A brilliant display of spin bowling from Nathan Lyon dragged Australia back into contention in the fourth and final Test against India yesterday.
The off-spinner even reckoned the visitors are in a position to win the game after he left the field with figures of five for 94 as India closed on 266 for eight - a disappointing total after they had bowled Australia out for 262.
At 108 without loss their pursuit of a series whitewash looked a straightforward one but Lyon then ripped through their lineup to change the landscape, leaving them just four runs ahead going into today's third day.
"We need to bat well tomorrow," Lyon said yesterday. "Even a 100-run target would be difficult to chase on this track. The wicket is going up and down.
"We need to bat well and hopefully get a lead of 150-200 runs. It will help us to put them under some pressure."
The 25-year-old Lyon was revved up after having a leg-before appeal against Cheteshwar Pujara turned down, but he nailed the opener for 52 shortly after.
Then he snared Virat Kohli (one) and should have had Sachin Tendulkar walking when the master batsman was rapped in front of his stumps. He was let off by the umpire, though, and survived through to 32 when the same bowler trapped him lbw.
In between times, Murali Vijay (57) gloved a Peter Siddle bouncer to Matthew Wade and Ajinkya Rahane was caught at leg slip off Lyon.
MS Dhoni came and went for 24, out caught off James Pattinson, before Ravindra Jadeja (43 to Glenn Maxwell) and Ravichandran Ashwin (12 to Lyon on the last ball of the day) also departed. "I love bowling in long spells which I did today," Lyon added. "All five wickets were special to me. Every wicket was special to me."
It was a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for Australia, who fired themselves up on a diet of aggression, which Lyon revealed was Shane Watson's style of leading the side as captain. "Shane told us to get in to the contest, that's one thing which worked for all of us," he said. "I thought he did pretty well today as a captain, motivating all of us."
Lyon was disappointed though with a number of decisions, while Siddle had a number of heated exchanges with the Indian batsmen before receiving a warning for running on the wicket.
Earlier, Siddle, resuming on 47, reached his maiden Test fifty before being bowled for 51 to hand Ashwin his fifth wicket.
Pattinson (30) was the final wicket to fall, the left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha claiming his 100th Test wicket - in his 22nd Test - by inducing a leading edge which was snapped up by Kohli at slip.
* Press Association
MATCH INFO
Watford 1 (Deulofeu 80' p)
Chelsea 2 (Abraham 5', Pulisic 55')
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More about Middle East geopolitics
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
RESULTS: 2018 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING - EUROPE
Albania 0 Italy 1
Finland 2 Turkey 2
Macedonia 4 Liechtenstein
Iceland 2 Kosovo 0
Israel 0 Spain 1
Moldova 0 Austria 1
Serbia 1 Georgia 0
Ukraine 0 Croatia 2
Wales 0 Ireland 1
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
