“We will offer our views to PCB in due course,” said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Umar Farooq22-Jun-2023

Pakistan haven’t toured India since the 2016 T20 World Cup•Getty Images

Pakistan’s foreign office has confirmed it is evaluating all aspects of Pakistan’s participation in the upcoming ODI World Cup in India. This is the first public indication from the Pakistan government about taking up an issue that has been pending for a while and has even resulted in a delay in the ICC announcing the tournament’s fixtures list.Pakistan’s involvement in the World Cup is subject to their government’s approval. The PCB had written to the ICC, following the release of a draft schedule to all participating countries a few days ago, to stress that they cannot unilaterally approve the fixture list and the decision will eventually have to come from their government.”We have received the official invitation from the Indian prime minister to our prime minister for the virtual meeting of the heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that is due to take place on the 4th of July,” a spokesperson for the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, said in a weekly media briefing in Islamabad. “Pakistan will be represented at the summit. We will be making an announcement regarding our participation in the coming days.”Regarding cricket, Pakistan is of the view that politics should not be mixed with sports. India’s policy of not playing cricket in Pakistan is disappointing. We are observing and evaluating all aspects relating to our participation in the World Cup including the security situation for Pakistani cricketers and we will offer our views to PCB in due course.”The 2023 World Cup, as reported by ESPNcricinfo, is slated to begin on October 5. The India vs Pakistan fixture is set for ten days later in Ahmedabad. It is one of five venues that Pakistan are scheduled to play at during the league phase.Due to strained political relations between the two countries, Pakistan have not toured India since the 2016 T20 World Cup, and even back then there was uncertainty around Pakistan coming to India. The PCB had threatened to pull out of the tournament unless they had clear and public assurance from the Indian government about the security to be provided to their players. These negotiations eventually resulted in the India-Pakistan match having to be shifted from Dharamsala to Kolkata.The PCB has requested the ICC to swap venues for two of their league matches in the 2023 ODI World Cup based on an internal assessment of the grounds they are due to play at. Pakistan are currently scheduled to play Australia in Bengaluru on October 20, and then Afghanistan in Chennai on October 23 but have asked for a change where they play Afghanistan in Bengaluru and Australia in Chennai. The request has been turned down. Normally, security is the primary reason for a venue change at an ICC event. There was no mention of a security threat in the PCB’s internal assessment.Given the already unprecedented delay – World Cup itineraries usually go out a year in advance – the ICC is hoping to finalise the fixture list and provide it to the public by next week. Pakistan have until then to relay their concerns, if any.

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has now reportedly held a meeting with a 52-year-old official over joining the Lilywhites, and it is believed that the club are also ready to make him a significant offer.

Tottenham criticised after lacklustre Premier League campaign

Sitting 14th in the Premier League table, after tasting 15 defeats in the top flight alone this season, Ange Postecoglou’s side have faced backlash from large sections of supporters throughout 2024/2025.

£165k-per-week star determined to quit Tottenham after talks with his camp

The player is seriously considering his options.

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These same sets of fans have also organised protests in relation to the running of their club from ENIC and Levy, with Spurs still yet to win a piece of major silverware since their League Cup triumph in 2008.

Chelsea (away)

April 3rd

Southampton (home)

April 6th

Wolves (away)

April 13th

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 21st

Liverpool (away)

April 27th

Postecoglou is being repeatedly linked with the Tottenham sack as well, and if their form doesn’t pick up, this could well become a reality, with the north Londoners also reliant on a good run in the Europa League to salvage what has been a disastrous campaign overall.

“As long as they’ve got the American Football, and they’ve got Beyonce in the summer, they’re happy, the owners are happy,” said Sky pundit Jamie Redknapp earlier this season.

“It looks like a business model that everyone can be happy with that can be successful. “But does that breed a winning environment? No it does not because something is fundamentally wrong. They have tried to do both, but it has not worked and it has not worked the way Daniel Levy wants it to.”

Technical director Johan Lange also hasn’t had the desired impact on transfer strategy some might have hoped for, since the Dane took over from ex-managing director Fabio Paratici following the Italian’s resignation.

If Spurs are to become successful, the appointment of a perfect director is imperative, and it is now believed that they could turn back to Paratici.

The 52-year-old is nearing the end of his worldwide ban from football employment, which will expire on June 30, and this has apparently piqued Tottenham’s interest as they seriously consider re-hiring their ex-transfer chief.

Daniel Levy holds Fabio Paratici meeting as Tottenham ready "rich offer"

That is according to Radio Rossonera, who also report that Levy held a meeting with Paratici on Thursday over the prospect of snubbing AC Milan and re-joining Tottenham instead.

Milan were considered overwhelming favourites to hire the Italian, but now Spurs have entered the race for his services as they ponder replacing Lange with their former employee.

As relayed by this report, it is also believed that Tottenham are ready to make Paratici a “rich offer”, but they expect a quick response and won’t wait around.

Paratici was responsible for the signings of Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma, Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Destiny Udogie and Pape Sarr, who have all played a key role at various points since their arrival at Hotspur Way.

The official also knows the club very well already, and is known to be a tireless worker behind-the-scenes, so perhaps his return would even inspire Tottenham before next season.

MatériaMais Notícias

A semana será repleta de novos rostos no Botafogo. O clube contará com as chegadas de Danilo Barbosa, Gabriel Pires e Tiquinho Soares – e talvez até mais – na rotina das atividades comandadas por Luís Castro.

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+Tiquinho Soares chega ao Brasil para se apresentar ao Botafogo

O treinador, por outro lado, vê as atuações recentes da equipe não impressionarem. O Alvinegro somou dois pontos em jogos contra Ceará e Atlético-GO em casa e não consegue criar uma gordura da zona de rebaixamento e mostrar para quê veio ao Brasileirão.

Os tão pedidos reforços durante o campeonato chegaram. Ainda que em diferentes níveis físicos pelas formas como vinham atuando nos respectivos clubes que estavam, o trio já oferece mais qualidade e, principalmente, opções de rotatividade para Luís Castro.

É cedo para prever titularidade, mas é fato que os três – principalmente Tiquinho – chegam com altas expectativas para melhorar o nível da equipe do Botafogo. O reflexo, claro, precisa chegar dentro de campo.

+Adryelson lidera ações defensivas do Botafogo em estreia mesmo com 30 minutos em campo

Gabriel e Tiquinho terão compromissos ‘comerciais’ com o Botafogo nos próximos dias – gravação de conteúdos para as redes sociais e tirar as fotos oficiais com o uniforme. Danilo Barbosa, que já está no Brasil desde a semana passada, já passou por essa etapa.

O trio será apresentado nos próximos dias durante a semana. Com os irregulares resultados recentes, a pressão começa a aumentar.

Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen could be heading for a shock exit as his relationship with Hansi Flick has reportedly soured in recent months.

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• Ter Stegen's fall made clear
• Barcelona bringing in Garcia
• German to be offered deal to leave

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  writes that Ter Stegen reacted badly to being overlooked in the latter stages of Barcelona's Champions League run, having returned from a long-term knee injury in early May. Flick stuck with Wojciech Szczesny for the second leg of the semi-final against Inter, to Ter Stegen's apparent displeasure. But instead of travelling with the rest of the squad to Milan in support, like others who were unavailable did, he stayed behind to train alone.

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  His attitude hasn't been well received by the rest of the squad and it might better explain why Barcelona have been so keen to sign Joan Garcia from Espanyol, with that deal expected to be confirmed soon. If Garcia is installed as number on and Szczesny remains as backup, there isn't room for Ter Stegen.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Ter Stegen's relationship with Flick is rumoured not to have been the best even before the latter arrived to succeed Xavi last summer. It stems from Flick's time in charge of the German national team and his preference for Manuel Neuer, over Ter Stegen, as starter.

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  Ter Stegen's choice is to stay as third choice and not play, or move on. The club stands to save significant money from a salary perspective if they can offload him and a separate report claims that Barcelona are even prepared to offer a year's wages as a lump sum to end his contract. But whether he takes that deal – even though staying and not playing would kill his chances of starting for Germany at the World Cup next summer – remains unclear, as adds that the club don't expect Ter Stegen to make it easy.

Tottenham Hotspur have now held talks with the agents of a “sensational” £40m striker, who is attracting widespread interest from Premier League clubs, according to a report.

Spurs widening striker search

Tottenham are one of many big Premier League clubs looking at bringing in a striker this summer, with both Dominic Solanke and Richarlison struggling with injuries at times this season, which has left Ange Postecoglou lacking options in attack.

Moise Kean is the latest player to be shortlisted, with Spurs now monitoring the former Everton man, who has enjoyed a very impressive campaign with Fiorentina in the Serie A, while a ‘super’ bid could be made for Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres.

The Lilywhites have also started to make moves for Lille striker Jonathan David, who will be available for free in the summer, but with a number of Europe’s top clubs vying to sign the Canadian, it could prove to be very difficult to get a deal done.

Related Levy playing "leading role" to sign "world-class" player for Tottenham at half-price

The Spurs chairman has been working on a deal “for weeks”.

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Another striker who is attracting widespread interest is Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap, in light of a solid debut campaign in the Premier League, and a report from The Boot Room has revealed Tottenham have now held talks with the forward’s agents.

Barring Manchester City, the rest of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ hold an interest in Delap, with Newcastle United also in the race for his signature, which means a deal will not be easy to complete.

Man City own a 20% sell-on clause on their former forward, which means they will pocket a tidy sum from any sale, with the Tractor Boys looking to hold out for around £40m.

Tottenham Hotspur’s upcoming fixtures

Date

Chelsea (a)

April 3rd

Southampton (h)

April 6th

Eintracht Frankfurt (h)

April 10th

Wolverhampton Wanderers (a)

April 13th

Eintracht Frankfurt (a)

April 17th

"Sensational" Delap impressing in a poor side

Ipswich are now nine points from safety, following a four-game losing streak in the Premier League, but their one shining light this season has been Delap, who has regularly been amongst the goals.

The Englishman has 10 goals and two assists to his name in 28 Premier League outings, which has led to high praise from some members of the media, having been dubbed “sensational” by GOAL writer Jacob Schneider.

Roy Keane and Daniel Sturridge have also been very impressed by the 22-year-old, with the former describing him as an “aggressive” striker.

Given his age, Delap could be a steal at just £40m, so it is exciting news that Tottenham have made initial contact, but with so many other clubs in the race for his signature, it may be difficult to win the race if they don’t seal Champions League qualification via a Europa League triumph.

USMNT star Weston McKennie has explained “what’s missing” in American soccer and how the Club World Cup and Lionel Messi can help to fix that.

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Two major tournaments heading to the StatesInterest building domestically & internationallyChallenge is retaining interest from supportersFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The domestic game continues to grow in the United States, courtesy of MLS performers such as Inter Miami superstar Messi, while McKennie forms part of a so-called ‘Golden Generation’ at international level that includes the likes of Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna.

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Two major FIFA-sanctioned events are heading to America over the course of the next 12 months. The Club World Cup gets underway on June 14, while Messi’s Argentina will be looking to defend their World Cup crown on U.S. soil in the summer of 2026.

Watch every game of the FIFA Club World Cup live on DAZNStream nowDID YOU KNOW?

McKennie sees obvious benefits to hosting those events, with it important for supporters to get the live experience of watching the best in the business if interest is to be both built and retained.

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GettyWHAT WESTON MCKENNIE SAID

Juventus star McKennie has told of getting two forms of World Cup in the States: “I think it’s huge,. Obviously the U.S. has taken big steps in that sense, bringing players that may be towards the end of their career, but are still very influential players – Messi, [Luis] Suarez, Jordi Alba, [Sergio] Busquets and, at the beginning of time, [David] Beckham and Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] and all these guys going over to America, and it’s bringing more popularity to the sport there.

“So, I think obviously for Americans to be able to witness games and not the time difference of having to stay up or wake up early to watch games over here, they can see it right there live and see the players that they support and teams that they support.”

With Ipswich Town looking set to exit the Premier League at the first time of asking, they will fall back into the second tier knowing their very best players could be cherry-picked.

Having taken a substantial 22 years to return last time they fell out of the elite league, losing their very best players will hardly be ideal.

Who departs remains to be seen but if they do go down, then their hopes of bouncing straight back up will be made a lot harder if Liam Delap departs Portman Road, with the ex-Manchester City star an understandable hot commodity heading into the busy summer.

Delap's future at Ipswich

The battle to keep Delap around was always going to be an uphill one with the former Citizens wonderkid now a fully fledged Premier League ace in Suffolk.

Indeed, the 22-year-old centre-forward has an impressive ten strikes next to his name this season from 31 top-flight encounters, meaning Delap is way out in front as Ipswich’s top scorer as they languish all the way down in 18th spot.

Losing Delap’s services would go down as somewhat of a disaster, therefore, but it’s a move Ipswich will likely have to sign off on.

Indeed, the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are all reportedly beginning to circle for the £40m-rated marksman, knowing the fate that presumably awaits McKenna’s men.

But, instead of feeling compelled to splash the cash – with rumours suggesting Ipswich could be after rising Wycombe Wanderers star Richard Kone – McKenna could opt to remain calm and methodical in hunting down Delap’s replacement.

Ipswich's "unique" Delap replacement

Considering the 22-year-old hotshot is the only figure this season to have reached double figures for goals, with Sammie Szmodics lurking behind the in-demand attacker on a lacklustre four, replacing Delap with someone already in the squad may worry Ipswich supporters.

But, most of the personnel at McKenna’s disposal – if relegation does occur – have been there and done it in the EFL in the past, with George Hirst potentially given a confidence boost if Championship football is served back up.

After all, during Ipswich’s triumphant promotion campaign, Hirst would chip in with a respectable seven goals and six assists in league action, a high amount considering his susceptibility to injuries meant he only featured 26 times up top.

This season, too, despite injury issues troubling him once more – alongside the daunting step-up in ability working against him – the Tractor Boys number seven has still managed to play a worthwhile role at points, with four goals and two assists tallied up from a limited 20 outings.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

He notably found some form prior to the international break, serving up a reminder of his qualities by scoring two goals in his last three outings at club level.

Games played

72

Goals scored

18

Assists

11

Games missed through injury

35

Original fee

£1.5m

Value now

£4.1m

If the £1.5m buy was to sort out his recurring problems in the treatment room, he might well be an apt replacement for the departing Delap, with 29 goal contributions from 72 games at Portman Road to date aiding two promotion efforts already.

Heralded as “unique” by McKenna for his ability to be imposing but also creative, the recently capped senior Scotland international would not need time to get up to speed with things if he was chosen to lead the line next campaign, with an injury-free Hirst perhaps becoming his manager’s starting striker in the very near future.

Ipswich let gem leave for nothing, now he's worth more than Muric & Chaplin

Kieran McKenna would love to have this star back in his Ipswich Town ranks.

ByKelan Sarson Mar 30, 2025

Final-ball four brings visitors level after hosts lose last five wickets for only 17 runs

ECB Reporters Network16-Jun-2023Durham and Derbyshire Falcons played out a thrilling tie in their Vitality Blast clash at Seat Unique Riverside as Haider Ali hit the final ball of the innings to the fence to earn his team a share of the spoils.Brydon Carse returned from injury to top score for the home side with a career-best 58 as Durham posted 178 from their 20 overs, although they were to rue a batting collapse, losing their final five wickets for only 17 runs.Derbyshire found their range in response as Luis Reece blasted 58 from 47 balls. But the home side dragged it back to set up a tense finale as Wayne Parnell claimed three wickets. Haider Ali held his nerve from the final ball and rescued a tie for the Falcons finding the boundary on the leg side to claim a valuable point.The visitors won the toss and elected to field, but were put on the back foot by Michael Jones’ early attack. The Scotland international, replacing Graham Clark at opener due to illness, crashed five boundaries in the powerplay before he picked out Mattie McKiernan on the fence to hand Khan the breakthrough.Alex Lees found his touch after a slow start but then suffered an unfortunate end when he was run out at the non-strikers’ end by McKiernan deflecting Carse’s drive back into the stumps. Carse responded to the misfortune by blasting two huge sixes straight down the ground to propel Durham’s scoring rate over nine runs per over.The Falcons kept themselves in the contest as Ollie Robinson and Ashton Turner were dismissed cheaply, reducing the hosts to 100 for 4 with eight overs remaining. Carse notched his second T20 fifty clearing the rope with two further strikes down the ground before Khan returned to the attack and prised out the all-rounder for 58.Carse’s dismissal sparked a collapse in the Durham ranks. The hosts fell from 161 for 5 to 178 all out in the final 15 balls of the innings. Zak Chappell did the damage with four late wickets, while Khan added a fourth for himself to bottle up the Durham lower order.Derbyshire issued a rapid response to their chase as Harry Came set the tone against Parnell, smashing his first over for three-straight boundaries. Came made his way to 34 from 17 before Parnell had his revenge to remove the Falcons’ opener in the final over of the powerplay.But, Reece and Wayne Madsen kept the visitors well ahead of the run rate, finding the fence with ease against slack Durham bowling. Reece made a slow start to his knock but he accelerated through the gears to reach his 16th T20 fifty from 38 balls, including two towering sixes against Liam Trevaskis.Paul Coughlin drew a false shot from Madsen and Nathan Sowter added the wicket of Leus du Plooy to his collection this season to put the visitors back under pressure, elevating the required run rate beyond 12 per over. Haider Ali responded with back-to-back boundaries in the 17th over to open up a tense finale, requiring 31 from the final three overs.Parnell and Trevaskis turned the screw for the hosts, combining twice to prise out Reece for 58 and Brook Guest, swinging the momentum back to Durham. Haider Ali and McKiernan drilled De Leede’s penultimate over for 14, aided by two wides from the Netherlands international, leaving the game in the balance heading into the final six balls.Parnell cost a run with his first ball throwing it needlessly back at the stumps after holding McKiernan in check. But his following four balls were on the money to leave Derbyshire needing five from the final delivery. With the game on the line, Haider Ali found the gap in a leg-side boundary to snatch a tie for the Falcons on the road.

Liverpool’s season has by no means petered out, but damaging defeats in the Champions League and Carabao Cup last week have limited the scope of Arne Slot’s maiden term at the helm.

Of course, barring any staggering late drop-offs, Liverpool can cushion themselves from the blow with the Premier League title, 12 points ahead of Arsenal with just nine matches left to play.

However, that’s not to say FSG aren’t gearing up to issue sweeping changes this summer. That certainly could be the case in the final third.

Darwin Nunez’s name has carried the most noise as he flatters to deceive, scoring only seven times across 40 appearances this season. However, he’s not the only one heading for the exit, with Liverpool increasingly open to parting with Luis Diaz too.

Why Liverpool could sell Luis Diaz

Diaz, 28, enjoyed a purple patch at the start of the season but has flaked away in the months since, scoring only four times across his past 23 Premier League matches. The wideman also bagged in just one of the nine Champions League games he featured.

He’s not so much profligate as at odds with finding space and striking from dangerous positions with the regularity expected from one of his level. As such, FSG are now tempted to cash in.

Fabrizio Romano has indeed confirmed Liverpool will be attentive to market opportunities this summer, with Diaz, who has attracted interest from the Saudi Pro League, Barcelona and Manchester City in the past year, among those likely to be sold.

The tricky winger will never truly be regarded as “world-class” since he struggles to muster the kind of lofty hauls Mohamed Salah, Raphinha and the rest boast.

Luis Diaz – Liverpool Career by Season (all comps)
Season	Apps (starts)	Goals	Assists
24/25	42 (32)	13	5
23/24	51 (42)	13	5
22/23	21 (15)	5	3
21/22	26 (18)	6	5
Stats via Transfermarkt

Cashing in for a pretty feels like the right thing to do for a 28-year-old who is nearing the closing stage of their contract. Slot may well be subscribed to the idea already.

Especially when considering Liverpool have already got a youngster proving they could become a superstar in the years to come.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Liverpool already have a "world-class" Diaz replacement

Slot holds Diaz in high regard, but he will no doubt harbour frustrations over the Colombian’s inability to maintain a steady stream of scoring.

Should he leave, FSG must of course find a high-level replacement, but they may already have a long-term successor in Ben Doak, who is excelling on loan with Middlesbrough this season.

Doak, 19, has posted three goals and seven assists across 21 starts in the Championship this season, making good on praise from former Scotland manager Craig Levein, who claimed: “This kid could be a world-class player.”

His haul in the Championship speaks of plenty of promise, but Doak’s underlying metrics are also a thing to be admired. As per Sofascore, he has averaged 1.9 key passes and 3.9 duels per game.

Moreover, FBref record the gifted Scotsman ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Championship this year for progressive carries (6.78) per 90, highlighting the ball-carrying game that could surpass what Diaz brings to the table at Liverpool.

While he’s principally found on the right wing, Doak has played football both centrally and on the left during his fledgling career.

His inclusion in Slot’s first-team squad next term could act as the buffer needed to convince FSG that Diaz is expendable, with whoever is brought in set to tussle with a ‘world-class’ talent in Doak for a starting berth.

His worst display in Liverpool red: 3/10 star was even worse than Jota

Arne Slot’s abject Liverpool side were defeated by Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final.

By
Angus Sinclair

Mar 16, 2025

Steven Smith and Travis Head gave the opening-day honours to Australia at Lord’s, but the scorecard was not quite as bleak for England as appeared likely shortly before the close until Joe Root burgled a double-wicket over after what had been a largely uninspired performance from the home side.It may only have been day six of the series, but as Smith and Head were combining to add 118 in a bit over 20 overs for the fourth wicket, it felt as though Australia were taking a significant step towards having a stranglehold in the Ashes. A close-of-play total of 339 for 5 may yet end up proving decisive but England were clinging on.Head had played in what has become his trademark style as he flayed 77 from 73 balls, catching up with Smith who had a 43-run head start when he joined him at the crease. But having deposited Root down the ground he could not resist trying again and this time he was beaten convincingly, although Nathan Lyon will have noted the turn on offer.Two balls later Cameron Green played a very out-of-character hoick, miscuing Root to mid-off, and Australia’s good work was in danger of unravelling. However, Smith remained immovable and was closing in on Test century No. 32 on the ground where he was felled and concussed by Jofra Archer four years ago. As had been expected, there was not going to be two Tests in a row where he and Marnus Labuschagne did not contribute.David Warner, riding a little bit of luck along the way, had helped lay the early foundation under slate-grey skies which looked tailor-made for bowling although the surface itself was much less green than the days leading into the game. When he departed shortly after lunch, during a terrific over from the recalled Josh Tongue, England threatened to hit back but first Smith and Labuschagne, then Smith and Head shut them out before Root’s late incisions.David Warner already has crossed his tally of Ashes 2019•Getty Images

On an overcast morning where light drizzle and a pitch invasion by Just Stop Oil protesters, which required orange powder to be removed from the square, caused a couple of delays Ben Stokes was happy to insert Australia but England failed to take advantage of conditions. As at Edgbaston, catching – this time from the slip cordon – was one of the key reasons.Usman Khawaja, on 1, survived a low edge to first slip which just reached Root. Then a much more clear-cut chance escaped Ollie Pope at fourth from Warner off Stuart Broad when he had 20. Dismissal No. 16 went begging. Pope later spent much of the day off the field nursing a shoulder injury after diving to intercept a ball.Although Australia did not initially race away with the scoring – they were 39 for 0 after 17 overs – they had weathered the early window, albeit with a little bit of good fortune going their way. Warner had not been afraid to try the unconventional, twice stepping outside off stump to effectively sweep Broad, the first of which brought smiles between the batter and bowler.Warner, who passed his tally from the 2019 Ashes in three innings this time, scored more freely than Khawaja and it appeared the pair would take Australia to lunch without loss. However, Tongue, whose first three overs had cost 24 – including a hooked six by Warner to reach fifty – brought one back down the slope and Khawaja judged poorly as he left it alone.Josh Tongue cleaned up both Usman Khawaja and David Warner on either side of lunch•Getty Images

After the interval, Tongue got the better of Warner during an over where he produced an inside edge that narrowly missed the stumps then sliced him in half with a delivery that went for four byes before bowling one a touch fuller to obliterate the middle and leg stumps. Warner, though, has done enough to ensure he gets the rest of the Ashes, and probably the Sydney farewell he has mapped out.Labuschagne, coming off 0 for 13 at Edgbaston, still did not appear quite at his best but did not have to front up to Broad early – he had faced 29 balls by the time Broad was brought on. Broad’s comeback over involved drama with Smith who began by taking consecutive boundaries and was then given caught behind but the DRS showed daylight between bat and ball.Labuschagne started to find his groove with three boundaries in an over off Broad and another brace off Stokes as the scoreboard rattled along. Then he, too, made use of the DRS when given lbw shouldering arms to Broad against one which nipped down the slope but was shown to be going over off stump. Two overs later, England used a review against Labuschagne, but the ball had been trapped off the inside edge.The partnership had just passed 100 shortly after tea when Ollie Robinson found Labuschagne’s outside edge to give England an opening. But they bowled poorly to Head and he was away to a flying start by dispatched two short, wide deliveries from Robinson through the off side.In the blink of an eye Head was at a run-a-ball and though the ball occasionally flew past his outside edge there was plenty crunched out of the middle – some of his timing through the leg side was exquisite. Smith, as he was during the World Test Championship final against India, was happy to ride in Head’s slip stream as his fifty came in 102 balls during which he became the second-fastest to 9000 Test runs.Tongue, the quickest of England’s attack, was briefly used for a short-pitched plan against Head with the field spread far and wide but he threaded the gap on the leg side to reach fifty from 48 balls. A repeat of the Gabba, where he scored a century in the final session of the day, was on the cards before the spirit of adventure brought his downfall. Smith and Alex Carey negotiated the closing stages, including two overs against the second new ball, but while Australia are not out of sight England are already playing catch up.