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Mumbai Indians have brought in New Zealand fast bowler Adam Milne as a replacement for the injured Pat Cummins, who was ruled out of the season and did not arrive in India. Milne will join Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman and former New Zealand team-mate Mitchell McClenaghan in Mumbai’s pace attack.Though neither the IPL nor the franchise had announced Milne having joined the team, he has already linked up with the Mumbai squad and trained ahead of the side’s third game, against Delhi Daredevils, at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. Milne had played five IPL matches across two previous seasons – 2016 and 2017 – for Royal Challengers Bangalore.At Mumbai, Milne will also be working under bowling coach Shane Bond, his idol while growing up and with whom he had worked with when Bond was New Zealand’s bowling coach. Milne has played 70 T20s so far and taken 83 wickets with economy rate of 7.77; he’s also had good form for Central Districts on the domestic circuit in New Zealand.He is Mumbai’s second replacement fast bowler after McClenaghan was drafted in for Australia’s Jason Behrendorff, who was also ruled out with an injury.

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke hasn't had the easiest of starts to his spell at Elland Road and may have been dealt another blow due to injury ahead of their trip to face Millwall, according to reports.

What's the latest news involving Leeds United?

In a surprise development, Football Insider have reported that Leeds United are believed to be keen to open talks over a new contract for attacker Wilfried Gnonto, who previously had a cloud over his future at Elland Road.

Everton had been keen admirers of the Italy international during the transfer window; however, they couldn't come to an agreement with Leeds United over a deal for the former FC Zurich man. Gnonto is now believed to be focused on winning promotion back to the Premier League with Leeds United following a summer of turbulence surrounding his potential next career steps.

Former Leeds United player David Prutton has laid down the gauntlet to the Whites ahead of their powderkeg clash against Millwall at The Den this Sunday, stating in conversation on the Sky Sports Championship Predictions Podcast: "Leeds, all the faffing about with players, all the consignation about who’s there and who’s not, who wants to stay there and who’s moved on, all these ridiculous statements coming out from players that have moved on. Now is the time for the people that have been left to pull their fingers out.

"It’ll be tough, a very tough one against a Millwall side that, as we’ve seen, have got plenty of fight in them in regards to how they’re led by Gary Rowett."

Journalist Ben Jacobs has informed GIVEMESPORT that Leeds United could still enter the free agent market for another left-back reinforcement if the right opportunity comes along at Elland Road.

Who is a doubt to face Millwall this weekend?

The Athletic journalist Phil Hay has supplied quotes from Leeds United boss Farke on the runners and riders to be involved against Millwall this Sunday, as well as those who may miss out on taking part, posting on social media platform X: "Farke on injuries: Bamford still out, will miss all of the next three games. Firpo also missing this weekend, setback with a hip. Spence a doubt with a knee problem. Cooper, Byram, James back in training. Dallas is making good progress, Farke says."

Most of these issues were already widely known, but Djed Spence, who only arrived at Elland Road in the summer on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, has made just one cameo appearance for Leeds United in their 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, as per Transfermarkt, and now look set for a spell on the sidelines.

Cited by The Yorkshire Evening Post, Farke has explained in full the back story surrounding Spence's injury concerns, saying: "There is a question mark about Djed Spence. First of all, he missed some sessions in some days due to private reasons and then yesterday (Thursday), in training, he got a knock on his knee – his lateral ligament. We need to wait for some further assessment. It was not possible to train today (Friday), so I would label it as a major doubt for the weekend."

Despite Spence potentially missing the trip to London, Leeds United fans will take heart from the fact several of their first-team players are making positive tracks to re-enter the fold in the near future.

Arsenal and Manchester United is a fixture that largely defined the Premier League for over a decade. It doesn't quite have the same power now that it did at the turn of the century but make no mistake – this is one of the biggest games there is.

Especially with what the two teams want to achieve this season. Each want to start quickly and be the side (or one of the sides?) to compete with Manchester City at the top this season. Winning against their old rival would be an ideal jumpstart to that dream.

So what can we expect? This is one that goes back a long, long time in English football, to a time when neither were actually called Arsenal or Manchester United. We at Football FanCast have look at what's come before.

Arsenal vs Manchester United: What's the head-to-head record?

These two teams first met all the way back in 1894. Arsenal were 'Woolwhich Arsenal' at the time, while Manchester United were 'Newton Heath'. In fact, we wouldn't see the first 'Arsenal vs Manchester United' fixture until 1920.

To make things feel even more unusual, their first 20 meetings all came in the old Second Division. This was far from the massive game that it is today.

But there have been plenty of meetings since. They've competed 239 times over the years – United haven't faced anyone as often as that, while the Gunners have only faced Liverpool that often (also, strangely, 239 times).

And who comes out on top after all of that? It's United – just. They've won 99 of the 239 fixtures, to Arsenal's 86. They'll be going for no.100 this weekend, then.

Arsenal wins

86

Draws

53

Man United wins

99

Arsenal vs Manchester United: What's the record at Arsenal?

113 of these fixtures have come at Arsenal – which includes Highbury and the Emirates, of course. As you'd expect, the Gunners boast the superior record there.

62 of the games have been Arsenal wins, meaning they do have a win-rate above 50%. They've also scored a whopping 218 goals, so not quite two per game but not exactly far off. It's worth pointing out that United have also scored plenty in away fixtures, though, with 139. It means that, for whatever reason, there have been a lot more goals at Arsenal than at United in this fixture.

United have translated those goals into a reasonable number of wins, too. 31, to be exact, while they've secured 20 draws. It's a very solid record and we can't imagine many clubs can boast one as strong as that when playing away at Arsenal.

Arsenal wins

62

Draws

20

Man United wins

31

Arsenal vs Manchester United: What's the record at Old Trafford?

The stronger of the two home records does belong to United, which isn't really a surprise given they lead the overall head-to-head record. They've also had one more home fixture – 114 to 113 at Arsenal.

And in terms of wins, they narrowly beat the Gunners' own home record with 66 at Old Trafford. Though, they haven't scored as many home goals, falling eight shy of Arsenal's home tally at 210.

Arsenal, though, have struggled to secure wins at United. They've only managed 19 in the near-140 years of this fixture, and have scored under a goal per game with 101. But they have managed to scrape a draw on 29 occasions.

Arsenal wins

19

Draws

29

Man United wins

66

Arsenal vs Manchester United: What's the record at neutral grounds?

Given the standing of these two clubs, it's probably not a shock that they've had quite a few meetings on neutral grounds. They are the two leading FA Cup winners, after all.

Six of these have been in the Community Shield – again, not really a shock. Arsenal boast the best record in that particular competition, with four wins to United's two. However, both of the latter came through penalty shoot-outs.

The other six have all come in the FA Cup. The first was in the 1979 final, which Arsenal won 3-2 on a dramatic day. They'd then meet in a semi-final four years later – United won that one 2-1.

It would be another 16 years before they met in another FA Cup semi-final and it's an all-time famous one. United and Arsenal drew 0-0 after extra-time in 1999, forcing a replay. That one was heading towards a draw after extra-time, too, only for Ryan Giggs to score a spectacular goal and send United into the final, where they'd complete one step of their historic Treble.

Fast-forward to 2004 and they met in another semi-final, with United again coming out on top (1-0). The following year, the two sides would play out one of the worst FA Cup finals of all-time, finishing 0-0 before the Gunners won the cup on penalties.

Arsenal wins

6

Draws (forced replay)

1

Man United wins

5

Arsenal vs Manchester United: What's their Premier League record?

This has been an ever-present fixture in the Premier League, of course, and consistently one of the biggest. Both teams have fought towards the top of the table for 30 years now – and that means their record in the Premier League years is relatively even.

United do have a stronger record, however, as you'd expect. They've won 26 of the 62 games, so not exactly a dominant return. Arsenal have won 18, while the two sides have also drawn 18 times.

And, because, it's the Premier League, we can put those numbers into points for you. Out of a possible 186 points, United have picked up 96, while the Gunners have 72.

Arsenal wins

18

Draws

18

Man United wins

26

Arsenal vs Manchester United: Which team has the most goals?

There have been an awful lot of goals across this fixture – exactly 700. It means we're falling just shy here of an average of three goals per game across the 239 fixtures (2.93, if you want a number).

There's no runaway scorer here, either, and the two clubs are about as well-matched as it gets across this number of games. United have 362 goals in 239 games, Arsenal have 338. So again, another United win there, but not a dominant return.

However, the incredible goal return notably slows down in the Premier League era. United boast 87 goals in 62 PL meetings, Arsenal have 70. That creates an average of 2.53, which is a fair drop-off – but that's probably to be expected when these two have been as good as they have been for that long.

Arsenal goals

338

Man United goals

362

Arsenal vs Manchester United: What's Arsenal's biggest win?

You have to go back a very long time to find Arsenal's biggest win in this fixture. It happened in an FA Cup in 1937 – a season that is up there with the worst in United's history.

They were relegated in the campaign, while Arsenal finished third in the First Division. To make matters worse, Manchester City would finish as champions for the very first time in their history.

We can't imagine you're overly familiar with the goalscorers in the 5-0 but here they are anyway: Robert Trimming Davidson, Cliff Bastin, Ted Drake, Alfred Kirchen, and an Own Goal.

Nearly a century later, Arsenal haven't actually found a way to inflict that level of misery on United. Other than beating them in cup finals, of course.

Arsenal vs Manchester United: What's United's biggest win?

We're not going nearly as far back for this one. In fact, several of the players on that day are still active in the Premier League.

It happened in August 2011 at Old Trafford as United smashed Arsenal 8-2. The summer, to that point, had been a nightmare for the Gunners as they lost Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri to Man City, while, more importantly, Cesc Fabregas left for Barcelona.

They would go out and find five more signings after the drubbing (including Mikel Arteta) but going into this one, Arsenal looked poor on paper. United made things look even worse.

Looking back, though, the most shocking thing here is just how average United's team looks. They won 8-2 with a midfield of Ashley Young, Nani, Anderson and Tom Cleverley. They had Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and a young Chris Smalling at the back. They did have Wayne Rooney, at least.

Danny Welbeck, Young and Rooney all scored to make it 3-0 before Theo Walcott pulled on back right before half-time. It only got worse after half-time, though, as Rooney, Nani and Park Ji-Sung scored three in six minutes to make it 6-1 on 70. Robin van Persie (who jumped ship after this season) pulled another back on 74 but Rooney and Young each grabbed another to round it out.

Arsenal vs Manchester United: What is the recent history?

The recent history looks pretty poor for United. Of that last 10 Premier League meetings, they've only won two – 3-2 and 3-1 in their last two home fixtures. Arsenal, on the other hand, have won five, with three draws.

Perhaps tellingly, the last two seasons have been very similar. They've each won their home games, both 3-1 and 3-2. It feels like there's a real balance between the two at the moment, at leas when they're facing one another.

And so with that in mind, you'd have to back Arsenal in the upcoming fixture, simply because they're at home. And they'll probably score three, if things are extra predictable.

Arsenal vs Manchester United: How have they started the season?

Arsenal haven't started the season in the form they'd have hoped for. They are one of six teams yet to lose a game in the Premier League, but they have also been scraping by over the first three games.

A 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest at home wasn't a dream start, but they did get the points. They then beat Crystal Palace 1-0 away to maintain a perfect record. However, a late equaliser cost them two points at home to Fulham, who also played the final 10 minutes with 10 men.

United haven't been particularly good, either, and sit one point behind Arsenal on six. They have lost a game, though, as Tottenham Hotspur beat them fairly comfortably at home. Other than that, they did beat Wolves 1-0 on the opening weekend, but perhaps should have conceded a late penalty. A 3-2 win over 10-man Nottingham Forest – having gone 2-0 down inside five minutes – sent mixed messages, too.

Arsenal vs Manchester United: When is it?

Arsenal will host Manchester United on Sunday, September 3rd at 16:30 UK time. It's a game where both teams are desperate for a statement win that could steady the course after a rocky start to the campaign.

That said, each have won two of their opening games and sit in decent positions. Their wins just haven't been all that convincing and a win in this one would feel like a strong statement from either side.

So you can expect a big-match feel for this one, as usual. A win feels fairly vital already and we fully expect both teams to go all-out to find it.

Tottenham Hotspur are believed to be intent on bolstering their attacking ranks before the end of deadline day, amid reports that Ange Postecoglou's side have identified another eye-catching target alongside Wales international, Brennan Johnson.

Who will Tottenham sign on deadline day?

While the expectation is that the Lilywhites are expected to make a move for Nottingham Forest's Johnson, journalist Rudy Galetti has indicated that the north London outfit have also set their sights on Porto sensation, Pepê, who the club are said to be "really, really interested" in.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT about that admiration for the 26-year-old, the transfer insider revealed that Spurs are hoping to lower the Portuguese side's reported £64m asking price:

“Tottenham are really, really interested in Pepe. They targeted him as one of the profiles to reinforce their squad. They are still pushing hard to change the position of Porto. Porto are quite adamant that they are not open to negotiating a different price than the release clause set for the Brazilian winger, which is €75m [£64m].

"So, if Tottenham want Pepe, they have to pay this amount. But, as it stands, it's a complicated deal because Tottenham consider this price too expensive.”

Who is Porto winger Pepê?

As transfer guru Fabrizio Romano previously stated, the "priority" for Tottenham at present is believed to be the signing of Johnson, with the Nottingham native having caught the eye after scoring eight goals in his debut Premier League campaign last season, after previously recording 27 goal involvements in the second tier during the 2021/22 campaign.

While the 22-year-old has already somewhat proven himself in England's top flight, the Porto ace, by contrast, would represent far more of a gamble as far as Postecoglou is concerned, albeit with the 5 foot 9 gem having showcased his quality for his current side in recent times.

Although capable of playing at full-back, the former Gremio whiz is likely to line up as part of Tottenham's frontline if a deal is to be agreed before the end of the window, ensuring the Brazilian could well form an exciting attacking partnership with Johnson – with the latter man able to be deployed through the middle or on the flanks.

With the Forest speedster having proven his goalscoring credentials last season, Pepê could then well be the man to deliver quality service to his potential future teammate in the final third, with his creative quality having been on show last term as he chipped in with ten assists in all competitions.

Much like Johnson – who ranks in the top 9% among forwards in Europe's top five leagues for progressive carries (at an average of 2.74 per 90) – the versatile winger is also rather adept in the transition and at helping to drag his side forward, as he averages 3.26 progressive carries per 90, across the last 365 days.

To have two such dynamic figures at the spearhead of attack could well allow Spurs to wreak havoc on opposition defences in the years to come, with chairman Daniel Levy seemingly needing to equip Postecoglou with the appropriate tools to try and plug the gap of former talisman, Harry Kane.

With it almost an impossible task trying to fill the shoes of the club's record scorer, Johnson alone seemingly can't be burdened with that challenge.

Liverpool have confirmed that a youth player was racially abused in an Under-16 game against Juventus, leading the team to walk off the pitch.

Why did the Liverpool U16 team walk off the pitch?

Playing in the Next Generation Trophy last Friday – a tournament held in Austria – the Reds were up against their Italian counterparts when the incident took place.

As per The Athletic, the Liverpool teenager involved went to the touchline to report the abuse to the coaching staff, who informed the players to follow protocol and leave the field.

The Juventus youngster involved was then suspended by his club for the rest of the tournament while staff offered the English side a full apology.

A Liverpool spokesperson said: “We can confirm that a member of our under-16s team was racially abused by an opponent while playing in the Next Generation youth tournament in Austria.

“The individual responsible was identified immediately and removed from the competition as a result of the swift intervention of our own players and staff, tournament organisers and opposition management, who have also taken additional disciplinary measures inclusive of education.

“We would like to place on record our appreciation for the prompt actions taken by all involved. This applies most of all to the player subjected to the attack, who showed remarkable maturity in following established protocols, including leaving the pitch, in order to report the matter as soon as it occurred. He is receiving the full support of the club.

“We would also reiterate that our condemnation of all forms of racist abuse remains unequivocal and absolute.”

What has been the reaction to the racist incident in the Liverpool U16 game vs Juventus?

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, before the statement had been officially given by Liverpool's spokesperson, former player Djibril Cisse took to social media to express his dismay and anger about what had happened.

The ex-French footballer has a son, Prince, who currently plays in the Reds' academy and was involved in the game.

Writing to his two million Instagram followers, Cisse said (via TalkSport): “Now it’s too much.

“During the game @LiverpoolFC vs @Juventus under 16s (my son Prince Cisse was playing) a kid from Juventus called a @LiverpoolFC a n****.

“The @LiverpoolFC staff had to stop the game. @Juventus what are you gonna do now? It’s a f****** shame. 15 years old kid @Juventus, you better act strongly now and shame.”

As per The Athletic, direct action has already been taken. Indeed, they report that staff members from Juventus’ academy and tournament organisers Red Bull Salzburg have since contacted Liverpool academy director Alex Inglethorpe to express their regret about the incident and check on the youngster’s well-being.

While it's also mentioned that the Juventus youth player is now undergoing a course to educate him that racism and all forms of discrimination are unacceptable. It is understood that senior Liverpool figures are happy with how Juventus have handled the matter.

All in all, it's a shameful incident and thoroughly disappointing to learn of such attitudes and behaviour existing within the academy of Europe's biggest football clubs.

In response to the incident, however, in a show of solidarity ahead of their following game at the Next Generation Trophy, Liverpool and their Argentinian opposition Independiente took the knee before kick-off.

Kyle Hope drives through the off side•Getty Images

Kieran Powell (77) and Kyle Hope (61) completed half-centuries in West Indies’ second innings as the visitors had a useful outing in their tour match against Zimbabwe A. After their 126-run second-wicket partnership, West Indies’ middle order notched up useful contributions before allowing their bowlers to have a go at the Zimbabwe A batsmen. In 27 overs bowled by West Indies in the closing stages of the match, they managed to snuff out four top-order wickets before the game ended in a draw.Powell and Hope began the final day on an overnight score of 74 for 1 and both brought up their respective fifties soon after. The Zimbabwe A bowlers failed to dismiss either set batsmen, and both of them chose to retire out instead. That allowed the West Indies middle order to have another bat, and Jermaine Blackwood (25), Shane Dowrich (37) and Shimron Hetmyer (48) took their total to 263 before they chose to declare.Shannon Gabriel then quickly removed the hosts’ opener Brian Chari, before a brief resistance between Chamu Chibhabha (24) and Tarisai Musakanda followed. But Raymon Riefer then removed Musakanda, after which Chibhabha and Ryan Burl returned to the pavilion as well in quick succession. The game ended with Peter Moor (10*) and Richmond Mutumbami (1*) at the crease.

خاض فريق الكرة الأول بالنادي الأهلي، مرانه الختامي اليوم الثلاثاء، على ملعب مختار التتش، استعداداً لمباراة الإسماعيلي القادمة في بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ويستعد الأهلي لمواجهة الإسماعيلي، في إطار مواجهة الجولة الـ 20 من عمر منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري، مساء غد الأربعاء، على ملعب ‏برج العرب بالإسكندرية، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري.‏

وعقد مارسيل كولر، المدير الفني للفريق، محاضرة قبل انطلاق المران، لشرح العديد من الجوانب الفنية والخططية المتعلقة بالاستعداد ‏للمباراة.‏

كما أدى اللاعبون فقرات بدنية متنوعة قبل استكمال المران بفقرات خططية وتدريبات تخصصية تحت إشراف الجهاز الفني.‏

طالع | الإسماعيلي: مواجهة الأهلي تحمل معاني خاصة.. ولدينا تحفظ على الحكم

ويحتل الأهلي المركز الحادي عشر، في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري الممتاز، برصيد 21 نقطة، من 11 مباراة لعبها هذا الموسم في المسابقة المحلية.

يذكر أن الأهلي كان قد حسم تأهله إلى نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا ‏بالفوز على مازيمبي بثلاثة أهداف نظيفة في مجموع مباراتي الذهاب والإياب بنصف النهائي، وذلك للمرة الخامسة على التوالي والـ 17 في تاريخه.

Former Tamil Nadu captain Sunil Subramaniam has been named India’s administrative manager on a one-year contract. This is the first instance of the India team getting a full-time, professional manager, marking a departure from the system of ad-hoc appointments made by the BCCI on a tour-to-tour basis. Subramaniam will join the team before the second Test that begins on August 3 in Colombo.Subramaniam, 50, was picked by a committee comprising BCCI acting president CK Khanna, acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary, CEO Rahul Johri and Committee of Administrators (CoA) member Diana Edulji, in accordance with the Lodha Committee’s recommendation approved by the Supreme Court. The committee, according to reports, had shortlisted more than 10 candidates before interviewing them. Subramanian said he would meet with Johri on Monday when he would be apprised of his duties. “It feels good to be a part of the team,” Subramaniam told ESPNcricinfo.During his playing days, Subramaniam, a left-arm spinner, picked up 285 wickets from 74 first-class matches. An NCA-certified coach, Subramaniam has acquired renown for having worked extensively with India offspinner R Ashwin in the past. Over the years, he has also coached teams in the Duleep Trophy and has been associated with the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association Academy.On his appointment, a BCCI press release said: “He has a rich vein of experience when it comes to management and administrative capabilities, having served both public and private sector organisations for over 16 years.”

Leeds United have agreed on a deal with Aberdeen to sign young forward Lewis Pirie, according to the reliable Fabrizio Romano.

Who could Leeds sign this summer?

The Whites look set for an extremely busy summer under new owners the 49ers Enterprises, with Daniel Farke brought in as the club’s new manager.

A two-time Championship winner with Norwich, Farke has signed a four-year deal at Elland Road and has around four weeks until the season opener against Cardiff City.

There is a lot to do during that time, especially in the transfer window, with Leeds bringing in Nick Hammond as interim football advisor to oversee transfer activity this summer.

A number of incomings and outgoings are expected in Yorkshire, with centre-back Robin Koch the first high-profile player to secure a move away after joining Eintracht Frankfurt on loan.

In terms of potential signings, Phil Hay believes a new goalkeeper, left-back, centre-back, midfielder and forward could be on the agenda for the 49ers and Farke.

The reliable reporter stated in the week that Newcastle United’s Karl Darlow is rated, as are Freddie Woodman and Angus Gunn of Preston North End and Norwich City.

At left-back, former Swansea City man and now free agent Ryan Manning has been linked alongside Burnley and former Whites defender Charlie Taylor.

Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips also appears to be of interest in defence, and further forward in midfield, there is a long-standing interest in Coventry City’s Gustavo Hamer.

In attack, Swansea City’s Joel Piroe and Nottingham Forest’s Sam Surridge are possible signings, but it looks as if the club are about to sign a highly-rated teenage attacker in Pirie.

Are Leeds signing Lewis Pirie?

Transfer expert Romano took to Twitter on Friday morning to share an update he’s heard on Leeds and Pirie, with the youngster first linked with a move to Yorkshire last year.

It is believed that a £200,000 transfer has now been agreed, with Pirie, described as a “rising star”, set to sign a three-year deal through to 2026.

“Understand Leeds United have agreed a deal worth £200k with Aberdeen to sign Scottish rising star Lewis Pirie, born in 2007.

“Pirie scored 51 goals for club & country last season and will join Leeds on a contract to 2026.”

Pirie’s 51 goals at youth level speak for themselves, so it looks as if Leeds could be making an extremely shrewd signing in the long run. You’d expect that the 16-year-old will initially ply his trade in Leeds’ youth sides at Thorp Arch, looking to develop even further and eventually break into the first team.

Leeds have shown in the past that they are willing to trust in their academy ranks, becoming the first team in Premier League history to hand eight teenagers their debuts in a single campaign back in 2021/22 under Marcelo Bielsa.

The likes of Joe Gelhardt, Sam Greenwood and Crysencio Summerville all spent time at Thorp Arch before making their way into first team contention, and by the looks of things, Pirie could be the next to break through at Elland Road in years to come.

Pat Cummins is flying through a dust cloud. The ball is close enough that he can reach it but high enough he has to reach out. Legs and arms go in all directions as his body jumps towards where he thinks the ball will be. But he miscalculates and now has to change his position in mid-air.Cummins launches himself so far that when he finally lands – chest first, face in the dirt – he is on the adjacent pitch. He is a bit dazed as he gets up but makes sure to ask about the lbw. The appeal is unsuccessful, but it is all thrilling.Few in the world fly like Cummins.R Ashwin stands at the other end, safe for now. He had been set up brilliantly and the ball that was meant to trap him had everything. It had reverse swing, it was fast – as Cummins has been all day – and the events that followed showed off Cummins’ athleticism. Few bowlers in world cricket could react as well in their follow-throughs as he did.There was the pointless appeal, which has been the soundtrack of the day. It showed desperation, which Cummins has never had problems showing. When he hit the ground, he was disappointed he could not take the catch.The rest of Australia just hoped he got up again.*****Cummins knew he was getting quick when his older brothers weren’t keen to play him in the backyard. But as rapid they thought he was, his rise as a professional cricketer was faster. In March 2010, Cummins was a second grade player for Penrith. By October 2011, he was in an Australian team.In between, he had only played three first-class matches, the last of which was the Sheffield Shield final when he was tormented by Ed Cowan. The Tasmania opener kept telling the tearaway quick he was getting slower with each spell and mocked him for being unable to take the wicket his New South Wales team needed. So Cummins, playing the most important match of his career, growing ever more desperate to dismiss Cowan, pushed himself as hard as he could.He bowled like the wind for 65 overs in the match. He was 17 years old.An 18-year old Pat Cummins was tough even for a Test legend like Jacques Kallis•AFP

In the second half of Cummins’ 2009-10 grade season, he bowled 89 overs in three months. He spent the off season nursing hot spots in his back. In those three Shield games alone, he bowled 816 deliveries. But between that final six years ago and this Ranchi Test, he only managed 976 more.Nevertheless, it was the lion-hearted performance and the scary pace and not the wickets – Cummins only had nine of them – that convinced the selectors to pick him for the tour of South Africa in 2011.Ryan Harris was injured for the last of two Tests and Cummins was called in for Johannesburg. It was barely a month since he had turned 18. And he was preparing to play the most difficult format of the game with his team 0-1 down and in danger of losing the series.Amid the nerves, the only thing Cummins cared about was making sure his first ball in Test cricket was not like his first ball in T20Is – a half-tracker. He really needn’t have worried so much.With pace, swing and some decent bounce, Cummins became the youngest Australian to pick up a five-wicket haul. And though he struggled in the second innings with a foot injury, he still came back to hit the winning runs. After the game he was sitting and chatting to Dale Steyn for hours. It was a plot straight out of a Teen Wolf film.”It’s one of those things that you’re never going to say,” Cummins said of his debut efforts. “‘I’ve got a sore heel, I’m not going to not bowl just because it’s sore’. I guess it didn’t really affect me too much until that last day. And there it was almost frustrating because I was trying to bowl as fast as I can, and you look up on the screen and it was about, you know, 120k. And you just go, ‘Oh no, what am I doing here?’ And it’s one of those things that’s just frustrating for a bowler to have, but it’s something that you just want to keep bowling through.”But Cummins couldn’t just keep bowling anymore. He had mangled up the bones and tendons in his foot. He was making loads of money. He had a contract with Cricket Australia. He had the best medical care the board could afford. But he was an infrequent player because that one injury became many.A side strain, a back stress-fracture, another back stress-fracture, and then finally a third back-stress fracture. And that was just the greatest hits.Cummins wasn’t 25 yet and he was already in the ‘whatever happened to that guy’ bracket of Test players.Pat Cummins is a natural athlete•Getty Images

If he could show enough fitness to last a day in the field, Australia would rush him back, throw him in, and then immediately send him to the medical centre to keep him safe. Cummins was never fully fit; he was always just pre-injured.When he did come back to international cricket in 2012, despite the hype of his teenage years and spending half his life in an MRI machine, he still excited people. Barney Ronay saw a Cummins spell in an ODI he wasn’t covering and felt moved to write almost as many words on him as Cummins had bowled balls in an Australian shirt.That was Cummins, an occasional spark in cricket fans’ eyes.*****Before he took 5 for 7 to destroy Queensland, James Pattinson had asked the Australian selectors not to pick him as Mitchell Starc’s replacement for this India tour. If Pattinson, Starc, Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were all one man, they would have taken 346 wickets at 26. Of course, if that was one man, he wouldn’t be able to walk with all the injuries.New South Wales captain Moises Henriques was concerned about Cummins being thrown into Test cricket without proper preparation. The fast bowler had played one Shield game, where he picked up eight wickets and was Man of the Match, but could that really make him ready to play international cricket? The jet lag alone would have been troublesome.Even if unlike Pattinson, Cummins felt ready, unlike Starc he was fit, and despite Henriques’ fears, he could get through the game, this was India. His team-mates had trained specifically and thought about little other than this tour for months. Cummins did not have that luxury. The SCG might be the one Australian venue that best mimics Asian conditions but it was still in the wrong country. And he was in the wrong head space.When Cummins finally arrived in India, he went straight to the nets and started working on fast offcutters. The history of fast cutter bowlers in Tests is pretty limited. Some quicks have tried them in India and at best they have had mixed results. Sydney Barnes, the England quick from the 1900s, was probably the last one to be truly brilliant with them (and he called himself a spinner) and Mustafizur Rahman is the latest to try them consistently. But those two practiced every day to get control of it. Almost everyone else who has bowled cutters in Asia – Michael Kasprowicz, Lance Klusener – had time to think and work on them.Cummins arrived on site, toyed with the idea at practice and was trying them in a Test. Predictably some of them went horribly wrong. But then there were those that ripped off the pitch like the spawn of Satan.It was a cutter that gave Pat Cummins his first Test wicket in five years•Associated Press

Cummins’ pace and accuracy, which was better than Starc’s, meant India could never get on top of him. He had already almost clipped KL Rahul with a very quick bouncer but it took a cutter to dismiss the batsman, a cutter that was like a heat-seeking missile with a personal grudge against its target.In the first session on Saturday, it seemed like India were just trying to keep Cummins out. He had not even been in the squad a week ago. Now he had become the main threat. As the day wore on, it seemed like the entire Australian bowling was his support staff. Their job was to keep things tidy so he could rip the batsmen out at the other end. And if one of his team-mates took a wicket, he was recalled into the attack to greet the new man in.Cummins took out Virat Kohli with one that swung away a bit and bounced more than expected. It was the sort of delivery that real fast bowlers get wickets with: it didn’t look unplayable, but if you were facing it wasn’t easy. Ajinkya Rahane’s wicket was pure pace. A bouncer gone wrong, a batsman making a rash decision to try and reach it and a keeper finishing the catch.Those might not have looked like great balls, but he had bowled plenty of them to make India feel like they had to play such wild shots. He deserved his four wickets, simply for putting all that time in the gym and in rehab, and now in the middle making quality batsmen feel uncomfortable.*****Cummins was flying. His slower deliveries were faster than most bowlers’ fastest deliveries and by the time he dropped that caught-and-bowled chance off Ashwin, he had taken wickets with cutters, new-ball swing and sheer pace. Eventually he added reverse to his armoury.Ashwin had to face all of that – Australia had forced him to with canny leg-side fields to Pujara – and all he could do was hope for the best. In total Ashwin faced 22 balls, 20 of which had come from Cummins. When the last one came it was similar to the Rahul ball, a cutter that leapt up and at him, and his only reprieve was from the umpire.Cummins got a small crack at Wriddhiman Saha before a bye let Cheteshwar Pujara take the strike back. He tried one full over at Pujara, ending it with an ordinary offcutter, and when he made his way back to his fielding position he looked broken. He was bent over at the waist, taking deep breaths. When he had to change positions, he moved slowly, like there was something not quite right. If it wasn’t a limp, it was a very sore walk.Cummins barely came in with the bowler when the last few balls of the day were bowled. He should have come off the field, but that’s not his way. As he did for New South Wales in the Shield final and Australia in his first Test, he gave every single part of himself for his team. Hopefully this time, there is something left.Five years ago, Cummins’ dream was “to be part of a winning Australian side consistently.” All Australian cricket has ever wanted is to have him play consistently.On Saturday, in conditions not made for him, on a tour he was not supposed to be on, in only his tenth first-class match, he was flying. The problem for him has never been the flying; it’s been the frequent crash landing at the end.