda for the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel when they meet in Raipur, where India play South Africa in the second ODI.In Gill’s likely absence, Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the possible contenders to open the innings with Abhishek Sharma. While Samson was in the recent T20I squad that toured Australia, he played only two out of the five matches and batted only once – at No. 3. Jaiswal was not part of that squad.Gill had hurt his neck while batting in the first innings of the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata, where he retired hurt and played no further part in the match. He missed the second Test too – which India lost to concede the series 2-0 – and the ongoing three-match ODI series against South Africa as well.It is understood that Gill’s injury involves a pinched nerve, and as per the initial timeline drawn up by BCCI medical staff, he would need to rest for a minimum of five weeks before resuming training. He arrived at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on Monday to continue his rehab.The selectors are also likely to consider Riyan Parag for a slot in the 15-member squad. Parag last played for India in a T20I series against Bangladesh in 2024 and is currently leading Assam in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Both the selectors and the Indian think tank will be happy about Hardik’s successful return – he led Baroda to a victory against Punjab on Tuesday in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – having successfully recovered from the left quadricep injury he suffered during the Asia Cup in September. Hardik took 1 for 52 in four overs and scored a match-winning 77 not out in his first competitive game in more than two months. He had missed the five-match T20I series in Australia in October-November, which India won 2-1 with two washouts.The T20I series against South Africa begins on December 9 in Cuttack – after the ODI series ends on December 6 – followed by games in New Chandigarh (December 11), Dharamsala (December 14), Lucknow (December 17) and Ahmedabad (December 19).India, captained by Suryakumar Yadav, are currently the top-ranked T20I team, while South Africa are in fifth place.

Just about every contending team will have added a bullpen arm before the 6 p.m. ET trade deadline hits Thursday. Baseball, especially October baseball, is increasingly about bullpenning. Want to know how much differently postseason baseball is played from just a decade ago? Here you go:

The scarcity of starting pitchers who can win a postseason game, not just manage it by facing 18 batters or fewer, is what makes the deadline so fascinating. Swing-and-miss relievers are easy to find. Trading for an impact starter is much harder.

Last season, 11 starting pitchers were traded in the week before the deadline. Only four of them started a postseason game: Alex Cobb, Zach Eflin, Jack Flaherty and Frankie Montas. They combined for nine starts, with their teams going 4–5 in those games. Flaherty was a difference-maker for the world champion Dodgers. They went 3–2 when Flaherty started.

Many teams are looking for the next Flaherty, most likely the Cubs, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Astros and Blue Jays. I’ll give them some help in the search.

Below you will find the top starting pitchers most likely to be traded. I include whether the likely price of acquisition is worth the trade and what the acquiring team needs to do to make the deal work .

Seth Lugo is off the board after signing an extension with Kansas City. I don’t believe it’s likely the Twins will trade Joe Ryan, or the Nationals will trade MacKenzie Gore. I am looking only at pitchers likely to start one of the first three games of a playoff series, so while Charlie Morton of the Orioles, Andrew Heaney of the Pirates and Adrian Houser of the White Sox are likely to get moved, I don’t put them in the top tier. Happy shopping.

MORE: MLB Trade Candidate Rankings and Deadline Predictions

Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins

Worth it? No.

The Fixes

1. Get the four-seam fastball higher

Alcantara throws his four-seamer about as often as the sinker. The four-seamer is a much bigger problem, especially when compared to his last full season. Like Spencer Strider, another post-surgery power pitcher, he doesn’t have that A+ top-rail heater yet. And when you miss slightly lower in the zone, those heaters get hit.

The New York Yankees are, collectively, slumping.

Last night the pinstripes dropped their sixth straight contest, losing 3-2 to the Los Angeles Angels. Such a loss to a sub-.500 team usually doesn't come with a bright side but this one did for the Yankees as they broke a 30-inning scoreless streak by way of a Jazz Chisholm home run in the second inning. It didn't exactly awaken the bats but it was a better than New York had seen in a few games.

Speaking candidly to reporters after the loss, star slugger Aaron Judge had two words to sum up his team's struggles: "That's baseball."

"That's baseball," Judge said, per ESPN's Jorge Castillo. "We know what we signed up for. You're going to play 162. You're going to hit a little rut like this, but you can't give up. You can't mope about it. You just got to show up the next day and you got to be ready to play."

It's an important attitude to have in this game given the length of the season, as Judge points out. Struggles will be had and there will be dry stretches of offensive production no matter how many good hitters a team may employ.

Nevertheless this Yankees streak is pretty brutal and not even Judge's MVP bat can shake them out of it. Their next chance will come on Thursday as the Angels try to complete a surprising sweep of the Yankees in the Bronx.

Both were masterly on a pitch that had enough to keep them interested, but not enough to give maximum results for their efforts

Sidharth Monga10-Jul-20250:57

What explains England’s ‘Blockball’ approach?

This Test is being played more on an upside-down ground than merely a sloped one. England are the toss and batting at home for only the second time since the start of 2022. Jasprit Bumrah’s deliveries aren’t carrying to the wicketkeeper. Nitish Kumar Reddy’s are surprising everyone with the extra bounce. Reddy is India’s highest wicket-taker in the game at the moment. England are playing according to the conditions and the bowling, and are Bazwalling at 3.02 an over.For a moment, it seemed the gods sent locusts out 20 minutes after the scheduled close of play to deliver judgment on what could be seen as an immoral day’s play in times of moral victories. Thankfully, they were just black ants, arguably the most threatening form of non-human life in England. Some argued they were ladybugs.Whoever they were, hopefully they stayed back to watch two masters at work. Also, the complaints about the ball and the eventual change around the 42nd-43rd over lent bits of normalcy to proceedings. It was only the last bits of it, but Bumrah and Joe Root were masterly on a pitch that had enough to keep them interested, but not enough to give maximum results for their efforts.Related

Bumrah uses money in the bank for Lord's honours

For Crawley and Pope, the struggle gets real

Root holds the fort with 99* as India put brakes on Bazball

England sweat on Ben Stokes as spectre of injury looms

Curiously, Root faced just 21 balls from Bumrah. That’s just 21 out of 72 that Bumrah bowled with Root at the wicket. It included Root facing just one ball from Bumrah’s first spell after lunch. Only Washington Sundar bowled less often to him.If it was a conscious thing that Root did, it is another masterful thing for a master batter to do, letting poor Ollie Pope face the brunt of a red-hot Bumrah. During that ten-over period, Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj gave away just 15 runs. All told, Root faced just 24 balls in those ten overs. Pope later said it wouldn’t be so smart if it were a conscious move. Ollie, Joe did you in there.Through the day, Bumrah drew 34 false shots. That’s about two per over. That deserves more than the one wicket, but the Pavilion End, the one that alpha bowlers of every team take at Lord’s, hardly had any bounce. The first ball he bowled to Ben Duckett took the edge but didn’t carry to slip. Immediately, he asked everyone behind the wicket to move up. He bowled just four overs in that spell, and moved to the Nursery End, which had more bounce.1:12

Manjrekar: Reddy looked like India’s best seamer

Through the day, there was more swing and seam available than on any of the first days of the three Tests so far, but the lack of pace and bounce made it hard work to take wickets. The lack of pace gave batters time to adjust to the movement, and if they did edge them, they hardly ever carried. Except, of course, when Reddy bowled great balls of fire.It also took away one of the more profitable scoring avenues for Root: the dab behind square on the off side. He kept middling those dabs, but they just didn’t have enough pace on them to go past gully. That showed in his strike rate, and in the number of inside edges that missed the stumps. That’s the little luck you deserve as a Test batter when you are batting at 86% control on a pitch doing a bit.Bumrah tried both ends but had little luck even though he, and India, stuck to good lengths and kept testing the batters. Movement in the pitch notwithstanding, India’s fast bowlers remained on the good length 54% of the time as opposed to England’s 37% on the first day in Leeds and Birmingham. That has been the general trend in the series. India will have reason to feel good about their work, having kept England down to 251 on a day on which only four wickets came about.1:21

What makes Root a special batter?

After tea, Bumrah went back to the Pavilion End, where by now the length to hit the top of stumps had shortened by a metre as compared to the first session. If Ben Stokes felt Birmingham was subcontinent-like, this was subcontinent-like with seam. Just what Bumrah needed then to bowl the ball of the day: one that swung away 2.5 inches and then nipped back in about six inches to hit the top of Harry Brook’s off stump.Root kept doing his work like a busy bee at the other end. Against Bumrah, even he played six false shots in 21 balls. Against others, he accumulated in peace, even though it never looked as easy as milking them.If Root had an asterisk of struggling against Bumrah, India had an asterisk of not hitting the stumps enough. But they did improve as the day progressed: 5.33% in the first session to 10.6% in the second to 15.79% in the third.It was the best first day of the series, even though it was the slowest. There were no clear winners or losers, both sides could be pleased with their work with room for improvement still, and there was a promise of more to come should the pitch deteriorate in the 28-degree heat that is making everything fall apart in England. Of course, the flying ants saw only bits of it.