Australia’s fortress has lost its aura but history weighs heavy on the tourists | Geoff Lemon

The hosts were unbeatable at the Gabba until India broke the spell but a series of changes mean they can start to rebuild the record in the third Test

It’s passing strange. In town ahead of the Australia-India Test, Brisbane feels as it always has: guys walking down Queen Street carrying boxes of mangoes, the Queensland humidity performing its ritual of luxuriant suffocation as the city’s air begrudgingly shifts along the snake-path of the river. The Gabba Test though, does not feel quite the same.

For three decades and more, this was where Australian teams were unbeatable. Pointed out with a heavy drumbeat of symbolism, the previous visiting winner was the great West Indies team of 1988. It took the best ever to achieve this feat, was the message. But that’s not the case any more.

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Texas builds big early lead, cruises to 91-67 win over New Mexico State

Arthur Kaluma scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half when Texas took a big lead and the Longhorns went on to beat New Mexico State 91-67 on Thursday night. Tramon Mark added 14 points and Jordan Pope and Ze'rik Onyema had 10 each for Texas (8-2), which shot 59%. Freshman guard Tre Johnson, who came in leading the SEC at 21.1 points per game and had scored at least 16 points in each of the Longhorns’ previous games this season, finished with nine points in 26 minutes.