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GOAL sat down with Schmetzer to talk Club World Cup, a potential MLS schedule shift, and Seattle's expectations

MIAMI – Brian Schmetzer sees the potential in the Club World Cup. The tournament has been met with a mixed reaction worldwide. Some see it as a platform for the growth of the game in America. Others see it as an unnecessary strain on already stretched sinews. The reality might end up being somewhere in the middle. But for Seattle, one of two MLS clubs competing, it's a massive opportunity according to the Sounders' manager.

"If we can pull out a result against any one of those three teams. That makes a statement that MLS is not so far behind some of the other teams in the world," Schmetzer told GOAL at MLS's Media Day.

And he might just be right. Seattle is in a group with PSG, Botafago, and Atletico Madrid. Getting anything from fixtures against the Ligue 1 champions, Copa Libertadores holders, and surprise La Liga contenders would be immense.

But that's not the only relevant tournament in the scope of American soccer. The conversation around the sport has broadened in recent weeks. There is talk of a switch to a fall-spring calendar that mimics the European setup. And Leagues Cup, once a point of controversy, has been revamped.

"I think the league will try and figure [a new schedule] out. I think they'll make it work – if it happens. Because I don't know if that's 100 percent yet, but you know, we'll deal with it," Schmetzer said.

But outside of that, there's soccer to worry about. Seattle has been active in the market, bringing in Jesus Ferreira from FC Dallas. The forward, who has 15 goals in 23 USMNT appearances, might just give a club that was less than 10 minutes away from hosting MLS Cup a real cutting edge. Paul Arriola will also undoubtedly offer a boost out wide.

Ahead of the MLS season, Schmetzer joined GOAL Convo, a weekly Q&A with central figures in the American soccer scene, to discuss his expectations for the 2025 MLS season, the Club World Cup and what star additions will mean for Seattle.

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  ON THE STATE OF MLS

  GOAL: I wanted to start with this talk of a schedule change, about maybe a fall-spring calendar. What's your opinion on that? Would you like to see it?

  SCHMETZER: Well, look, those decisions are made way above my pay grade, but I can see it happening. MLS has done a great job. And, you know, the country is so big, weather in different cities, and there's going to be challenges. But there were challenges playing in the windows that we do now, so I think the league will try and figure it out. I think they'll make it work – if it happens. Because I don't know if that's 100 percent yet, but you know, we'll deal with it.

  GOAL: And what do you think the biggest strength of MLS is right now?

  SCHMETZER: Growth. I mean, our league has had unbelievable growth, even since 2009 when the Sounders came in, it's grown exponentially. So, you know, we are definitely with all of that growth, with the Club World Cup in Seattle, and then the World Cup in Seattle. It's big.

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  ON THE CLUB WORLD CUP

  GOAL: On the Club World Cup, that's significant for you guys, right? What are you looking forward to about it? And maybe, what are your expectations as well?

  SCHMETZER: Look, expectations have to be in line. I mean, those are great teams. We want to be competitive. If we could get a result, that would be unbelievable. You know, starting with Botafogo, Joao Paulo, one of our players, used to play there, so there's a good connection there. Young Obed Vargas, let's just say he has a good game against Atletico Madrid. Let's just see, and does that make his market value go higher?

  We have a young man named Georgi Minoungou, a French African player, playing him against PSG, one of his teams that he looked up to growing up, and having that young man have a good performance in that match. Let's see where that takes the player and our club. Let's just see, but it's going to be exciting.

  GOAL: For American teams, do you think it's more about the experience of playing teams that would maybe be a little bit further above you in the global football pyramid in that sense?

  SCHMETZER: I think the league wants us to do well. They want us to be competitive. Obviously, Miami is in there with Messi, you get all of that. But look, again, if we can pull out a result against any one of those three teams, that makes a statement that MLS is not so far behind some of the other teams in the world.

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  ON LEAGUES CUP

  GOAL: I wanted to ask about the Leagues Cup. There was a bit of controversy around the tournament. How does that need to change?

  SCHMETZER: How does it need to change? I liked it. I mean, look, there were some nuances. There were teams that bowed out early in that competition, then they had a month off in the middle of your year. That's certainly an issue. We were fortunate enough to get into the quarterfinals. So our rhythm was OK. Trying to play more of your games against Mexican teams rather than MLS matchups, I think that's one area that I'd probably focus on.

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  On 2025 expectations

  GOAL: And then final question, what are the expectations for this season from your point of view?

  SCHMETZER: Well, expectations are always high in Seattle. We made it to the conference final, and were eight minutes away from maybe hosting a final while getting into overtime. Credit to Greg [Vanney] and the Galaxy. But how did they it was, it was, you know, it was a good match. Our expectations are always to compete for trophies.

Plays of the day for the match between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ahmedabad

Abhishek Purohit08-May-2014The comical run-out
As far as comedies go, this one would make the hall of fame. Amit Mishra was given two lives and eventually dismissed. Off the same delivery. He tried to sneak a bye after missing off James Faulkner, and the first reprieve came from the wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, whose throw missed with Mishra halfway down the crease. Mishra turned back slowly even as Faulker grabbed the ball. He was so still far out he had given up trying to get back, and was walking expecting the worst. But it was Faulkner’s turn to miss. Mishra still continued to amble towards the crease, and even looked accusingly back at the non-striker Irfan Pathan. Mishra was inches short now, but Samson wasn’t letting him have a third life.The direct hit
Samson and Faulkner may have needed multiple attempts, but David Warner hit his target right away. After Stuart Binny and Steven Smith had stemmed the fall of wickets, Smith tucked one wide of deep midwicket. Warner raced forward, picked up the ball and fired it flat. It crashed into the non-striker’s stumps on the bounce, and Binny was way short.The elongated hat-trick
Shane Watson brought himself on for the fourth over of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s innings, and bowled Shikhar Dhawan with the last ball. He took himself off after that and did not return till the 17th over. Moises Henriques slammed the first ball straight to long-off. Karn Sharma got one leaving him and feathered it to the keeper. There were 72 legitimate deliveries from others in between, but it was a hat-trick alright for the Rajasthan Royals captain.The set-ups
Pravin Tambe usually does not give the ball too much air. To Warner, though, he tossed one up high. Warner slogged assuming it would turn in, but it didn’t, and he was fortunate the toe-ended skier fell in a vacant area. Tambe was encouraged. In his next over, he tossed it up higher. Warner charged out and had a heave. It was another googly, and turned past to give Samson a straightforward stumping.The shot
Young Samson went up against the best fast bowler in the world, and won the contest. Third ball he faced from Dale Steyn, he was beaten by a late outswinger. The fourth moved away as well, but Samson leaned forward to chip it over mid-off for four. He was not completely in control, but he was in Steyn’s next over. Steyn pitched it up at 146 kph, Samson leaned forward again and lofted it so cleanly, it sailed way over the boundary.

Liverpool made it two wins from their first two Champions League games this season, thanks to a 2-0 win over Italian outfit, Bologna. Arne Slot’s side were dominant throughout the game, and never really looked troubled, sealing the points thanks to goals from Alexis Mac Allister and the inevitable Mohamed Salah.

Mac Allister, a World Cup winner with Argentina, scored a simple tap-in, but it was superb play in the buildup. The midfielder linked up play nicely, before making a late dart into the penalty box and getting on the end of a teasing cross from Salah, to give the Reds the lead.

Salah’s goal doubled the lead for the home side with 15 minutes to go, cutting inside onto his left foot and lashing it into the top corner. It was a goal that capped off a dominant showing from Slot’s men, who sit fifth in the table of the new group phase.

There were certainly some standout performances throughout the evening at Anfield. Not least from Mac Allister, who was one of the stars of the show for Liverpool. However, it will come as no surprise to hear that one of the standout players once again was Salah.

Salah’s stats vs. Bologna

It was another vintage display from Liverpool’s Egyptian king at Anfield, and he once again put on a show for the Liverpool supporters. The winger was at his brilliant best, creating chances and looking like a constant threat on the attack.

His goal was superb, a trademark Salah finish. The Reds’ number 11 cut inside on his left foot, dummying with a clever drop of his shoulder, before driving into the Bologna penalty box and firing home into the top left-hand corner, as pinpoint as you could ask for. That goal went along with his superb assist for Mac Allister in the first half.

He received an impressive 9/10 rating from Ben Fleming, a journalist for The Metro. He hailed Salah’s performance which ultimately made the difference for Slot’s side, calling him ‘the architect’ of the Reds’ dominant win.

Indeed, his superb contribution was reflected in his Sofascore stats at full-time. Salah had a surprisingly low 37 touches of the ball but managed to provide three key passes and create one big chance, as well as creating the opener and sealing the three points with his wonder strike.

Salah’s performance was mightily impressive, but there was arguably a player who stood out more than the winger. That player is Ryan Gravenberch.

Gravenberch’s stats vs. Bologna

Since he was given the task of playing as a number six under Slot, Gravenberch has gone from strength to strength in a Liverpool shirt, and Wednesday night’s performance against Bologna was no different.

It was a superb, metronomic display at the base of the Reds’ midfield from the Dutchman, who has previously been deployed in more advanced roles. However, he seems right at home as a number six, dictating play with ease, and using his 6 foot 2 frame to his advantage, gaining an upper hand physically against opposition midfielders.

His stats from the game show just how impressive he was. The former Bayern Munich midfielder had 58 touches, two more than Liverpool’s first goalscorer Mac Allister. He was effective on the ball, creating two chances and completing three out of four dribbles. The Dutch international also won four out of six ground duels.

Gravenberch received an 8/10 from Fleming for his efforts against the Italian side on Wednesday. The journalist explained he ‘continues to thrive; as a number six, and explained that he ‘bossed’ the midfield at Anfield.

Slot will no doubt be delighted with the progress his side are making; the Reds have six points from six in the Champions League and are currently top of the Premier League. They look to extend their five-match winning run against Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime.

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Arsenal employees have been dispatched to Europe this week, as the Gunners and sporting director Edu Gaspar eye up a potential forward signing.

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Havertz’s latest heroics in a 2-0 win against PSG – opening the score with a towering header beyond the on-looking Gianluigi Donnarumma – add to his tally of five goals and an assist across nine appearances in all competitions so far.

Since signing from Chelsea last summer, the versatile 25-year-old has gone on to become a key Arsenal player despite early criticism. However, Edu and Arteta did attempt to bring in an alternative to Havertz and Gabriel Jesus over the summer.

Arsenal made an offer to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, and were involved in a high-profile Premier League race against Chelsea and Man United for the Slovenian’s signature. However, Sesko decided instead to remain at Leipzig – penning a contract extension with the condition of a “gentleman’s agreement” that he could leave in 2025 or 2026.

Arsenal are believed to be weighing up the possibility of bringing in a new striker next year instead, and Sesko remains on their list alongside a host of other star names.

Reports claim Edu is looking at Marcus Thuram of Inter Milan, with Sporting Lisbon sensation Viktor Gyokeres on Arsenal’s radar as well. The stellar form of Aston Villa star Jhon Duran has led to Arsenal chiefs believing he’d be an even better capture than Gyokeres, according to Football Transfers, but Sesko remains at the forefront of their thinking.

Arsenal send scouts to run rule over Sesko at Leipzig this week

According to The Boot Room, Arsenal scouts were at Leipzig this week to run the rule over Sesko, with the 21-year-old seemingly impressing as he bagged a brace against Juventus in the Champions League.

While the 21-year-old was ultimately on the losing side, Sesko showcased his proficiency yet again – picking up where he left off from last season. The former Salzburg starlet has chalked up six goals and three assists in eight total appearances so far this term, following a 2023/2024 campaign where he netted 18 in all competitions.

“Benjamin Šeško is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player,” said Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell.

“He has all the qualities to do that. He’s extremely quick, has a great jump on him and is strong in the air. Benjamin is a real goalscorer, who despite his 1.95m (6’4″) is mobile and technically strong. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile.”

Sesko’s new deal is rumoured to include a £63 million release clause, a mark-up from his previous one in the summer, but it could still represent good value for money.

The UAE’s excitement over hosting the IPL has been well documented, but the fuss expected on the eve of the opening match was rather muffled

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Abu Dhabi15-Apr-2014It’s hard to tell if it’s one hoarding or two. They are the same size, they sit next to each other, and they share the instantly identifiable colour scheme of the same soft drink brand. Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Robin van Persie, Jack Wilshere, Sergio Ramos and David Luiz strike menacing poses in one of them, while Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Shane Watson and Rohit Sharma smile out of the other.All the above names are, in their own way, superstars. But the difference between the two groups of faces can be summed up very simply. The cricketers probably know all there is to know about the footballers, and follow their careers closely. The footballers are unlikely to have heard of the cricketers.What does it say, though, that the two worlds have collided on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road? How big, and how visible, is the IPL in its new, temporary home?The eve of the tournament provided conflicting answers to that question. It had taken over Gulf News’ sports supplement, filling up its centre-spread and the pages either side of it. There was no mention of it, though, in the evening sports bulletin on , which instead focused on the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, and news of Red Bull Racing’s failed appeal against the disqualification of one of its drivers at the Australian Grand Prix.One plausible explanation is the difference in target audience. And understandably so in a society as massively multicultural as the UAE’s.On Tuesday evening at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, players, backroom staff and a special list of invitees waited to board coaches that would whisk them away to an undisclosed location where, rumour had it, they would be entertained by Bollywood’s most famous names at a private dinner.In India, on days such as this, reasonably large crowds of fans mill around hotels to catch a glimpse of the players. Here, only a scattering of Indian expatriates hung around, despite the fact that the papers had been full of news about this tournament-eve party. It seemed that attending the matches – most of the early games are sold out – and watching the cricket would be more than enough IPL for Abu Dhabi’s cricket fans.At one point, Virat Kohli (carrying his suit on a hanger), MS Dhoni, Kevin Pietersen, Shane Watson, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir walked out of the hotel entrance and strolled down towards its lawns to catch a glimpse of the skyscrapers, backlit by the setting sun, on the opposite side of the road. They went more or less unmolested, and the handful of camera-toting enthusiasts who followed them quickly gave way when a security guard gestured with a hefty arm.A group of Russian tourists sat on the steps as the cricketers walked past, completely oblivious to who they might have been. It must have been refreshing, but also a touch unsettling, for the players. It certainly wouldn’t have happened to Messi, Aguero and van Persie.Asked what the evening promised, a former India player said Shah Rukh Khan was expected perform. Turning to a friend by his side, the cricketer added: “I hope it gets over soon.”

The decision will allow the batter to play tournaments like the Road Safety Series and overseas T20 leagues

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2022Suresh Raina, the former India and Uttar Pradesh batter, has announced his retirement from “all formats of cricket,” confirming the end of his IPL and India domestic career. Raina, 35, had already retired from international cricket, announcing that decision on August 15, 2020 shortly after MS Dhoni had retired.”It has been an absolute honour to represent my country & state UP. I would like to announce my retirement from all formats of cricket,” Raina posted on Twitter on Tuesday.The decision will allow Raina to play tournaments like the Road Safety Series, for which he has already been confirmed, as well as overseas T20 leagues. “I want to continue playing cricket for two or three years,” he was quoted as saying by . “There are some exciting youngsters who are coming through the ranks of Uttar Pradesh cricket. I have already taken my No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA). I have informed BCCI secretary Jay Shah and vice-president Rajiv Shukla about my decision.”I will play in the Road Safety Series. T20 franchises from South Africa, Sri Lanka and UAE have contacted me but I am yet to take any decision.”Raina had not played any first-class or list A cricket since 2018, and his last IPL game was in October 2021. Raina was a key figure for the Chennai Super Kings, whom he represented for 11 seasons between 2008 and 2021. He won four titles with CSK in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021 and still remains their top-scorer with 4687 runs from 176 matches. He was released by Chennai Super Kings ahead of the 2022 player auction, where he was not bought by any of the ten franchises.Raina retires having scored 6871 runs in 109 first-class games, 8078 runs in 302 list A games, and 8654 runs in 336 T20 matches. He began his senior domestic career for UP back in 2002-03, and made his international debut in 2005. Raina played 226 ODIs, 78 T20Is and 18 Tests for India, and was part of the squad that won the ODI World Cup in 2011. He was the first Indian batter to score a century in all three international formats.

Real Madrid have sent a letter to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) complaining about refereeing standards after their 1-0 loss to Espanyol.

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• Madrid lost in controversial Espanyol clash
• Club sent letter demanding refereeing reforms
• Called for officials to be removed

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  La Liga leaders Madrid lost 1-0 through a late goal from Carlos Romero, who was lucky to escape a red card earlier in the second half for a harsh challenge on Kylian Mbappe. Espanyol committed 14 fouls to Madrid's three and were given two yellow cards over the 90 minutes at the RCDE Stadium on Saturday.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Madrid have since sent an official letter of complaint to Spanish football's governing body saying that the refereeing system is being "discredited" by decisions that the club argue have gone beyond "human error". The letter also called for the audio recordings of various VAR reviews during the match.

• WHAT REAL MADRID SAID

  "The events that occurred in this match have exceeded any margin for human error or referee interpretation. What happened at the RCDE Stadium represents the culmination of a completely discredited refereeing system, in which decisions against Real Madrid have reached a level of manipulation and adulteration of the competition that can no longer be ignored. The two most serious refereeing decisions in this match have once again revealed the double standards with which Real Madrid is refereed," the letter states.

  "The brutal challenge on Kylian Mbappe, from behind, on the calf and with no possibility of contesting the ball, carried out in the 60th minute of the match by the Espanyol player who would later end up scoring the winning goal for his team, deserving of immediate expulsion as highlighted by the world press, ended with the decision of the referee, Alejandro Muniz Ruiz, to only show a yellow card without the VAR, with Javier Iglesias Villanueva as responsible, intervening to correct a manifestly erroneous decision, leaving unpunished an aggression that in any other competition would have been an exemplary sanction."

  The complaint continued: "Real Madrid cannot accept that the competition continues to be governed by a discredited refereeing system, whose main officials, far from being removed, continue to exercise decisive functions in decision-making. It is not enough to make superficial changes or to replace some directors; the only way to restore the credibility of Spanish refereeing requires a comprehensive reform that includes, as an essential element, the replacement of those referees whose connection with stages under suspicion compromises the legitimacy of the system and perpetuates its lack of transparency."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MADRID?

  The Spanish giants will await a reply from the RFEF and hope that reforms are soon adopted. Despite the controversial loss, Madrid are still top of La Liga and a point clear of Atletico Madrid, who they face on Saturday just three days after they meet Leganes in the Copa del Rey.

Arsenal were denied a famous victory at The Etihad on Sunday as John Stones struck in the 98th minute to secure a 2-2 draw for Manchester City. There was a full Gunners debut for Riccardo Calafiori at left-back and it was a mixed evening for the Italy international, who arrived from Bologna in the summer.

Savinho beat him with ease on the half-turn to set up Erling Haaland for the opener but he reacted to that by scoring a stunning goal from distance to level the game at 1-1.

Calafiori started due to a slight injury concern with Ben White, who then came on at half-time, and the England international is not the only player Mikel Arteta may be worried about.

Latest Arsenal injury news

After the 2-2 draw with City, the Spanish head coach revealed that his coaching staff did not want the versatile English defender to feature at The Etihad, but they turned to him at the break after Leandro Trossard’s sending-off. White made it through to the end of the match without any major issues, fitness-wise, and Arsenal will now be hoping to have him fully fit for their next Premier League clash with Leicester City.

However, the Gunners may have a new injury concern to be worried about after goalkeeper David Raya was spotted limping with a bandage around his knee after the match.

The Spaniard has a wrapping around his right knee and was not walking comfortably, whilst declining to speak to reporters in the mixed zone. The former Brentford man did drop to the floor before a goal kick in the second half and needed treatment on the pitch, which gave Arteta a chance to speak with his players. Hopefully, the bandage was a precaution.

Losing David Raya would be a big blow

If Arsenal do end up being without Raya for any period of time, it would be a blow for the Premier League giants as he has been in fantastic form this season.

The 29-year-old stopper made a whopping nine saves in the 2-2 draw with City and came into that game off the back of an extraordinary double save against Atalanta in the Champions League.

He has kept three clean sheets and prevented 1.36 xG in five appearances in the Premier League so far this season, whilst his ability to claim crosses has also been extremely valuable for Arsenal.

As you can see in the table above, Raya ranks incredibly highly against his positional peers in the top leagues across Europe in a number of key statistics, including claiming crosses. The Spaniard is quick off his line to sweep up danger, whether that is from through balls to crosses, to take some of the pressure off William Saliba and Gabriel.

Therefore, losing a player of his immense quality, as a shot-stopper and a dominant force in the box, would be a blow for Arteta and his defence.

Fewer touches than Raya: Arteta must drop 3/10 Arsenal star after Man City

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Phoenix batter downplays efforts, suggests Henry Brookes deserved match award

ECB Reporters Network11-Aug-2022Will Smeed expressed his joy at becoming the first-ever centurion in the Hundred’s history, after his stunning 101 not out helped Birmingham Phoenix to a dominant 53-run victory over men’s champions Southern Brave at Edgbaston.The 20-year-old struck his ton from just 50 balls to make him the owner of the highest individual total in the 100-ball format, eclipsing the 92 made by both Liam Livingstone and Jemimah Rodrigues last season.”I never really felt like I was close to a hundred until right at the very end,” he said. “I knew they were going to bowl wide to me, and I just tried to hit the ball.”I think my role is to just try and smack it at the top. I didn’t get off to a flier but I caught up and kept going from there.”Smeed, who recently made his England Lions debut against South Africa, was keen to heap the praise onto his teammates.”Everyone stuck their hand up today, everyone’s doing their job,” he said. “It felt like we were above par, it felt like if we bowled well and fielded well and stuck to our plans, we’d win the game, and we obviously saw that.”The way we’re set up, we’re looking to play positive, so if a few people can come off every game then that should leave us in a good position. There’s a lot of belief in the group that everyone playing can do a job for the team.”Will Smeed leaves the field of play unbeaten on 101•ECB/Getty Images

Seamer Henry Brookes took 5 for 20 on his Hundred debut, and player of match Smeed wasted no time in making sure his efforts didn’t go unnoticed.”Brooksy bowled amazingly. I feel like I’ve stolen [the award] off Brooksy,” he chuckled. “He got five wickets and two catches, but it’s a team game at the end of the day and we’ve all contributed. He should get all the plaudits.”The England prospect is now – quite understandably – looking forward to continuing his side’s momentum for the rest of the competition.”It was nice to get going, obviously we didn’t lose a game here [at Edgbaston] last year so let’s keep that going,” he said. “We had a couple of training sessions and that sort of made me feel good again, so whether we’re playing or training I don’t really mind.”

Plays of the Day from the Asia Cup clash between Bangladesh and India

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Fatullah26-Feb-2014The collisionThe stumps weren’t the only thing Varun Aaron knocked over on Wednesday•AFPHaving opened Shamsur Rahman up with a back-of-a-length delivery that straightened and bounced, Mohammed Shami’s eyes were fixed on the ball looping up off the leading edge. So glued were his eyes to the ball that Shami didn’t notice Ambati Rayudu running in from cover to claim the same catch. The two collided, but Shami’s focus had been so unwavering he came out of it clutching the ball triumphantly. Both bowler and fielder were unhurt.The yorkersIndia have seldom used Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the death. Two days before this match, though, he had been spotted diligently aiming yorkers at a dummy batsman in an open net. All of that practice showed when he came on for the 47th and 49th overs of Bangladesh’s innings and fired eight out of those 12 balls into the blockhole.The forehand swatAnamul Haque had already jumped down the track and smacked Varun Aaron for a six. Seeing him leave his crease once more, Aaron banged the ball in short. It rose shoulder high and on an off-stump line, but Anamul didn’t care, and went through with the shot, swatting the ball hard and high over the deep midwicket boundary.The beamerAaron wasn’t having a good day. He was going at over nine an over, and Mushfiqur Rahim had smashed two fours and a six off his last four legal deliveries. His radar had been all over the place. But now, Aaron’s waywardness went beyond merely line and length. The ball slipped out of his fingers, and struck Mushfiqur Rahim on the chest, on the full. Aaron had already bowled one waist-high full-toss at Anamul. The second meant he could play no more part with the ball.The yorkers (part two)In his fourth over, Rubel Hossain uprooted Shikhar Dhawan’s leg stump with a superbly directed yorker. Unfortunately for the bowler, this was a free hit. Rubel’s efforts would get their reward in due course, however, even if it was too late in India’s innings to make any difference to the result. In his final over, Rubel bowled his second unplayable yorker of the day, a ball good enough to bowl Virat Kohli out for 136.