Geoff Lemon's Blog, page 56

The Hundred men’s eliminator: Southern Brave beat Trent Rockets – live!

Southern Brave will play Birmingham Phoenix in Saturday’s men’s final while Southern Brave’s women’s team will play Oval Invincibles

8.52pm BST

Southern Brave Women will play the Oval Invincibles, while Southern Brave Men will play Birmingham Phoenix, for the first title in this new competition. We will have that coverage for you on the OBO, as ever. Till then, I’ll leave you with Jonathan Liew’s match reports from the men’s and women’s eliminators …

8.47pm BST

Seven wickets in hand, and a very comfortable win. Both the women’s and men’s teams for the Brave are through to the finals tomorrow.

Today was about the joint bowling effort between Garton, Jordan, Overton and Mills. They never let the Rockets into the game with the bat. That set it up for Stirling and Vince to come in and dominate when it was their turn to score.

8.44pm BST

68 balls: Southern Brave 97-3 (Vince 45, Whiteley 7) Inspired, perhaps, Cook runs up and zings a bouncer over Whiteley’s head. But when he pitches up Whiteley plonks him down the ground. Splices a pull shot away for one. Leaving Vince to open the face and back-cut behind point for four. That’s the win.

8.38pm BST

60 balls: Southern Brave 85-3 (Vince 39, Whiteley 1) Ten in a row for de Lange, and it’s an impressive spell. Short, fast, fierce. Well up past 90 miles an hour throughout. Up into the ribs of Whiteley. And keeping a smile beaming throughout the spell. Finishes his day with 2 for 16.

8.33pm BST

High into the air, and Davies is dropped. Gets the mis-hit via de Lange’s pace, while trying to go over mid off. Hales has to run back with the flight and can’t hold on, looking back over his shoulder. But no matter: de Lange rushes another ball right through Davies, taking the inside edge en route to the keeper. Umpire says no, but DRS says yes.

8.30pm BST

50 balls: Southern Brave 81-2 (Vince 38, Davies 1) Make that his ten. Rashid continues, and Vince slog-sweeps him for six! Has played the leg-spinner really well today. Continues to, sweeping him along the ground and fine for four. The shorter the format, the more convincing Vince seems to be in it.

8.27pm BST

45 balls: Southern Brave 71-2 (Vince 29, Davies 1) Rashid Khan is back, and back on form. Two singles from his five.

8.26pm BST

40 balls: Southern Brave 69-2 (Vince 28) Finally some joy for Matthew Carter. Four byes through the keeper’s legs, four runs as Stirling reverse-sweeps him over backward point, but to finish his set he gets the wicket. Stirling tries to go big down the ground and miscues to mid off, de Lange taking a difficult high catch trekking back. Nearly drops it, ricocheting over his own shoulder, but he spins around and takes it on the second attempt.

8.22pm BST

35 balls: Southern Brave 60-1 (Stirling 27, Vince 27) Marchant de Lange can slow the scoring, bowling short to make Vince defend and duck, but it doesn’t matter. The batters can afford to block him out.

8.21pm BST

30 balls: Southern Brave 57-1 (Stirling 25, Vince 26) Samit Patel on for a bowl. It’s really just a farewell tour for the Rockets now. Vince says farewell by whacking Samit back over his head for four.

8.14pm BST

25 balls: Southern Brave 50-1 (Stirling 23, Vince 21) Huh, Paul Stirling is still out there. He seemed to have vanished after the first over. But he reminds us of his presence by driving Cook down the ground for six! Into the rope on the full. Dead straight.

They’re halfway to the runs in a quarter of the time.

8.11pm BST

20 balls: Southern Brave 42-1 (Stirling 16, Vince 20) Even Rashid Khan is capable of an error, occasionally. Bowls Vince a full toss, slapped through midwicket for four. One or two bounces. Emboldened, he stretched forward to the pitch two balls later and lifts it over midwicket. Six! Then sweeps four along the ground for good measure.

8.08pm BST

15 balls: Southern Brave 28-1 (Stirling 16, Vince 6) Gets up to 94 miles per hour in that over, does de Lange. Vince steals a boundary from him though, thanks to Samit Patel’s fumble at short fine.

8.05pm BST

Marchant de Lange comes in and bowls heat from the first moment. 90 miles an hour as he zeroes in on de Kock’s boots, but the South African keeper plays an effortless on-drive, wide of long on in the end, for four. Second ball though, short and equally fast, and de Kock’s pull shot goes off a top edge miles into the air before being held at square leg.

8.02pm BST

10 balls: Southern Brave 18-0 (Stirling 16, de Kock 2) Sam Cook for the second set of five, bustling in to bowl right-arm brisk. Stirling walks at him, gets an inside edge past his stumps while sparring at something too short to do much else with, and gets four. Why not? He’s Paul Stirling.

7.59pm BST

5 balls: Southern Brave 12-0 (Stirling 11, de Kock 1) Happy Ireland Day! Matthew Carter is bowling right-arm darts around the wicket. He doesn’t look like he thinks it’ll work, so I don’t know why anyone else would. Paul Stirling wanders out, sweeps four, takes a single, gets the strike back, and belts a flat six over midwicket. That puts a dent in the target.

7.45pm BST

Here’s our report on the women’s match from earlier.

7.44pm BST

Well, that’s something. When you only have 100 balls in your innings, being bowled out is a colossal failure. That’s losing a wicket every nine balls for this mob. They lasted 91 deliveries. Samit Patel’s 20 was the top score. Southern Brave should walk this in.

Mills 3 for 8, Garton 3 for 18, Jordan 2 for 15, Overton 2 for 25.

7.41pm BST

Same ball, same shot, different bowler. Mills this time gets the nick.

7.39pm BST

90 balls: Trent Rockets 96-9 ( de Lange 0) Baseball shot by de Lange as Jordan sits up a shorter ball. Six runs over midwicket. But every Southern Brave bowler has had reward after the odd moment of disappointment. Jordan ends his over with a ball back of a length outside off, taking the edge of Carter’s flail at the off side.

7.36pm BST

85 balls: Trent Rockets 88-8 (Carter 0, de Lange 0) Might struggle to crack a hundred now, the Rockets.

7.34pm BST

They keep coming. Rashid Khan has faced 9 balls for his 2 runs, nearly 10 per cent of the innings. Couldn’t get going today. Tries to go over cover, loops the top edge to backward point.

7.31pm BST

80 balls: Trent Rockets 87-7 (Rashid Khan 2, Carter 0) Not much time left for the Rockets. Not many wickets left either.

7.30pm BST

That’s a blow for the Rockets. Moores is the only one who has hit anything cleanly tonight. He gets another good piece of a ball, over long on, but it just drops short. Overton can go back, catch it before stepping over the rope, throw it up and step back inside the field of play for the secondary catch. Third umpire takes a look, but it’s out.

7.25pm BST

75 balls: Trent Rockets 83-6 (Moores 18, Rashid Khan 0) Lintott is having a fun day. Finishes off his bowling to Rashid Khan, who can’t do anything with a succession of googlies.

7.22pm BST

70 balls: Trent Rockets 82-6 (Moores 17) Back to back sixes for Moores! Gets a halfway short ball from Overton and smites the pull shot, a real crisp crack of the bat to send it well into the crowd over backward square. But the end of the over falls Overton’s way. Samit Patel hits a drive very sweetly at extra cover, but Lintott at mid off dives across and takes it!

7.18pm BST

65 balls: Trent Rockets 73-5 (Patel 20, Moores 8) Enough messing about, says Tom Moores! Four balls from Lintott have gone by without event, but the fifth one sees the left-handed Moores advance and drive way over long off for six.

7.14pm BST

60 balls: Trent Rockets 64-5 (Patel 18, Moores 1) Tymal Mills, left-arm fast when he wants to be, has 1 for 7 from 10 balls.

7.12pm BST

The pressure to hit out was there. Gregory tries to smoke through the covers. Hits it well but flat, and Stirling is in the way. A good catch diving forward for the Irishman.

7.10pm BST

55 balls: Trent Rockets 60-4 (Patel 17, Gregory 9) George Garton back to finish his day’s bowling, and it’ll be 3 for 18 from his 20 balls. Three singles from his final five.

7.07pm BST

50 balls: Trent Rockets 57-4 (Patel 15, Gregory 8) Lintott bowls ten balls straight through. Errs down the leg side and Gregory gets a tiny nick, very fine for four. The bowler comes back well with three dots, Gregory unable to find any pace or timing to force the ball away.

7.04pm BST

45 balls: Trent Rockets 52-4 (Patel 14, Gregory 4) George Lintott, with this strange gangly approach that he has to launch his left-arm wrist spin. Tightens up Samit Patel with his first four balls, over the wicket. But Samit finds his groove after that. Backs away, cut shot for four. Smacks across the line but well saved at midwicket, stops a boundary. Then slog-sweeps the fifth ball for six over square.

7.01pm BST

40 balls: Trent Rockets 42-4 (Patel 4, Gregory 4) Chris Jordan now. The batting pair working the field, but only finding singles. It’s a quite game just at the moment.

6.58pm BST

35 balls: Trent Rockets 39-4 (Patel 2, Gregory 3) Singles only from Tymal Mills, his first bowl of the day. Patel and Gregory need to rebuild.

6.57pm BST

30 balls: Trent Rockets 36-4 (Patel 1, Gregory 1) Overton helps the batting side by slinging down a bouncer that eludes his keeper and goes for four byes. Not wides.

6.51pm BST

25 balls: Trent Rockets 31-4 (Patel 1) Samit Patel to the middle early, three wickets in the Powerplay. Make that four! Short hits a full toss for four down the ground, but he tries to hit the last ball of the Powerplay over midwicket, just chipping really, and gets a leading edge that loops up to the field. The left-armer has three.

6.48pm BST

20 balls: Trent Rockets 24-3 (Short 1) Overton and Garton swapping places again. And again Overton strikes with the fifth ball of his set. Gets glanced for four before that, but follows up with a perfect Test match delivery. Outside off stump, decking back in off the seam. Mullaney tries a big drive over mid on and misses completely. Loses off stump.

6.43pm BST

15 balls: Trent Rockets 18-2 (Short 0) Another left-hander replaces Malan, the Australian D’Arcy Short. Smacked on the thigh pad by Garton for a leg bye first ball. Hales backs away to hack a cut shot and dropped at point. Tough chance, fast and very low to the ground, and Tim David doesn’t grasp it. But Garton gets him the next ball. Extra bounce again, Hales trying to force square, and another nick through.

6.39pm BST

Good ball from Garton. Hard into the pitch, some extra bounce. A tight line just outside off. Malan is trying to run it away for a single, maybe fine for a boundary, but the bounce does him. A nick through to the keeper.

6.37pm BST

10 balls: Trent Rockets 15-0 (Malan 14, Hales 1) Craig Overton bowling the second set of five, and Malan threads him beautifully through the covers for four. Along the ground. Perfect. Then steps across and clunks a boundary through midwicket. Overton hits the yorker and keeps Malan to a single, which brings Hales onto strike, but he can’t score.

6.35pm BST

5 balls: Trent Rockets 6-0 (Malan 5, Hales 1) Dawid Malan opening up today, and gets a leg glance away from George Garton’s fifth ball for four.

6.34pm BST

Trent Rockets
Alex Hales
Dawid Malan
D’Arcy Short
Steven Mullaney
Lewis Gregory *
Tom Moores +
Samit Patel
Rashid Khan
Matthew Carter
Marchant de Lange
Samuel Cook

Southern Brave
Quinton de Kock +
Paul Stirling
James Vince *
Alex Davies
Tim David
Ross Whiteley
George Garton
Chris Jordan
Craig Overton
Tymal Mills
Jake Lintott

6.32pm BST

Easier to chase in the Hundred, that’s the theory.

6.31pm BST

Righto, now for the men’s Eliminator.

5.41pm BST

That will come tomorrow, after playing at their home ground at The Oval today. Quite a remarkable performance, but you’d expect that with the experience they have in the side. They will take on Southern Brave tomorrow.

Marizanne Kapp, top scored across both sides for 37 with the bat, then took 3 for 21 with the ball. Tash Farrant 4 for 10! They’ve made it work.

5.38pm BST

What a turnaround. Birmingham looked like they were cruising with Amy Jones at the tiller, but she fell and the rest of the side fell away. Not enough runs to begin with, but the Oval side defended with ferocity.

5.37pm BST

Another for Farrant! Two in two. A powerful cut shot, but Kapp at backward point snares it with both hands!

5.36pm BST

Another one down! Arlott aims big down the ground, as she must. But can’t get enough of it. Farrant goes top of the wicket-taking table in The Hundred as Ismail takes the catch for her at long on.

5.32pm BST

90 balls: Phoenix 92-8 (Arlott 2, Gordon 4) Capsey continues, bowling a full ten balls. Only ones and a two coming. Birmingham need 23 from 10.

5.28pm BST

85 balls: Phoenix 87-8 (Arlott 1) Elwiss drives a single, but Birmingham need more than that. Capsey gets through two dots before bowling a full toss, but again Arlott only gets one, out to deep midwicket. Final ball, looped up, dug out back to the bowler.

5.26pm BST

80 balls: Phoenix 85-7 (Elwiss 1, Arlott 0) Farrant with one run and a wicket from her five balls, a decisive intervention. Birmingham need 30 from 20 now, a tough ask with three wickets in hand.

5.25pm BST

The wickets keep coming! Davies feels she has to be the one to go large, and aims a big shot over the leg side. Only gets enough on it for a high edge that goes behind the left-hander towards short fine leg. The keeper gets across to take it safely.

5.21pm BST

75 balls: Phoenix 84-6 (Davies 12) Shabnim Ismail is back. Got the toolkit out and turning the screws. Davies takes three balls to get off strike. Wong steps across and can’t get the fourth ball away. Steps across again... and loses leg stump.

5.18pm BST

70 balls: Phoenix 83-5 (Davies 11, Wong 1) DVN influencing the game once again. The target is 32 from 30.

5.17pm BST

Risk, reward. DVN decides to bowl ten in a row. Gets swept hard for four from the sixth ball, but the eighth is driven hard back past her... but not past her. Caught tumbling across to her right.

5.14pm BST

65 balls: Phoenix 76-4 (Davies 5, Kelly 4) Dane van Niekerk’s set of five gets through with three singles. Brum need 39 from 35.

5.11pm BST

60 balls: Phoenix 73-4 (Davies 4, Kelly 2) Capsey with the ball, keeps all as quiet as Christmas Eve... until the last ball of the five, as Davies goes back and pulls into the gap between long on and midwicket. Hits it to perfection. Four.

5.08pm BST

55 balls: Phoenix 67-4 (Davies 0, Kelly 1) Time for a rebuild. Not much time in this game, but they’ve got a little bit of it on their side.

5.05pm BST

Two in two balls! Farrant takes the catch, then the wicket. Full and wide, Jones drives but lofts it, and Dane VN at cover takes the catch. How quickly this game turns.

5.04pm BST

50 balls: Phoenix 66-3 (A Jones 35) Runs keep coming for Ye Olde Phoenix. Kapp on the pads to Amy Jones, clipped for four. Then beats cover with a drive, though the sweeper keeps it to one. No need for risky running at this stage. Birmingham ahead of the game. But not when the last ball comes: Burns drives out the yorker over mid off, gets a good piece, but a brilliant diving catch by Tarrant. Running back, full dive, one hand out, snares it as the ball nearly clears her! Inspirational.

4.58pm BST

45 balls: Phoenix 58-2 (A Jones 29, Burns 22) Erin Burns is so clever with the sweeps. Pulls out the reverse sweep against van Niekerk and nails it to the fence.

4.54pm BST

40 balls: Phoenix 50-2 (A Jones 27, Burns 16) Ismail comes back to stem the runs, and does, to a point. A couple of wides, but not much from the bat.

4.50pm BST

35 balls: Phoenix 46-2 (A Jones 25, Burns 16) Alice Capsey, one of the sensations of this tournament, bowls. Sizzles one past the edge of Burns, but it beats the keeper too for three byes. Jones backs away to carve four through cover. Burns lofts a single. Runs coming quickly.

4.46pm BST

30 balls: Phoenix 37-2 (A Jones 20, Burns 15) Burns follows up, stepping away to leg, and smashing straight over mid off! Four! Dane van Niekerk goes even slower through the air to hold up Burns. Singles follow.

4.45pm BST

25 balls: Phoenix 30-2 (A Jones 19, Burns 9) Shabnim Ismail with the ball. Jones reads her like the Good News Bible. Steps across the stumps to lap-sweep for four through fine leg. Then rocks back to pull one run to mid on.

4.41pm BST

20 balls: Phoenix 25-2 (A Jones 14, Burns 9) Tash Farrant with the ball. Plenty of wickets in this comp so far. Nearly talks Burns into a run out, coming half way down the track after advancing and getting an inside edge into pad. A single, a leg bye, then Burns edges four through deep third. Farrant throws her head back.

4.36pm BST

15 balls: Phoenix 18-2 (A Jones 14, Burns 4) Erin Burns walks out, pulls four first ball through backward square. This is the partnership for Birmingham. Need these two classy operators to knock off a good chunk of the chase.

4.35pm BST

Evelyn Jones finally gets to face a ball. Kapp bowls wide across the left-hander, big drive, edge into the keeper’s gloves. It’s a rough game sometimes.

4.32pm BST

10 balls: Phoenix 9-1 (E Jones 0, A Jones 9) Shabnim Ismail makes up the double South African opening partnership with the ball. Amy Jones uses her extra pace to pull four over midwicket. Then slashes through backward point, should be four but brilliantly saved on the rope.

4.31pm BST

5 balls: Phoenix 4-1 (E Jones 0, A Jones 4) Amy Jones comes out, smacks a boundary through cover point. The Double Jones Show starts now.

4.28pm BST

The South African star strikes early! Mack advances a couple of times, beaten outside off stump. Third ball, gets a nick to the keeper. The Oval team are away.

4.27pm BST

Second innings, here we go...

4.11pm BST

Under par by the South London team, but the late flurry has given them something to bowl at.

4.11pm BST

100 balls: Invincibles 114-7 (Gibbs 12, Bryce 0) Grace Gibbs finishes things off alright: sweeps four to fine leg off the top edge, glances two more very fun, then chips two over mid off. That’s the innings.

4.07pm BST

Another one goes. Gardner hits out to deep midwicket, thinks of the second, gets sent back, trips and stumbles, and is way short of her ground at the non-striker’s end.

4.06pm BST

95 balls: Invincibles 104-6 (Gardner 1, Gibbs 3) Gordon 2 for 22 as she finishes her bowling for the day. Held the Invincibles nicely.

4.05pm BST

Two in two for Brum. Bashed out to dee midwicket by Villiers. Easy catch.

4.04pm BST

Hit to midwicket, they take on the arm for the second, and the arm wins. Had to run. Fair enough.

4.01pm BST

90 balls: Invincibles 99-4 (Capsey 26, Villiers 3) Burns gets through her Jane Austen with nothing but singles until the last ball, when Capsey backs away and slogs over mid off for four.

3.59pm BST

85 balls: Invincibles 92-4 (Capsey 21, Villiers 1) Mady Villiers next in, who we mentioned earlier. Slaps to deep midwicket for a single. Burns beats the edge of Capsey. She’s going to bowl 10 in a row.

3.56pm BST

Down the track, toe ended trying to clear long on, and Kapp is caught inside the circle.

3.55pm BST

80 balls: Invincibles 90-3 (Kapp 37, Capsey 20) Elwiss back. Her slower meds are hard to get away. A couple of dots, a couple of singles, a dot to finish.

3.53pm BST

75 balls: Invincibles 88-3 (Kapp 36, Capsey 19) Issy Wong back to try to blast them out. But pace onto the bat means pace off it. Kapp lifts her over long on for six! Straight hit through the ball. Wong tries the slower ball but it loops down the leg side. Short and Kapp pulls for four. Top edge, deep midwicket, Katie Mack slaps it back on the bounce but has stepped outside the rope, and she signals four to the umpire.

3.48pm BST

70 balls: Invincibles 74-3 (Kapp 25, Capsey 18) Now they’re up and running. Gordon the spinner bowling. Kapp drives wide of mid-off, Capsey reverses, one boundary apiece.

3.46pm BST

65 balls: Invincibles 64-3 (Kapp 20, Capsey 13) Now Capsey is in on the act, down the track to Maqsood and punting the spinner straight down the ground. Four runs.

3.42pm BST

60 balls: Invincibles 57-3 (Kapp 18, Capsey 8) Arlott is back, keeping the lid on it until Kapp slashes four runs down through deep third. Will that get them going?

3.38pm BST

55 balls: Invincibles 49-3 (Kapp 13, Capsey 5) Erin Burns into the attack, the Australian all-rounder with her off-breaks. Landing them wide, making the batters wait. Four singles.

3.36pm BST

50 balls: Invincibles 45-3 (Kapp 11, Capsey 3) Elwiss continuing, and the batting team just can’t get away. A couple of singles. Falling behind the rate.

3.32pm BST

45 balls: Invincibles 42-3 (Kapp 9, Capsey 2) Maqsood starts to the land them, floating her bowling down. Kapp hits cover and is annoyed, then threads the gap between cover and mid off for four.

3.31pm BST

40 balls: Invincibles 37-3 (Kapp 5, Capsey 1) Two singles from Gordon’s five balls, plus the wicket. Alice Capsey gets off strike via a misfield, then Gordon has an lbw shout turned down against Kapp. Inside edge.

3.28pm BST

Lamped back at the bowler, who takes it comfortably despite Wilson getting a good piece of it. Problems for the Oval team now.

3.27pm BST

35 balls: Invincibles 35-2 (Wilson 21, Kapp 4) Wilson trying to line up the medium pace of Georgia Elwiss, but not convincing. Drives two through cover via a misfield, drags one over mid on from the top edge. They’ve just caught up to a run a ball.

3.24pm BST

30 balls: Invincibles 29-2 (Wilson 18, Kapp 1) Abtaha Maqsood on to bowl her leg-breaks, but she’s not landing them. Kapp only drives a run down the ground from the full toss, but Wilson sweeps through midwicket for four.

3.21pm BST

25 balls: Invincibles 23-2 (Wilson 13, Kapp 0) Issy Wong is back, charging in and trying to fling them down, but she bowls too wide. Twice. Wilson carves them both away for four: front foot through cover, back foot over point. Clean. Wong responds with a bouncer and a yorker into the pads, two dot balls.

3.18pm BST

20 balls: Invincibles 15-2 (Wilson 5, Kapp 0) DVN’s South African compatriot and partner comes out to the middle. Arlott concedes two runs from her second five balls.

3.17pm BST

It doesn’t work for the Oval skipper in this knockout match. Half volley from the medium pacer, or at least Dane makes it a half volley by advancing. But doesn’t get all of it, or even much of it. Hits it low to mid on in the air.

3.14pm BST

15 balls: Invincibles 13-1 (van Niekerk 2, Wilson 5) A review by the Birmingham team, and van Niekerk is walking... but she’s not out! Umpire says no. Jones goes upstairs. The vision shows Kirstie Gordon has landed her left-arm spin in line with the right-hander’s stumps, straightening down the line. Dane VN thinks that is enough. But stops halfway off, and DRS shows the ball going over. Wilson celebrates by sweeping four off the top edge over short fine leg.

3.11pm BST

10 balls: Invincibles 7-1 (van Niekerk 1, Wilson 1) Emily Arlott on for the second five, bowling her mediums outside off stump. A wide and a single the only scores.

3.10pm BST

5 balls: Invincibles 7-1 (van Niekerk 0, Wilson 1) Fran Wilson to the middle already.

3.08pm BST

Wicket in the first over! Issy Wong is the speed sensation of this tournament, and the young quick does it again here. Gets driven through cover by Georgia Adams, then comes back with a ball that has extra bounce. Adams tries to cut and gets a fine nick. No one thinks so except Wong, but she convinces her captain behind the stumps to go for a review, and the spike is there.

3.06pm BST

Birmingham win the toss and choose to chase

3.06pm BST

Oval Invincbles
Georgia Adams
Dane van Niekerk *
Fran Wilson
Marizanne Kapp
Alice Capsey
Mady Villiers
Natasha Farrant
Sarah Bryce +
Grace Gibbs
Joanne Gardner
Shabnim Ismail

Birmingham Phoenix
Evelyn Jones
Katie Mack
Amy Ellen Jones * +
Erin Burns
Gwenan Davies
Marie Kelly
Isabelle Wong
Emily Arlott
Georgia Elwiss
Kirstie Gordon
Abtaha Maqsood

3.02pm BST

As has been pointed out to me, the phrasing of the Eliminator does bring this to mind...

2.17pm BST

As ever, on the OBO. Email, tweets, all of those two options.

2.17pm BST

The Hundred Eliminators. The stage that every child has dreamed of appearing on, since time immemorial. The Oval Invincibles won the first match ever played in The Hundred in dramatic style, when Mady Villiers hit a six in the final stages to get her team over the line.

Now they’re back at The Oval, their home ground, in the first ever elimination match of this new tournament. Their opponents today: the Birmingham Phoenix. England keeper Amy Jones will be leading out the latter team, and hoping to subvert home ground advantage.

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Published on August 20, 2021 12:52

World Cup selection fails to solve Australia’s historical T20 problem | Geoff Lemon

As has been the case for years there is a glut of top-order players picked for the tournament in the UAE without those to finish

We all know that players get better when they’re out of the team. At least, they get better in the mind’s eye. Especially in sports like cricket or baseball, where statistically players fail more than they succeed, those in the team have to carry the weight of those failures, while supporters are irresistibly drawn to imagine the triumph that might have awaited those left out. The possible tantalises when the actual disappoints.

Which means that skipping a disastrous overseas excursion – eight losses in 10 T20 Internationals across the Caribbean and Bangladesh – has been a good career move for a stack of Australian cricketers. The captain Aaron Finch left the tour early with injury, while David Warner, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams elected to sit it out. Now that so few of those who did travel have returned with reputations enhanced, the eight above have slotted straight in to Australia’s T20 World Cup squad without any decision-making angst.

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Published on August 19, 2021 22:19

India build 154-run lead over England: second Test, day four – as it happened

Mark Wood bowled like the wind, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane dug in for almost 50 overs – and then England took three vital late wickets

6.58pm BST

Right, that’s it for today’s blog. I’ll leave you with Ali’s match report from Lord’s. Thanks for your company and emails, see you tomorrow. It’s going to be emotional.

6.33pm BST

WHAT. A. BALL!

Moeen bowls Jadeja (3) with a peach - perfectly described by Sir Andrew Strauss on commentary! ️

India 175-6, lead by 148 | #ENGvIND @RuthStraussFdn | #RedForRuth

Watch https://t.co/N5yEvBmzDs
Live blog https://t.co/BQcLeSJCgY pic.twitter.com/2tLMj0S8nf

6.21pm BST

The post-match thoughts of Moeen Ali

“We could have carried on with the spinners but Joe wanted to bowl the seamers so that’s why we came off. There were two parties out there - one wanted to stay on and one wasn’t so sure! It’s going to be a tight game, so 15-20 extra runs tonight could have been crucial. Now Jimmy will have the new ball in the morning.

6.13pm BST

Joe Root will be thrilled not only with the day England have had, but that all six wickets were taken by the change bowlers. There were three for Mark Wood, who revelled in the glad animal action of bowling fast, two to Moeen Ali and one to Sam Curran. Virat Kohli will be equally chuffed that Cheteshwar Pujara (45 from 206 balls) and Ajinkya Rahane (61 from 146) returned to something resembling their world-class best. And all the while, a compelling contest ebbed and flowed. Cricket is the best team sport in the world; cricket is the best individual sport in the world.

6.07pm BST

Ach, that’s a shame. But it shouldn’t really affect the match, in that the draw is now highly unlikely. And after a fascinating fourth day’s play - meandering at times, blistering at others - we have a rare old humdinger in store at Lord’s tomorrow. India will resume on 181 for six, a lead of 154, with an unfettered gentleman by the name of Pant still at the crease.

6.05pm BST

The umpires are discussing the light again ... and they’re off. The crowd responds, somewhat bizarrely, by chanting ‘Roooooooooooooooot’. It’s past 6pm, the official cut-off time, so that will be it for today.

6.04pm BST

82nd over: India 181-6 (Pant 14, Ishant 4) Moeen to Pant, who cuts a single to the cover sweeper. No need to farm the strike at this stage. Virat Kohli, on the balcony, is unhappy and signals to Pant and Sharma that they should nag the umpires about the light. Sharma does, without success, and then slices a couple of runs behind square. England are very chirpy out there, Bairstow in particular. This is tremendous stuff.

5.58pm BST

81st over: India 178-6 (Pant 13, Ishant 2) Although the second new ball is available, England can’t bowl their seamers because of the light so they aren’t going to take it for now. Joe Root continues to Rishabh Pant, who thumps a drive up to long-off for a single. That’s your lot. India lead by 151 in what might be the best Lord’s Test since that epic against South Africa in 2012.

5.56pm BST

80th over: India 177-6 (Pant 12, Ishant 2) Mark Wood comes back on the field, realises he won’t be allowed to bowl because of the fading light (or possibly because he has been off the field for too long) and goes off again. England may have to keep two spinners on, though they won’t mind that with the way Moeen is bowling. Ishant fiddles an edge wide of slip for a couple.

“The gap in quality between India’s number 7 and number 8 is quite something, isn’t it?” says Michael Anderson. “England’s 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 would probably all bat at number 8 in this India team.”

5.51pm BST

Goddim! Moeen has struck again with a stunning delivery. It curved onto off and middle from round the wicket and turned dramatically to beat Jadeja’s defensive push and hit the outside of off stump. After waiting almost 50 overs to break the partnership between Pujara and Rahane, England have taken three wickets in seven overs!

5.50pm BST

79th over: India 174-5 (Pant 12, Jadeja 2) As Root skips through an over, the camera cuts to Mark Wood in the England dressing-room. He doesn’t look in pain but he’s had his right shoulder strapped.

5.47pm BST

78th over: India 174-5 (Pant 12, Jadeja 2) Moeen huries through another over, two from it. There are 12 overs remaining today, 10 of which should be bowled with the second new ball.

5.46pm BST

77th over: India 172-5 (Pant 11, Jadeja 1) Pant misses an almighty hack at Root, bowling round the wicket, with the bowling turning sharply out of the rough to hit Buttler high on the gloves. Rishabh Pant is such a delight; he could bring rock & roll spirit to a game of tiddlywinks.

5.41pm BST

76th over: India 167-5 (Pant 9, Jadeja 0) Moeen deserved that wicket for some very tidy bowling throughout the match. India lead by 140, and the game is well and truly on.

5.40pm BST

A huge wicket for England just before the second new ball! Rahane, pushing defensively on the back foot, thin-edges a delivery from Moeen that skids straight on, and Jos Buttler takes a smart catch. Now. Then.

5.35pm BST

75th over: India 165-4 (Rahane 59, Pant 9) Root replaces Wood, so that means six overs of spin (probably) before the second new ball. Pant, whose positivity extends way beyond big-hitting, steals a quick single and then tries to take another from the non-striker’s end. Rahane sends him back, a wise decision. India lead by 138.

“Even from the recesses of the Corbières in Southern France,” begins Georgie Clay, “I know that what sounds like booing is the crowd calling Root’s name!!”

5.32pm BST

Wood is leaving the field to have his shoulder checked. That’s sensible but also worrying - not to mention frustrating, because he has been in blistering form today.

5.31pm BST

74th over: India 163-4 (Rahane 58, Pant 8) With Pant at the crease, Joe Root replaces himself with Moeen Ali. The pace, mood and noise of the match have changed instantly. Pant edges down to third man, where the diving Wood does brilliantly to save the boundary - but he has damaged his right shoulder in the process.

This is a worry. Wood has a quick word with the physio on the boundary edge and decides to stay on, but he’s clearly uncomfortable and I’m not sure he’ll be able to bowl.

5.25pm BST

73rd over: India 158-4 (Rahane 58, Pant 3) Rishabh Pant, who was lying down on the physio’s bench a couple of minutes ago, pulls his first ball for two and then takes a quick single to keep the strike.

5.24pm BST

Evening Rishabh

5.22pm BST

Mark Wood has got blood out of the stone! On a slow pitch, with an old ball, he somehow got the fourth delivery of his new spell to burst viciously at Pujara, who could only fence it to Root in a wide slip position. Pujara defended so well, making 45 from 206 balls, but that was unplayable. Mark Wood is in the team for exactly that type of breakthrough.

5.14pm BST

72nd over: India 151-3 (Pujara 41, Rahane 58) The Lord’s crowd boo the announcement that Joe Root is coming on to bowl, which is an appalling way to respond to somebody who gave them such entertainment yesterday. His second ball drifts away from Pujara and then turns back in, though it was too wide to cause any problems. A decent start from Root, and that’s drinks.

5.11pm BST

71st over: India 149-3 (Pujara 40, Rahane 57) Pujara almost walks past one from Moeen. He just managed to squeeze the ball on the half-volley and scrunch it past Buttler’s right foot. And now it looks like Joe Root is going to have a bowl.

5.08pm BST

70th over: India 143-3 (Pujara 39, Rahane 53) Rahane, who is playing more a bit more fluently, clips Curran through midwicket for a couple. England look a little flat, and anything before the second new ball will be a bonus. India lead by 117.

5.03pm BST

69th over: India 140-3 (Pujara 38, Rahane 50)

5.02pm BST

68th over: India 139-3 (Pujara 37, Rahane 50) Rahane opens the face to steer Curran to third man for four, a high-class stroke that brings up a commendable half-century - probably match-saving, possibly match-winning. It’s only his second fifty in 16 innings, since he made that pointed century at Melbourne last winter, but he has shown again why he has such a great career record overseas.

4.55pm BST

67th over: India 135-3 (Pujara 37, Rahane 46) Moeen continues and is worked for a single. I know Root has a million things on his mind but I do think he should have a short spell before the second new ball. It would get the crowd going, and if nothing else he might take a wicket through positive vibes. It was no fluke that, when he scored 456 runs against India at Lord’s in 1990, Graham Gooch also picked up an important wicket with the ball and ended the match with a spectacular run-out.

4.54pm BST

66th over: India 134-3 (Pujara 37, Rahane 45) Now then. Curran, around the wicket, beats Pujara with a gorgeous delivery. Buttler celebrates the caught behind, but Curran doesn’t even appeal. Michael Gough says not out anyway. Joe Root has only one review left, because England threw away the first two, and that means he can’t risk it.

Here comes the replay... and there’s nothing on UltraEdge, so it’s a good job Root didn’t review. The noise came from the bat hitting the pad as Pujra pushed forward.

4.48pm BST

65th over: India 131-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 42) Moeen has changed ends now to replace Anderson, who will have a bit of a break before the second new ball. Rahane whirls a flat, hard sweep for four to inch ahead of Pujara in this compelling race between the tortoise and the tortoise. He gets four off the next ball too, albeit in slightly strnage circumstances. He flicked Moeen to long leg for three and picked up a bonus run when Wood’s throw beat Buttler.

“Settle CC five wickets down but win!” says Anthony Bradley. “Our seconds only need one win from five remaining games to win their league as well. All four junior teams won their respective competitions too. Thirds mid-table but full of juniors.”

4.44pm BST

64th over: India 121-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 33) Hang on, Anderson’s hair was red, the Freddie Ljungberg tribute. I was getting my skunks confused. Meanwhile, the bleach blond Sam Curran launches into a lone appeal for LBW against Rahane, who pushed forward at a delivery from around the wicket. Michael Gough says not out, so that’s the end of that. Inside edge, probably outside the line. Another maiden. This partnership is now 66 from 41 overs.

4.39pm BST

63rd over: India 121-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 33) Nope, Anderson continues, and beats Pujara with a good delivery from wider on the crease. The pitch is painfully slow, so even he does find the edge there’s no guarantee it will carry. As if to prove the point, Buttler takes the last ball of the over on the second bounce.

4.35pm BST

62nd over: India 120-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 32) Sam Curran replaces Moeen, who might be about to change ends. I like this move, because Curran has the personality and optimism to make things happen when they logically shouldn’t. He almost strikes third ball, in fact, when Pujara edges just short of Bairstow in the slips.

4.32pm BST

61st over: India 120-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 32) Another maiden from Anderson, who has figures of 17-6-22-0. Eighteen years ago, when he was a blue-haired tearaway, his first over in Test cricket went for 17. He’s the Benjamin Button of economy rates.

4.30pm BST

NOT OUT! Rahane was surprised by a ball from Anderson that popped from a length outside off stump and went through to Buttler. Anderson’s appeal was more of an enquiry, and Root wasn’t convinced either - but he reviewed at the last second, presumably out of desperation. There was nothing on UltraEdge and that means England are down to their last review.

4.29pm BST

ENGLAND REVIEW FOR CAUGHT BEHIND AGAINST RAHANE I don’t think this is out.

4.25pm BST

60th over: India 120-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 32) Oh my, Rahane has been dropped by Bairstow off Moeen! It was a tricky chance, low to his right at point with the ball dying on him, but he’s such a good fielder that you expected him to take it. I think it bounced off the carpometacarpal joint.

4.23pm BST

59th over: India 118-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 30) Another accurate over from Anderson, but with no movement whatsoever. He might as well save his legs for the second new ball.

I didn’t fancy the draw at all this morning, but it is fast becoming the favourite as the pitch gets slower and lower. In fact, WinViz has it at 47 per cent, with England on 28 and India 25. I wouldn’t have it as such a strong favourite myself, but I’m no meticulously developed algorithm.

4.18pm BST

58th over: India 118-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 30) The old ball is doing very little for the seamers, so England have 23 overs of hard yakka ahead. It might be time for Joe Root to bowl himself for a few overs and see how far his halo extends.

4.15pm BST

57th over: India 117-3 (Pujara 36, Rahane 29) Pujara continues this orgy of boundaries - two in three balls now - with a flashing back cut off Anderson. That was beautifully played. With the caveat that I haven’t a clue, I think India are slightly ahead now.

4.12pm BST

56th over: India 113-3 (Pujara 32, Rahane 29) Out of nothing, Rahane jumps down the track to swing Moeen to cow corner for four. He didn’t nail it, and it was in the air, but he managed to drag it over midwicket and well wide of mid-on. India lead by 86.

4.08pm BST

55th over: India 108-3 (Pujara 31, Rahane 25) Jimmy Anderson returns to the attack, as he usually does at the start of a session, and troubles Pujara with a bit of extra bounce. The ball rams into the glove and drops safely on the off side. One from the over.

“Thanks for the shout out for Settle CC,” says Anthony Bradley. “Settle CC bowled out Cherry Tree for 64 so if we lose from here…”

4.03pm BST

54th over: India 107-3 (Pujara 30, Rahane 25) Moeen continues after tea, and induces a biggish drive from Rahane that he can only scuff back to the bowler. Two singles from the over.

3.52pm BST

It’s not just cricket

Gerd Muller scored with his shin, his knee and his backside, and sometimes even with his feet

3.44pm BST

The afternoon session in numbers

3.43pm BST

53rd over: India 105-3 (Pujara 29, Rahane 24) Rahane steers a full toss from Curran for a single to bring up a quietly resolute fifty partnership from 175 balls. In the context of the match and their individual form, it’s been thoroughly admirable.

Pujara blocks the last ball before tea, a loopy slower one from Curran, takes his helmet off and smiles as he walks off with Rahane. For the first time in a while, he looks like he’s having fun out there. Niche fun, admittedly, he has 29 from 148 balls after all, but fun nonetheless.

3.36pm BST

52nd over: India 103-3 (Pujara 28, Rahane 23) Time for two more overs before the tea break. Moeen continues his accurate if mostly unthreatening spell... and the moment I type that, Rahane misses a cut stroke at a ball that keeps very low outside off stump. He is beaten again off the last delivery, this time by a bit of extra bounce.

3.33pm BST

51st over: India 103-3 (Pujara 28, Rahane 23) Sam Curran replaces Mark Wood, and his first over is a gem. Pujara edges for four, wide of second slip at catchable height, and then survives a big LBW appeal from around the wicket. I’m pretty sure there was an inside edge... Indeed there was.

“Would be good to have a big shout out for Settle CC today,” writes Anthony Bradley. “The Firsts play in the Ramsbottom Cup final today having already won the Ribblesdale League yesterday for the third year in succession. They are the only Yorkshire side in the two competitions and we have to bear in mind the War of the Roses only finished 400 years ago.”

3.29pm BST

50th over: India 99-3 (Pujara 22, Rahane 22) Pujara survives an LBW appeal from Moeen. It was beautifully bowled, dipping and turning past Pujara’s inside edge, but he was a long way forward and I think he got an inside edge anyway. Replays show it was had the square root of eff all going for it.

“It might be pedestrian progress for India now, but if Pujara and Rahane continue this way up till close of play today and muster a lead of 200, England will certainly be under pressure,” says Gangesh Vadakeyil in Kerala. “Pant and Jadeja can come and blast their way tomorrow morning to set a 300-plus target for the hosts on the last day on a weary pitch. Such an interesting scenario can’t be entirely ruled out.”

3.25pm BST

49th over: India 96-3 (Pujara 22, Rahane 22) Wood rams in a short ball to Rahane, who top-edges a slightly woolly hook for a single. It landed nowhere near Moeen at fine leg, but it wasn’t a particularly convincing shot. Pujara then pulls away with Wood into his delivery stride. “Was it me?” asks Wood to Pujara, who points behind him at an open door to the side of the sightscreen. The rest of the over passes without incident, save Wood moving back over the wicket, and that might be it for this spell. He’s bowled 13 today, four in this anotherwordforspell.

3.19pm BST

48th over: India 92-3 (Pujara 20, Rahane 20) Pujara is using his feet a lot to Moeen, though usually with singles, defence and length-disruption in mind. Three singles from the over, and both batsmen have 20. Pujara has faced 131 balls, Rahane 61.

“This is the mega plan,” says Amod Paranjape. “Bore everyone to sleep and then unleash some singles.”

3.16pm BST

47th over: India 89-3 (Pujara 19, Rahane 18) This is a great example of cricket being both a team and individual sport. A superb match is exquisitely poised; there are two outstanding batsmen, who have been around forever, trying to grind their way out of a desperate spell of form; and they are facing two bowlers who have had a mixed relationship with Test cricket over the years but could be England’s matchwinner on their return to the side.

Wood has moved around the wicket, with a field set for short stuff. Pujara gloves a thoroughly unpleasant lifter round the corner for a couple, just short of the diving Buttler, and then sways out of the way of a well-directed follow-up. A fine over from Wood, which has got the crowd going again.

3.10pm BST

46th over: India 86-3 (Pujara 17, Rahane 17) Rahane shapes to cut a ball from Moeen that turns sharply and ends up hitting either the glove or the bat handle. Transcript of Ravichandran Ashwin’s internal monologue please!

3.08pm BST

45th over: India 85-3 (Pujara 17, Rahane 16) Pujara blots his copybook by hitting a boundary, the first of his innings from his 118th ball. It was expertly played, a crisp flick through square leg when Wood strayed slightly in line.

3.05pm BST

44th over: India 81-3 (Pujara 13, Rahane 16) One of the benefits for India of this very slow partnership - 26 from 21 overs - is that Rishabh Pant is going to come in against an older ball and wearier bowlers. Pujara flicks Moeen for another single to move to 13 from 114 balls. As somebody with some, let’s say, interpersonal shortcomings, I’ve always had a soft spot for these tortoisian labours. Have a look at Nasser in the second innings here. I watched every ball, and you’ll never be able to take that away from me.

3.00pm BST

43rd over: India 79-3 (Pujara 12, Rahane 15) Mark Wood returns in place of Ollie Robinson. Ajinkya Rahane’s beans heat up accordingly - he has a wild slap at a first-ball loosener and is beaten. A more measured quick single later in the over takes India’s lead to 52; then Pujara does well to dig out a beautiful inswinging yorker.

2.55pm BST

42nd over: India 78-3 (Pujara 12, Rahane 14) Rahane survives an appeal for LBW off Moeen. The reason I say ‘off’ rather than ‘from’ is that Moeen didn’t appeal himself, with only Buttler and Root going up behind the stumps. It was comfortably missing leg. Nice bit of bowling though, and it turned off the straight.

2.52pm BST

41st over: India 77-3 (Pujara 12, Rahane 13) Pujara receives a loud ovation upon reaching his hundred - that’s balls faced, obviously. You know exactly how many runs he’s got because it’s at the start of this entry; don’t start playing silly buggers. By the end of Robinson’s over he has moved to 104 balls, though he did well to keep out his 103rd. It came back off the seam and kept a bit low, but Pujara was good enough to block it.

2.48pm BST

40th over: India 77-3 (Pujara 12, Rahane 13) Cheers Geoff, hello everyone. This is sheer delightful Test cricket, a devilishly layered struggle. It’s time for another layer, a first bowl for Moeen Ali in this innings. He starts with a slip and short leg for Rahane, who whaps a single into the leg side. Pujara, on the walk, does likewise off the last ball of the over.

2.46pm BST

39th over: India 75-3 (Pujara 11, Rahane 12) Last over before drinks, and Pujara will give nothing away now. Doesn’t even chase one down the leg side. Does play a nice crisp shot into the covers but Anderson saves. Pujara has had three or four possible boundaries that instead have been fielded, so he hasn’t been quite as sedate as 11 from 96 would suggest. He has been almost that sedate though.

India lead by 48 runs. The partnership is 20 from 14.1 overs.

2.43pm BST

38th over: India 75-3 (Pujara 11, Rahane 12) Thank you, says Rahane: a nice full toss on his leg stump from Curran. Clipped through midwicket for four. He goes past Pujara in this gradual partnership.

2.40pm BST

37th over: India 71-3 (Pujara 11, Rahane 8) Robinson to Pujara, up to 90 balls faced now with another scoreless over.

Samuel Chappell on Twitter asks, “Do we have stats on the lowest score to reach a Cowan Ton?” Which for the uninitiated is facing 100 balls in a Test.

2.31pm BST

36th over: India 71-3 (Pujara 11, Rahane 8) Curran bowls the Kohli ball, but better: tighter to Pujara’s off stump and seaming away more markedly. Cut to footage of Kohli on the balcony: an hour or so later, he’s still shaking his head and muttering to himself. Pujara glances two runs from Curran, then gets a short ball and dusts off the pull shot! You crazy kid. Gets a run.

2.29pm BST

35th over: India 68-3 (Pujara 8, Rahane 8) Eight runs in nine overs since lunch. Robinson starts the tenth, replacing Anderson. Drops short and pulled for four. That’s crisp from Rahane but Robinson is excited too, he has a leg-side trap in place. Midwicket, short leg, backward square, long leg. The short leg is set deep, maybe 10 paces from the bat, and the shot goes over him as Haseeb Hameed crouches in self-preservation. More excitement as Rahane shoulders arms to an in-ducker that hits his pad: outside the line doesn’t matter, but it’s too high.

India’s lead is 41.

2.22pm BST

34th over: India 64-3 (Pujara 8, Rahane 4) Pujara facing Curran, tries the cut. His best shot usually, and this is close to his body but he still almost manages to cut it. Bottom edge into the ground. Gets a little more width but less short next ball, and plays more of a diagonal slash at the ball - good fielding at cover point saves four. Pujara shuts up shop again.

2.19pm BST

33rd over: India 64-3 (Pujara 8, Rahane 4) That’s good from Pujara, lays a little more into a drive and Curran at mid off has to scurry across to extra cover. Only a run but there was intent against Anderson.

Ruth Purdue, I assure you that you’re a kindred spirit with many on the OBO. “I love this graft and battle from the Indian batters. I don’t know if I am the only one, but I do love this part of the game. The bowlers are on top and searching, the batters dogged and fighting to stay in.”

2.16pm BST

32nd over: India 63-3 (Pujara 7, Rahane 4) Mark Wood charges in, with his bodybuilder’s runup and his jockey’s build. Rahane pulls again for a run, Pujara nurdles into the leg side. Wood pings down a sharp bouncer but Rahane is short enough to get under it easily.

2.11pm BST

31st over: India 61-3 (Pujara 6, Rahane 3) Anderson to Pujara, blocking, blocking, blocking.

“I know he wasn’t quick, but how old was Wilf Rhodes when he took his last Test wicket?” asks Ian Andrew. Wilfred took a couple of wickets in his last Test in 1930, when he was 52 years and change. The oldest Test player to this day (and probably forever). He so nearly had a Test overlap with Bradman, which in the degrees-of-separation game would take you from WG Grace to 1948 in two moves.

2.05pm BST

30th over: India 61-3 (Pujara 6, Rahane 3) Another edge from Pujara short of the cordon, again his soft hands keeping him out there. It gives you a sense of how well he plays that even Mark Wood’s pace wasn’t enough to make the edge carry to the slips. And you can see how deliberate it is, because after the edge Pujara is turning around and watching, not to much to see whether it carries but to see whether it gets through for a run. He’s tensing and ready to take off as soon as he’s got the nick. And there is a fumble, and he nearly runs, but calls against it. Does get the single later in the over, that pat to cover again.

2.02pm BST

29th over: India 60-3 (Pujara 5, Rahane 3) That’s better from Pujara, plays the little pat into the off side and gets away from Anderson first ball of the over. Rahane’s turn to soak up some bowling. He’s happy to take a good look at Anderson and nothing more.

1.55pm BST

28th over: India 59-3 (Pujara 4, Rahane 3) Wood bowls short, Rahane plays the pull shot with no hesitation. He’s faced 15 balls and caught Pujara’s score from 52. Che thinks about a run after dropping the ball to point, but decides against. Ducks under a shorter ball. Does find a run after that though, pushed to cover. The glacier begins to creak with movement. India’s lead is 32.

1.51pm BST

27th over: India 57-3 (Pujara 3, Rahane 2) Speaking of him, here is Mr Anderson. He bowled a long spell in the first session, we’ll see how he backs up. Everything in the channel to Rahane, who eventually steps forward to drop and run a single into the covers. Every time Rahane sets off for a run these days, it’s a nervous moment.

1.47pm BST

26th over: India 56-3 (Pujara 3, Rahane 1) Back after lunch, and Root wants to rev up Mark Wood for an immediate burst. He aims at the stumps throughout, making Pujara play, but the man with the bat blocks out the lot and adds another six dot balls to his tally. Three runs from 52 balls.

1.45pm BST

Steve Hudson is in the mood for appreciation. “The fact we are struggling to find older quickies than Anderson shows how extraordinary he is. Hope he comes through the Aussie tour ok and can stick around for another year or so. Still a stroppy bugger too, as shown by his chat with Kohli!”

1.41pm BST

Feel the good cheer spreading around England.

Morning @GeoffLemonSport. This is a delight of a Test, and clear surely to England what happens when you actually have runs to make a game of it. Root, of course, has been sublime, but others have finally supported him. It allows bowlers to attack to positive fields. Who knew?

1.39pm BST

@GeoffLemonSport I know we're not supposed to reward pitch invaders with attention, but this guy was genuinely funny. Curious if you (or OBO readers) know of a better one, or if the rest are just all drunk and naked? https://t.co/CRl1bTZqYD

He was very good. Jarvo 69 is a variation on the original from the 2001 Ashes, the bloke who walked out in full England kit - helmet, pads, gloves - to try to bat in the middle. Might have been the fourth Test. He really looked the part. In some ways, Jarvo looking less the part makes this more amusing.

1.26pm BST

Maybe we can answer the oldest to take a wicket question. For non-spinners, WG Grace and Frank Woolley both played to an advanced age, but they both bowled medium pace. Grace took his last wicket about a decade before his career ended, Woolley four years beforehand. So that would make Grace about 41 and Woolley 43.

Gubby Allen was a proper quick though, and took a wicket in his final Test in Kingston in 1948. He was 45 years and well on the way to 46. That wicket was Frank Worrell out lbw too - handy.

1.16pm BST

While we wait, Andrew Tyacke is playing OBO Quiz. “Regarding the enduring Peter Pan who masquerades as Jimmy Anderson: who is the oldest genuine quickie to take (a) a wicket, (b) a five-for in a Test against a major Test country?”

I can answer the second bit: 20 players older than Jimmy have taken five-fors, but most of them as you correctly guessed were spinners. Bit easier to tweak the ball than rocket it when your limbs are ageing.

1.07pm BST

A fine session for England. Only conceding 59 runs is a big plus, but the three wickets are bigger. Both openers and India’s captain, the three who have made some runs in this series. Pujara and Rahane have battled, and while we know how dangerous Pant and Jadeja can be, it will be too much work left to them if the current pair can’t at least summon a stand worth a hundred or so.

There’s been enough assistance to give the bowlers some joy today, but really for Rohit and Kohli, batting error was the cause.

1.03pm BST

25th over: India 56-3 (Pujara 3, Rahane 1) Robinson to Rahane, down the slope, nailing his pad and Robinson first beseeches the umpire, then beseeches Root for the review. “I thought it was out,” says the bowler. Root waits for timer to run down and then shrugs, as if to say sorry, wish there was something I could do. Ball-tracker says a leg-stump trimmer at best. Rahane sees out the next few balls and that is lunch.

12.58pm BST

24th over: India 56-3 (Pujara 3, Rahane 1) So much rests on this pair, now. Rahane played so well in Australia as stand-in captain. Needs to produce one of those innings today. He’s off the mark promptly, one to square leg.

12.56pm BST

That’s the big one! Curran gets it, and he takes off for a 400m men’s final. Does a lap of the ground. Catches up to Imran Tahir. I wonder how much of that wicket you can give to Michael Gough, whose warning about running on the pitch moved Curran back over the wicket. He’s been trying to swing the ball into the pads but this is the ball that goes on straight. Kohli has had a real problem playing balls that are wider than he needs to play. He does it again, shapes to play the inswing then follows the movement away, nicking to the keeper, and he’s absolutely furious about it.

12.54pm BST

23rd over: India 53-2 (Pujara 3, Kohli 20) Gradual progress for India, as Pujara finds another single, and Robinson gives away another leg bye.

12.48pm BST

22nd over: India 53-2 (Pujara 2, Kohli 20) Sam Curran, zeroing in at the stumps, left-arm around the wicket. Umpire Gough warns him off the danger zone, the opposit of Kenny Loggins, so Curran comes back over the wicket. Pujara doubles his score with an outside edge, then Curran goes up wildly after hitting Kohli’s pad, but the DRS shows it was going over the top. The left-armer was so pumped that he’d got the ball pitching in line that he didn’t think about height, I fancy.

12.43pm BST

21st over: India 52-2 (Pujara 1, Kohli 20) Robinson to Kohli, who uses the bowler’s strength against him: reaches for that consistent line and steers it away, deliberately along the ground, past the slips for four. Robinson though has tricks in his bag, gets another ball to deck up the hill and beat the bat. Next ball, Kohli flicks four. Just past the short leg. Hameed no chance to catch that, it’s past him before his hands can move, but it goes just by his left thigh. Kohli up to 20 from 25, he’s not waiting around today. Lovely bright sunshine now, it looks a perfect day to bat.

12.38pm BST

20th over: India 44-2 (Pujara 1, Kohli 12) Let’s play a game called Will Pujara Score This Over? First ball, half volley, patted away.

Second ball, half volley, patted away.

12.33pm BST

19th over: India 42-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 11) Anderson finally needs a rest, to fume at mid on in peace, like a gently cooling locomotive. Robinson is back, just hitting a line outside off stump. Kohli happy to let the over pass by. India lead by 15.

“One of the markers of Root’s captaincy is his tendency to often adhere to preformed plans and rarely improvise,” writes in Tom Van der Gucht. “He seems to have a bowling list that he follows diligently. So it was a bit of a surprise to see him venture off piste - to impressive results. Was he emboldened by his batting success to go with his gut instinct, or was this another statistical suggestion from the data crunchers behind the scenes. Is this the new unrootish Root? If so, I like it.”

12.29pm BST

18th over: India 42-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 11) Sam Curran doesn’t argue with anyone, as best I can tell. He bowls a decent over. Telling though the difference between the two batters. Kohli: drops and runs, off strike first ball. Pujara: soaks up five and hasn’t scored from 31.

12.28pm BST

17th over: India 41-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 10) Another picture-perfect shot from Kohli: his trigger movement, a half step forward, a square drive that teases Sibley into the fence. The fence doesn’t tease, it smacks Sibley down as he lurches into it. Tried to knock the ball back, missed it, and flew over the rope himself. Picks himself up after some time on the ground enjoying the sun. He’s ok. Anderson follows up with a beauty on the fifth-stump line that beats a push, before Kohli gets off strike to long leg.

There’s quite the exchange between Anderson and Kohli over the next couple of balls, too. I think they almost ran into each other as Kohli was taking the single. Then we can hear Kohli through the stump mic, saying “You swearing at me again, huh? Like you did with Jasprit?” The next ball, it’s something like Anderson asking why Kohli can do what he likes but not others. Kohli responds saying “This isn’t your f***ing backyard.”

12.20pm BST

16th over: India 36-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 5) Here we go with Sam Curran, still looking eerily like a cartoon burglar with a sack full of candlesticks. Try watching his run-up from the side and see what I mean. He’s around the wicket to the right-handers. Kohli drives a run square, Pujara abides. Yet to score from 23 faced.

12.16pm BST

Test Match Special overseas link? Yes, we can do that.

12.14pm BST

15th over: India 35-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 4) Anderson will continue, hoping for a chance against Kohli. And Kohli doesn’t mind: as Pujara pushes into the covers, India’s captain is keen to hustle a run. Pujara refuses, then laughs and holds his hand out flat, waving it side to side. 50-50, he’s indicating, as to whether they would have made it. He doesn’t get off the mark next ball, but he does get his thigh pad onto an Anderson delivery to collect four leg byes. India lead by 8. Short leg, square leg and midwicket all wait for Pujara to stop him nudging runs to the leg side, and he plays into that trap a couple of times with no reward.

12.11pm BST

14th over: India 31-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 4) If you thought Kohli was nervous, he leaves three deliveries from Wood, blocks one, then steps into an overpitched ball and drives it sweetly through the covers for four. That’s some opening remark.

“The bell-ringers were as follows: Enid Bakewell on the opening day, Andrew Strauss on the second, Farokh Engineer yesterday and Deepti Sharma today. Quite the line-up.” Thanks, Aditi.

12.07pm BST

13th over: India 27-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 0) Thus it’s Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, India’s blue-ribbon pair, coming together with scores level. Somehow between themselves, Rahane, Pant and Jadeja they need to get a score that will test out England in a chase. At least 200 from here.

Pujara edges a ball from Anderson on the bounce to slip. Soft hands are his trademark, he does that so often. Soaks up the Anderson over and leaves Kohli to start his own day by facing Wood.

12.01pm BST

12th over: India 27-2 (Pujara 0) Wood into his fourth over drops short, and Rohit smashes that for six. Flat over deep backward square into the crowd. Took it on and the sound off the bat was... fat. Wood gets cranky, bowls shorter and faster, over the helmet in the end and Rohit gets under it.

That should be as far as his adventures go against the short ball. But for some reason, from the sixth ball of the over, Rohit tries to repeat the earlier result. Still two catchers out there waiting, and they’ve moved Moeen further behind square. Rohit miscues it. Out deep but dropping short. Moeen runs in and takes a very good sliding catch.

11.56am BST

11th over: India 21-1 (Rohit 15, Pujara 0) Rohit harvests a few runs, a two and a one to the leg side, bringing Pujara on strike. Anderson splices him immediately, on the bounce to gully. It’s going to be tough going for Che.

11.51am BST

10th over: India 18-1 (Rohit 12, Pujara 0) That’s huge for England. India’s opening two have been the biggest contributors, both at Trent Bridge and the first innings here. They’ve been separated early. Cheteshwar Pujara under pressure from a low run of scores comes in at first drop.

11.46am BST

Joe Root’s golden touch prevails. He brought Wood on early and it has worked. Rohit looked comfortable against the fast man but Rahul makes a mistake. Back of a length from Wood, and Rahul stays at home, hangs on the crease and tries to defend from there. A bit of movement from the slope away from the right-hander perhaps. A nick through to the keeper.

11.43am BST

9th over: India 18-0 (Rahul 5, Rohit 12) Rahul pushes carefully at Anderson to find a single to cover. Circumspect.

Bless you, Ollie Brookes. “Didn’t take as long as you’d think. Two games in history have lasted exactly 2,700 balls! South Africa v England at Cape Town in 1949 and Zimbabwe v India at Harare in 1992. Both were drawn, surprise surprise.”

11.38am BST

8th over: India 17-0 (Rahul 4, Rohit 12) Wood straining every sinew, as he always does. You’d expect him to be on for a short spell here, four overs perhaps, to give it everything before Robinson comes back with the ball still newish, the seam still offering him something. He mostly bowls fast and fairly straight, with Rohit happy to defend everything away.

11.33am BST

7th over: India 17-0 (Rahul 4, Rohit 12) Anderson’s patience runs thin, and he convinces Root to go upstairs for an lbw shout against KL Rahul. It didn’t look that great. Lucky for England in the end that umpire’s call has it shaving leg stump, so they don’t lose a review. A couple of runs from the over, guided away behind point.

11.32am BST

6th over: India 15-0 (Rahul 2, Rohit 12) An early intro for Mark Wood, looking to get something going with the new ball and his extreme pace. Both batters handle him alright to begin with, off the pad to deep backward square. Two fielders out behind square for the hook. Wood goes full at 90 miles an hour, and Rohit drives it away through mid on as calmly as you like. That is a shot of top class. Four.

11.23am BST

5th over: India 9-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 7) Anderson keeps working away at Rahul, has him tangled a couple of times. Beats the outside edge, then nearly takes a glove down the leg side. Getting decent bounce today, Anderson. Another scoreless over.

Speaking of obscure stats, here’s Tim Myles. “In that innings Root faced two hat-trick balls - has anyone ever faced more in a single Test innings? I’m sure someone out there has the answer!”

11.19am BST

4th over: India 9-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 7) Four balls on line from Robinson, then Rohit has to play something. Drives on the up. It looks ok, gets plenty of contact, but that’s a dicey stroke given the length wasn’t there. The ball opens the face of the bat a bit, so the shot goes through cover point for two. The next delivery, hit much better. Off drive for four. That one is fuller, and Rohit plays the understated forward push that zips past the bowler and beats the chase. There was a no-ball earlier in that over as well.

11.15am BST

3rd over: India 2-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 1) India’s pair left really well in the first innings, and Rahul does so again here. Some excitement for Anderson when his final ball comes in and hits the pad, but there’s a fair bit of bat involved there. And maybe height. And maybe leg side.

John Kovacs writes in. “Thinking about the Hundred, as I tend to avoid doing, I suppose you could call a Test match ‘the Two Thousand Seven Hundred’ because that’s the maximum number of balls possible in the match (theoretically at least, possibly more if there’s a particularly rapid over rate). But has any Test match in history lasted exactly 2,700 balls? I’m guessing not.”

11.09am BST

2nd over: India 2-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 1) Ollie Robinson from the Nursery End, the new man with the new ball. He also starts outside leg stump but Rohit can’t catch up with either of those stray deliveries. Robinson finds his way to the off stump eventually, and Rohit is happy to leave through the over.

11.04am BST

1st over: India 2-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 1) Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Anderson with the new Exocet, KL Rahul with the club. Anderson bowls on leg stump and KL tucks it away for first-ball run. Rohit gets the same ball, same result. Anderson will be irritated. Finds his off-stump line after that, and gets a couple to come back down the hill to Rahul. Lots of bounce though, well over the bails.

11.00am BST

Remarkably, play will get underway on time. Quite the novelty.

10.59am BST

Andrew Benton writes in. “Traipsing back across London town last evening to get my train home (I went neither for the cricket nor the naked bicycle riding), I was surprised by the number of MCC ties I saw - these chaps really are proud members! No-one wears a tie unless they have to, surely? I de-tie the minute I’m out of a meeting... Hoping for a brilliant day’s play!”

Surely no one would wear a tie as visually distressing as the MCC one by natural sartorial preference? It’s all about what it means, not what it is. When imbued with enough meaning, a symbol can preclude the object it is made of, instead of representing it.

10.55am BST

“Morning Geoff,” writes Finbar Anslow. “34 degrees here in Piedmont, the river us calling. Yesterday’s bell ringer was Farokh Engineer. Happy memories of him, Clive Lloyd, and the superb Lancashire team which taught the other counties how to play one-day cricket.”

10.46am BST

Emails have begun. “Any idea who the celebrity 5-minute bell ringer is today?” asks Jeremy Boyce. “Whoever it is has a lot to live up to, given the top entertainment the last two have rung for us.”

Not only do I not know who it is today, I don’t know who it was yesterday or the day before. Someone will have to tell the class what we’ve missed.

10.22am BST

Emma John, meantime, was more interested in looking back at the audience.

10.21am BST

Jonny Bairstow had a bit to say about his captain, having watched a good chunk of that innings from the non-striker’s end.

10.20am BST

Next up, Jonathan Liew did his part.

10.19am BST

Safe to say there’s a fair bit on one J. Root since yesterday. Let’s start with Ali Martin’s wrap of the day.

10.08am BST

I’m here for all your thoughts, musings, or concerns. Cricket-related correspondence will be the most relevant, but you do you. Email and birdphone are in the sidebar.

10.06am BST

Hello again, cricket friends and fiends. What is this? It’s the game that goes for five days. The highs, the lows, the rain, the tea. And we’re only up to day four. Two full days of entertainment to come.

Yesterday was all that and more. Joe Root has made 180 at Lord’s and he did it again. He’s also done a 180 in 2021 on his somewhat indifferent returns in Test cricket over the last few years. This year he’s gone past 1200 runs already and it’s only August. He has six more matches to go. He carried England, all the way up to India’s first-innings score and just beyond.

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Published on August 15, 2021 10:33

England v India: second Test, day four – live!

Over-by-over updates from the fourth day at Lord’sDay three report: Root hauls England back into contention Jonathan Liew: Root refinds secret to batting immortalityEmail geoff.lemon@theguardian.com | Tweet @GeoffLemonSport

1.55pm BST

28th over: India 59-3 (Pujara 4, Rahane 3) Wood bowls short, Rahane plays the pull shot with no hesitation. He’s faced 15 balls and caught Pujara’s score from 52. Che thinks about a run after dropping the ball to point, but decides against. Ducks under a shorter ball. Does find a run after that though, pushed to cover. The glacier begins to creak with movement. India’s lead is 32.

1.51pm BST

27th over: India 57-3 (Pujara 3, Rahane 2) Speaking of him, here is Mr Anderson. He bowled a long spell in the first session, we’ll see how he backs up. Everything in the channel to Rahane, who eventually steps forward to drop and run a single into the covers. Every time Rahane sets off for a run these days, it’s a nervous moment.

1.47pm BST

26th over: India 56-3 (Pujara 3, Rahane 1) Back after lunch, and Root wants to rev up Mark Wood for an immediate burst. He aims at the stumps throughout, making Pujara play, but the man with the bat blocks out the lot and adds another six dot balls to his tally. Three runs from 52 balls.

1.45pm BST

Steve Hudson is in the mood for appreciation. “The fact we are struggling to find older quickies than Anderson shows how extraordinary he is. Hope he comes through the Aussie tour ok and can stick around for another year or so. Still a stroppy bugger too, as shown by his chat with Kohli!”

1.41pm BST

Feel the good cheer spreading around England.

Morning @GeoffLemonSport. This is a delight of a Test, and clear surely to England what happens when you actually have runs to make a game of it. Root, of course, has been sublime, but others have finally supported him. It allows bowlers to attack to positive fields. Who knew?

1.39pm BST

@GeoffLemonSport I know we're not supposed to reward pitch invaders with attention, but this guy was genuinely funny. Curious if you (or OBO readers) know of a better one, or if the rest are just all drunk and naked? https://t.co/CRl1bTZqYD

He was very good. Jarvo 69 is a variation on the original from the 2001 Ashes, the bloke who walked out in full England kit - helmet, pads, gloves - to try to bat in the middle. Might have been the fourth Test. He really looked the part. In some ways, Jarvo looking less the part makes this more amusing.

1.26pm BST

Maybe we can answer the oldest to take a wicket question. For non-spinners, WG Grace and Frank Woolley both played to an advanced age, but they both bowled medium pace. Grace took his last wicket about a decade before his career ended, Woolley four years beforehand. So that would make Grace about 41 and Woolley 43.

Gubby Allen was a proper quick though, and took a wicket in his final Test in Kingston in 1948. He was 45 years and well on the way to 46. That wicket was Frank Worrell out lbw too - handy.

1.16pm BST

While we wait, Andrew Tyacke is playing OBO Quiz. “Regarding the enduring Peter Pan who masquerades as Jimmy Anderson: who is the oldest genuine quickie to take (a) a wicket, (b) a five-for in a Test against a major Test country?”

I can answer the second bit: 20 players older than Jimmy have taken five-fors, but most of them as you correctly guessed were spinners. Bit easier to tweak the ball than rocket it when your limbs are ageing.

1.07pm BST

A fine session for England. Only conceding 59 runs is a big plus, but the three wickets are bigger. Both openers and India’s captain, the three who have made some runs in this series. Pujara and Rahane have battled, and while we know how dangerous Pant and Jadeja can be, it will be too much work left to them if the current pair can’t at least summon a stand worth a hundred or so.

There’s been enough assistance to give the bowlers some joy today, but really for Rohit and Kohli, batting error was the cause.

1.03pm BST

25th over: India 56-3 (Pujara 3, Rahane 1) Robinson to Rahane, down the slope, nailing his pad and Robinson first beseeches the umpire, then beseeches Root for the review. “I thought it was out,” says the bowler. Root waits for timer to run down and then shrugs, as if to say sorry, wish there was something I could do. Ball-tracker says a leg-stump trimmer at best. Rahane sees out the next few balls and that is lunch.

12.58pm BST

24th over: India 56-3 (Pujara 3, Rahane 1) So much rests on this pair, now. Rahane played so well in Australia as stand-in captain. Needs to produce one of those innings today. He’s off the mark promptly, one to square leg.

12.56pm BST

That’s the big one! Curran gets it, and he takes off for a 400m men’s final. Does a lap of the ground. Catches up to Imran Tahir. I wonder how much of that wicket you can give to Michael Gough, whose warning about running on the pitch moved Curran back over the wicket. He’s been trying to swing the ball into the pads but this is the ball that goes on straight. Kohli has had a real problem playing balls that are wider than he needs to play. He does it again, shapes to play the inswing then follows the movement away, nicking to the keeper, and he’s absolutely furious about it.

12.54pm BST

23rd over: India 53-2 (Pujara 3, Kohli 20) Gradual progress for India, as Pujara finds another single, and Robinson gives away another leg bye.

12.48pm BST

22nd over: India 53-2 (Pujara 2, Kohli 20) Sam Curran, zeroing in at the stumps, left-arm around the wicket. Umpire Gough warns him off the danger zone, the opposit of Kenny Loggins, so Curran comes back over the wicket. Pujara doubles his score with an outside edge, then Curran goes up wildly after hitting Kohli’s pad, but the DRS shows it was going over the top. The left-armer was so pumped that he’d got the ball pitching in line that he didn’t think about height, I fancy.

12.43pm BST

21st over: India 52-2 (Pujara 1, Kohli 20) Robinson to Kohli, who uses the bowler’s strength against him: reaches for that consistent line and steers it away, deliberately along the ground, past the slips for four. Robinson though has tricks in his bag, gets another ball to deck up the hill and beat the bat. Next ball, Kohli flicks four. Just past the short leg. Hameed no chance to catch that, it’s past him before his hands can move, but it goes just by his left thigh. Kohli up to 20 from 25, he’s not waiting around today. Lovely bright sunshine now, it looks a perfect day to bat.

12.38pm BST

20th over: India 44-2 (Pujara 1, Kohli 12) Let’s play a game called Will Pujara Score This Over? First ball, half volley, patted away.

Second ball, half volley, patted away.

12.33pm BST

19th over: India 42-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 11) Anderson finally needs a rest, to fume at mid on in peace, like a gently cooling locomotive. Robinson is back, just hitting a line outside off stump. Kohli happy to let the over pass by. India lead by 15.

“One of the markers of Root’s captaincy is his tendency to often adhere to preformed plans and rarely improvise,” writes in Tom Van der Gucht. “He seems to have a bowling list that he follows diligently. So it was a bit of a surprise to see him venture off piste - to impressive results. Was he emboldened by his batting success to go with his gut instinct, or was this another statistical suggestion from the data crunchers behind the scenes. Is this the new unrootish Root? If so, I like it.”

12.29pm BST

18th over: India 42-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 11) Sam Curran doesn’t argue with anyone, as best I can tell. He bowls a decent over. Telling though the difference between the two batters. Kohli: drops and runs, off strike first ball. Pujara: soaks up five and hasn’t scored from 31.

12.28pm BST

17th over: India 41-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 10) Another picture-perfect shot from Kohli: his trigger movement, a half step forward, a square drive that teases Sibley into the fence. The fence doesn’t tease, it smacks Sibley down as he lurches into it. Tried to knock the ball back, missed it, and flew over the rope himself. Picks himself up after some time on the ground enjoying the sun. He’s ok. Anderson follows up with a beauty on the fifth-stump line that beats a push, before Kohli gets off strike to long leg.

There’s quite the exchange between Anderson and Kohli over the next couple of balls, too. I think they almost ran into each other as Kohli was taking the single. Then we can hear Kohli through the stump mic, saying “You swearing at me again, huh? Like you did with Jasprit?” The next ball, it’s something like Anderson asking why Kohli can do what he likes but not others. Kohli responds saying “This isn’t your f***ing backyard.”

12.20pm BST

16th over: India 36-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 5) Here we go with Sam Curran, still looking eerily like a cartoon burglar with a sack full of candlesticks. Try watching his run-up from the side and see what I mean. He’s around the wicket to the right-handers. Kohli drives a run square, Pujara abides. Yet to score from 23 faced.

12.16pm BST

Test Match Special overseas link? Yes, we can do that.

12.14pm BST

15th over: India 35-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 4) Anderson will continue, hoping for a chance against Kohli. And Kohli doesn’t mind: as Pujara pushes into the covers, India’s captain is keen to hustle a run. Pujara refuses, then laughs and holds his hand out flat, waving it side to side. 50-50, he’s indicating, as to whether they would have made it. He doesn’t get off the mark next ball, but he does get his thigh pad onto an Anderson delivery to collect four leg byes. India lead by 8. Short leg, square leg and midwicket all wait for Pujara to stop him nudging runs to the leg side, and he plays into that trap a couple of times with no reward.

12.11pm BST

14th over: India 31-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 4) If you thought Kohli was nervous, he leaves three deliveries from Wood, blocks one, then steps into an overpitched ball and drives it sweetly through the covers for four. That’s some opening remark.

“The bell-ringers were as follows: Enid Bakewell on the opening day, Andrew Strauss on the second, Farokh Engineer yesterday and Deepti Sharma today. Quite the line-up.” Thanks, Aditi.

12.07pm BST

13th over: India 27-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 0) Thus it’s Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, India’s blue-ribbon pair, coming together with scores level. Somehow between themselves, Rahane, Pant and Jadeja they need to get a score that will test out England in a chase. At least 200 from here.

Pujara edges a ball from Anderson on the bounce to slip. Soft hands are his trademark, he does that so often. Soaks up the Anderson over and leaves Kohli to start his own day by facing Wood.

12.01pm BST

12th over: India 27-2 (Pujara 0) Wood into his fourth over drops short, and Rohit smashes that for six. Flat over deep backward square into the crowd. Took it on and the sound off the bat was... fat. Wood gets cranky, bowls shorter and faster, over the helmet in the end and Rohit gets under it.

That should be as far as his adventures go against the short ball. But for some reason, from the sixth ball of the over, Rohit tries to repeat the earlier result. Still two catchers out there waiting, and they’ve moved Moeen further behind square. Rohit miscues it. Out deep but dropping short. Moeen runs in and takes a very good sliding catch.

11.56am BST

11th over: India 21-1 (Rohit 15, Pujara 0) Rohit harvests a few runs, a two and a one to the leg side, bringing Pujara on strike. Anderson splices him immediately, on the bounce to gully. It’s going to be tough going for Che.

11.51am BST

10th over: India 18-1 (Rohit 12, Pujara 0) That’s huge for England. India’s opening two have been the biggest contributors, both at Trent Bridge and the first innings here. They’ve been separated early. Cheteshwar Pujara under pressure from a low run of scores comes in at first drop.

11.46am BST

Joe Root’s golden touch prevails. He brought Wood on early and it has worked. Rohit looked comfortable against the fast man but Rahul makes a mistake. Back of a length from Wood, and Rahul stays at home, hangs on the crease and tries to defend from there. A bit of movement from the slope away from the right-hander perhaps. A nick through to the keeper.

11.43am BST

9th over: India 18-0 (Rahul 5, Rohit 12) Rahul pushes carefully at Anderson to find a single to cover. Circumspect.

Bless you, Ollie Brookes. “Didn’t take as long as you’d think. Two games in history have lasted exactly 2,700 balls! South Africa v England at Cape Town in 1949 and Zimbabwe v India at Harare in 1992. Both were drawn, surprise surprise.”

11.38am BST

8th over: India 17-0 (Rahul 4, Rohit 12) Wood straining every sinew, as he always does. You’d expect him to be on for a short spell here, four overs perhaps, to give it everything before Robinson comes back with the ball still newish, the seam still offering him something. He mostly bowls fast and fairly straight, with Rohit happy to defend everything away.

11.33am BST

7th over: India 17-0 (Rahul 4, Rohit 12) Anderson’s patience runs thin, and he convinces Root to go upstairs for an lbw shout against KL Rahul. It didn’t look that great. Lucky for England in the end that umpire’s call has it shaving leg stump, so they don’t lose a review. A couple of runs from the over, guided away behind point.

11.32am BST

6th over: India 15-0 (Rahul 2, Rohit 12) An early intro for Mark Wood, looking to get something going with the new ball and his extreme pace. Both batters handle him alright to begin with, off the pad to deep backward square. Two fielders out behind square for the hook. Wood goes full at 90 miles an hour, and Rohit drives it away through mid on as calmly as you like. That is a shot of top class. Four.

11.23am BST

5th over: India 9-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 7) Anderson keeps working away at Rahul, has him tangled a couple of times. Beats the outside edge, then nearly takes a glove down the leg side. Getting decent bounce today, Anderson. Another scoreless over.

Speaking of obscure stats, here’s Tim Myles. “In that innings Root faced two hat-trick balls - has anyone ever faced more in a single Test innings? I’m sure someone out there has the answer!”

11.19am BST

4th over: India 9-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 7) Four balls on line from Robinson, then Rohit has to play something. Drives on the up. It looks ok, gets plenty of contact, but that’s a dicey stroke given the length wasn’t there. The ball opens the face of the bat a bit, so the shot goes through cover point for two. The next delivery, hit much better. Off drive for four. That one is fuller, and Rohit plays the understated forward push that zips past the bowler and beats the chase. There was a no-ball earlier in that over as well.

11.15am BST

3rd over: India 2-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 1) India’s pair left really well in the first innings, and Rahul does so again here. Some excitement for Anderson when his final ball comes in and hits the pad, but there’s a fair bit of bat involved there. And maybe height. And maybe leg side.

John Kovacs writes in. “Thinking about the Hundred, as I tend to avoid doing, I suppose you could call a Test match ‘the Two Thousand Seven Hundred’ because that’s the maximum number of balls possible in the match (theoretically at least, possibly more if there’s a particularly rapid over rate). But has any Test match in history lasted exactly 2,700 balls? I’m guessing not.”

11.09am BST

2nd over: India 2-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 1) Ollie Robinson from the Nursery End, the new man with the new ball. He also starts outside leg stump but Rohit can’t catch up with either of those stray deliveries. Robinson finds his way to the off stump eventually, and Rohit is happy to leave through the over.

11.04am BST

1st over: India 2-0 (Rahul 1, Rohit 1) Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Anderson with the new Exocet, KL Rahul with the club. Anderson bowls on leg stump and KL tucks it away for first-ball run. Rohit gets the same ball, same result. Anderson will be irritated. Finds his off-stump line after that, and gets a couple to come back down the hill to Rahul. Lots of bounce though, well over the bails.

11.00am BST

Remarkably, play will get underway on time. Quite the novelty.

10.59am BST

Andrew Benton writes in. “Traipsing back across London town last evening to get my train home (I went neither for the cricket nor the naked bicycle riding), I was surprised by the number of MCC ties I saw - these chaps really are proud members! No-one wears a tie unless they have to, surely? I de-tie the minute I’m out of a meeting... Hoping for a brilliant day’s play!”

Surely no one would wear a tie as visually distressing as the MCC one by natural sartorial preference? It’s all about what it means, not what it is. When imbued with enough meaning, a symbol can preclude the object it is made of, instead of representing it.

10.55am BST

“Morning Geoff,” writes Finbar Anslow. “34 degrees here in Piedmont, the river us calling. Yesterday’s bell ringer was Farokh Engineer. Happy memories of him, Clive Lloyd, and the superb Lancashire team which taught the other counties how to play one-day cricket.”

10.46am BST

Emails have begun. “Any idea who the celebrity 5-minute bell ringer is today?” asks Jeremy Boyce. “Whoever it is has a lot to live up to, given the top entertainment the last two have rung for us.”

Not only do I not know who it is today, I don’t know who it was yesterday or the day before. Someone will have to tell the class what we’ve missed.

10.22am BST

Emma John, meantime, was more interested in looking back at the audience.

10.21am BST

Jonny Bairstow had a bit to say about his captain, having watched a good chunk of that innings from the non-striker’s end.

10.20am BST

Next up, Jonathan Liew did his part.

10.19am BST

Safe to say there’s a fair bit on one J. Root since yesterday. Let’s start with Ali Martin’s wrap of the day.

10.08am BST

I’m here for all your thoughts, musings, or concerns. Cricket-related correspondence will be the most relevant, but you do you. Email and birdphone are in the sidebar.

10.06am BST

Hello again, cricket friends and fiends. What is this? It’s the game that goes for five days. The highs, the lows, the rain, the tea. And we’re only up to day four. Two full days of entertainment to come.

Yesterday was all that and more. Joe Root has made 180 at Lord’s and he did it again. He’s also done a 180 in 2021 on his somewhat indifferent returns in Test cricket over the last few years. This year he’s gone past 1200 runs already and it’s only August. He has six more matches to go. He carried England, all the way up to India’s first-innings score and just beyond.

View more on Geoff Lemon's website »

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Published on August 15, 2021 05:55

Root century gives England edge over India: second Test, day three – as it happened

England earned a 27-run lead over India thanks partly to Joe Root’s 180 not out as the third day ended with Jimmy Anderson being bowled

9.21pm BST

Bairstow on Root.

9.20pm BST

Liew on Root.

7.52pm BST

Here is Ali Martin’s report.

6.46pm BST

That really was something. This whole series has been entertaining, and each day of this Test has been outstanding. Today, England resumed 240-odd behind with three wickets down, a mountain of work to do. But Root, who has had a few years of making moderate scores rather than dominant ones before 2021 rolled around, was equal to it. He tamed excellent bowling and looked good doing it, and nothing broke his concentration over the course of the entire day. He was there when it started, there when it ended, and including yesterday batted nearly nine hours in all.

Bairstow gave him support with 57, their partnership worth 121, before Buttler and Moeen contributed with smaller but important stands. Root went quiet while wickets 7, 8, 9 went down, but opened up again while forestalling the tenth.

6.39pm BST

128 overs: England 391 (Root 180) And Joe Root matches what he did in Australia in 2013: 180 at Lord’s. On that day he got out, on this day he could have gone on but for want of company. He has once again saved England - without Root, defeat would have been overwhelmingly likely. Now, it’s basically a one-innings shootout. Can India make enough on day four to challenge England on day five? Or can England’s bowlers swing it their own way?

6.36pm BST

“The last ball of the day, can you believe that!” Thanks, Bill Lawry. Anderson is desperate to survive, to keep going with Joe Root the next day. He has two balls to survive, blocks one, leaves one. But of course one is an overstep. Shami gets another go. All the ones that hit Anderson’s body today, they were no balls. But the one that hit his stumps is not. Shami angles it in from around the wicket. Anderson drives. He doesn’t know why. He doesn’t want to. But he can’t help himself. He’s drawn in by the ball, like a spacecraft being pulled into orbit. Drives through the line and misses it, and immediately is throwing his head back. “Oh no,” you can clearly lip-read him saying. The timber is gone, Root’s masterpiece is done, India will be batting first thing tomorrow.

6.27pm BST

127th over: England 389-9 (Root 179, Anderson 0) T20 mode: engaged. Root has seen that his innings might not be long for this world. He pulls out the ramp shot against Siraj, inverting his bat face and scooping away for four. Then gets low and just smacks the next over midwicket, four more, one bounce. Jadeja dives across and can’t reach it, and if he can’t then no one can.

Root takes the single fourth ball, and Anderson survives the rest. England’s lead is 26.

6.24pm BST

126th over: England 380-9 (Root 170, Anderson 0) At last we’re underway again. Second ball of the over, hits Anderson in the ribs. He’s wearing a chest guard but that might have missed the edge of it. You can hear the ‘oof’ from Anderson through the stump mic.

Third ball, short, smashes into the glove. Pops up, lands short of the onrushing Bumrah looking for a caught and bowled. So Jimmy walks out of the line of the next ball, trying to fend it fine but instead bounces it to the keeper. That’s a no ball, too.

6.14pm BST

Long delay here - Bumrah gets that chance at Anderson, and he badges him first ball. Jimmy expecting the yorker and instead it’s at his head. He pulls back a bit, throws his gloves up, and gets a glancing blow off the front of the helmet. Lucky that it did miss his gloves because Rahane takes the ricochet in the cordon. Anderson is fine, but has to undergo the concussion protocol.

6.08pm BST

125th over: England 376-9 (Root 170, Anderson 0) Siraj has four wickets and a crack at James Anderson, but doesn’t take his chance. Bowls down the leg side and Pant has to dive across to save four extras, but gives away one bye. Root takes the strike and clips four runs to long leg. That will give India the chance of a full over at Anderson.

6.05pm BST

How often is it Ravindra Jadeja? He does it again! Just the spectre of him. Root flicks Siraj’s third ball out to deep backward square. But Jadeja is so fast from riding the boundary in front of square. Root has set off for two, running the first hard and turning. But on turning he sees that Jadeja already has the ball in hand. “No!” is the shout, but Mark Wood has already started running and he has the blinkers on. Root turns around and lunges for the non-striker’s crease to reach it before Wood, and Jadeja’s throw is flat over the bails for Rishabh Pant.

5.59pm BST

124th over: England 369-8 (Root 165, Wood 4) Bumrah is back, and he’s bowling no-balls again. Which renders even his deliveries harmless. One might paraphrase Snoop Dogg: “overstepping with your weapon on safety”. He’s bowled nine of the things in this innings! Struggling with the slope, maybe? You’ve got a four-step run-up, Jasprit, sort it out.

5.55pm BST

123rd over: England 366-8 (Root 165, Wood 3) That’s the stuff, Joseph. And what a shot. Siraj bowls what is just about a yorker. Root reaches out to it and flicks it, all wrists, just behind square leg. That is impressive. And it gets England the lead. By two runs.

5.50pm BST

122nd over: England 362-8 (Root 161, Wood 3) Root eventually moves off 160, where he’s been for a long while, by glancing Shami after Wood slices a drive for one.

5.49pm BST

121st over: England 360-8 (Root 160, Wood 2) Siraj, Kohli, review. An iconic trio. And the crowd loves it when India’s captain makes the T sign. This time, they don’t lose one! Because it’s umpire’s call. Not out though. Siraj hit Root near the knee roll, back on his stumps, and DRS shows it was maybe clipping the bails.

Another over with no score. If you could search for one criticism of Root today it would be that he hasn’t done much to get the score moving with his lower order. They would probably play better with him taking command.

5.42pm BST

120th over: England 360-8 (Root 160, Wood 2) Mark Wood does fine though. Not only gets through Shami’s over, but dinks a couple of runs over midwicket into the bargain.

5.36pm BST

119th over: England 358-8 (Root 160, Wood 0) That’s keeping the lid on. Siraj is the one in the kitchen. Stays tight on the off stump for Root, who doesn’t have the confidence to attack anything on a good length, nor can he find a way to farm the strike.

5.31pm BST

118th over: England 358-8 (Root 160, Wood 0) Mark Wood will bat 10, the Durham lad who can take the long handle from time to time. England trail by 7 runs. Jadeja continues, Kohli perhaps just looking to keep a lid on Root while going after the others. Root happily drives a single second ball. Wood shows good defence on his off stump. Could have had a run from the sixth ball but doesn’t bother.

5.27pm BST

117th over: England 357-8 (Root 159) Leg bye off Root’s pad after the short break, giving Siraj a good look at Robinson. Beats him with a good one that leaps off the pitch, scrambled seam, to beat the edge as Robinson fends by reflex. Next one is cutting in and taking his inside edge into the leg side. Then the last ball of the over, Siraj slips it fuller. Scrambled seam ducking in. Beats the inside edge. Hits halfway up the shin, and DRS shows umpire’s call on leg stump after Robinson shrugs at Root and asks for the review because why not?

5.20pm BST

116th over: England 356-7 (Root 159, Robinson 6) Full toss from Jadeja, and Root smacks it through midwicket. He’s got the deficit down to 8 runs. Drinks.

With that 4 from Jadeja, Joe Root is now into the top 50 for Test runs scored in a calendar year. He's going to rocket up that list over his next couple of hundred.

5.17pm BST

115th over: England 351-7 (Root 154, Robinson 6) Siraj bustles through onto Robinson’s pads, but the ball-tracking would have said umpire’s call, and Siraj didn’t push for the review. He’s burned four in his last two innings, so let’s call that personal growth. Bowls short next ball and Robinson cuts four.

5.10pm BST

114th over: England 347-7 (Root 154, Robinson 3) Gone in Sixty Seconds: starring Ravindra Jadeja.

5.09pm BST

113th over: England 346-7 (Root 154, Robinson 2) Tough break for Ishant, who has to bowl his hat-trick ball to Joe Root on 152. For a second it looks like Ishant might be through onto the pads, but sure enough Root glances him. Robinson squeezes away a run but Root gives him back the strike immediately. Thanks skip. Robinson mistimes another one for a run to square leg.

5.03pm BST

112th over: England 342-7 (Root 152, Robinson 0) Ollie Robinson can bat. Root needs the support. Takes a single off Jadeja. Robinson copes fine.

5.02pm BST

111th over: England 341-7 (Root 152) Moeen faced 72 balls for his 27, very disciplined. But suddenly an over takes two for none, and the deficit is still 23.

5.01pm BST

Another one! And another Golden Globe Award for England. Outstanding bowling from Ishant Sharma, he has been supreme in the latter part of the day. Around the wicket again to the left-hander, ball swinging in. The seam so still that it could be painted on. Hits that seam and moves away, at that hard length that Ishant bowls. Clips near the shoulder of the bat and flies to second slip. Curran had no chance, and the man who caused India such trouble in 2018 has gone first ball in 2021.

4.57pm BST

Ishant is preying on Moeen’s patience: short balls to tempt the hook, a bit of width to tempt the slash. Moeen offers neither. But the fifth ball he has to play. Around the wicket Ishant, angled in at the stumps. It wasn’t going to hit them but the angle was enough to make Moeen play. The ball seams away and Moeen’s push is hard. Thick edge low to Kohli standing quite wide at first slip, who takes it with fingers near the ground. Third umpire check it but the vision is pretty clear.

4.51pm BST

110th over: England 341-5 (Root 151, Moeen 28) Jadeja blurs through an over as only he can, worth one run to Moeen.

4.48pm BST

109th over: England 340-5 (Root 151, Moeen 27) Ishant tries a series of short balls. Moeen doesn’t bite. Waits for one fuller on the pads and flicks a run. He’s played well today, patiently. Brought the deficit down to 24.

4.45pm BST

108th over: England 339-5 (Root 151, Moeen 26) Singles come from Jadeja, three of them, as the score ticks along.

4.44pm BST

107th over: England 336-5 (Root 150, Moeen 24) One hundred and fifty up for Joe Root, in streaky style. He plays a little late cut just to the left of Rohit Sharma in the gully, who throws out a hand but can’t grasp it. It was low and fast. Root laughs, things are going his way. As he did repeatedly earlier this year, makes a hundred a big one.

4.35pm BST

106th over: England 330-5 (Root 145, Moeen 23) Lap sweep from Moeen against Jadeja, picks up two to fine leg.

Sharp from Ian Forth. “If - IF - these two can get up near parity, good opportunity for Ali, Curran and Robinson to cash in against a tiring attack, a la Prior Swann and Broad (1.0 version) did 10 years ago. 8 and 9 in the order one area where England have the edge in the series.”

4.33pm BST

105th over: England 328-5 (Root 145, Moeen 21) Bumrah to Moeen, that javelin arm and catapult action. Gives him a couple of bouncers but Moeen evades them. Sharp single from the sixth ball, Root responds quickly and beats the throw to the striker’s end. England’s deficit is down to 36.

4.28pm BST

104th over: England 327-5 (Root 145, Moeen 20) Spin time. Ravindra Jadeja on for his 15th over of the innings. Root cuts hard into the ground and on the bounce over slip for two runs. Only he could score in that spot today.

4.25pm BST

103rd over: England 325-5 (Root 143, Moeen 20) Root’s ability to get off strike has been a feature of this innings. Moeen is happy to barely play a shot against Bumrah.

“What a lovely afternoon’s cricket seeing Root score a majestic century and Moeen come out of his shell to score an array of backfoot cover drives. Moeen Ali provides a refreshing contrast to the ungainly England opening pair of Burns and Sibley and. with his offspin, should surely be a permanent member of the England test team.”

4.21pm BST

102nd over: England 324-5 (Root 142, Moeen 20) Shami is bowling well. Root nearing 150, battling like a dream, and Shami still sizzles one past his outside edge. Root is happy to play safe, pinching an eventual single but no more.

4.16pm BST

101st over: England 323-5 (Root 141, Moeen 20) Sloppy fielding from Siraj, he can be a bit slack in the field at times. Trots across to midwicket and reaches down with one hand to grab the ball that Root has nudged there, and lets it go right under his fingers. Should have been putting his body behind that. It scoots through for three runs instead of one.

4.14pm BST

100th over: England 318-5 (Root 136, Moeen 20) Shami to Root, bowling that hard length that keeps the batsman quiet. Its only the final ball of the over that offers Root just enough width to push it away to point for a single.

4.09pm BST

99th over: England 317-5 (Root 135, Moeen 20) Jasprit Bumrah starts off after tea, but Root cannot be kept quiet. Two runs from the first ball, one from the second, clipped to leg as Bumrah bowls straight.

3.44pm BST

It’s been quite the day for England. Root is turning his hundred into a big one, Bairstow made a fifty, while Buttler and Moeen have done their part. England can dream of a first-innings lead now, with a long final session to come.

3.43pm BST

98th over: England 314-5 (Root 132, Moeen 20) Again the edge of Root’s bat, this time on the bounce into the cordon and fumbled away for a single. Moeen gets a look at Shami and picks up another boundary, glanced to fine leg. England trail by 50 at tea.

3.41pm BST

97th over: England 309-5 (Root 131, Moeen 16) He really does make it look easy, Moeen Ali. Gets an absolute beauty from Siraj, swinging in the air and snaking down the hill from the Pavilion End to beat the edge. But Moeen shrugs it off, stands tall to the next one and punches through point for four. Shorter to follow, cut much harder, airborne over gully. That deficit has suddenly shrunk to 55.

3.34pm BST

96th over: England 300-5 (Root 130, Moeen 8) An edge from Root, looking to play leg-side and instead skewing the bat in his hands as the ball goes towards point. Lands safely. Moeen finally connects on the drive, down the ground from Shami for three. Root plays his little chop shot into the gully, another run there. And Moeen plays an effortless push square that rolls into the rope at deep point! Ok, the runs have sped up again.

3.30pm BST

95th over: England 291-5 (Root 128, Moeen 1) The runs have slowed. Siraj comes on to replace Ishant, conceding only a single. Root flicks that run square to start the over, leaving Mo to again leave a couple of balls and miss another big drive. The fresh air outside his off stump is taking a beating.

3.26pm BST

94th over: England 290-5 (Root 127, Moeen 1) Now it’s Mohammed Shami’s turn to send down some dot balls to Moeen, who is leaving for the most part but gets drawn into a shot and beaten twice in the over. Hasn’t quite decided if he wants to defend or counterattack yet. No run from the over.

3.20pm BST

93rd over: England 290-5 (Root 127, Moeen 1) Ishant carries on after the wicket. Bounces Root, pulled for one. Comes around the wicket to Moeen Ali, new man in at No7, who leaves everything he can outside the off stump before playing drop and run for a single into the covers.

3.16pm BST

92nd over: England 289-5 (Root 126, Moeen 0) England’s captain isn’t fazed by losing his keeper. First ball of the next over, drives Shami immaculately through cover for four.

3.11pm BST

91st over: England 283-5 (Root 121) Perfect delivery! Ishant vindicates his selection with that one. Uses the Lord’s slope like he laid the turf himself. Just the right length, stands up the seam, draws Buttler into the drive, then decks back down the hill and hits the very top of off stump. One from the very top drawer.

3.08pm BST

90th over: England 282-4 (Root 120, Buttler 23) Luck for Buttler: a classic delivery from Bumrah, the angle in and seam away at a length just full enough to make Buttler drive. Edges into the gap in the cordon for four. Might just have bounced in front of a fourth slip. After the event, it turns out that was a no-ball anyway. Bumrah, annoyed, then decides to make a point when Joe Root is faffing about before taking strike. Bumrah produces a lawn-bowls effort from the top of his mark, rolling the ball down the pitch and just past Root’s off stump. The startled batsman whips his head around, to see Bumrah signalling to him. “Hello? Awake?” Bumrah’s annoyance provokes another overstep as he looks for pace. He bowled one earlier in the over, too, so three oversteps in a nine-ball over.

2.58pm BST

89th over: England 272-4 (Root 118, Buttler 18) Root leans into the drive again, as he’s done so often, but finds cover from Ishant Sharma this time. Near 90 overs on the board, Ishant 0 for 52, and India may indeed be wishing they had gone with Ashwin’s off-spin by now. Retrospect is easy. Root flicks a single. Kohli brings in a second midwicket for Buttler, giving Ishant the signal to bowl straight. Errs to the off side to end the over though, and Buttler drives the full ball square for four. Beats the chase and dive from Siraj. England 92 behind.

2.53pm BST

88th over: England 267-4 (Root 117, Buttler 14) Bumrah resumes after the drinks break. Smacks Root on the thigh pad for a leg bye, Buttler plays out the rest with blocks and leaves. Wonder if we’ll see Buttler express himself today? He’s been circumspect to his detriment in Tests lately.

2.50pm BST

Greetings all. Thanks Tanya. Into the back half of the day, and don’t we have a match on our hands. England trailing by 98, Root doing the business again, Buttler with a start, India with a challenge. Giuseppe Root is up to 1181 runs in the calendar year so far: he’s not yet in the top 50 historically for that measure, but over his next couple of hundred runs he’ll zoom up the last. At the top: Mohammed Yousuf with a Captain Cook, 1788.

2.47pm BST

87th over: England 266-4 (Root 117; Buttler 14) A Shami loosener is given a good biffing by Buttler and goes for a spirit-raising four. Shami then zips between inside edge and stumps as Buttler defends. But advantage Buttler - an extra-cover drive to finish the over. The twelfth men skip down the pavilion steps with drinks and it is time for me to hand-over to the effervescent Geoff Lemon. Thanks for all your emails and tweets - apologies to those I didn’t get to. Enjoy the afternoon!

2.40pm BST

86th over: England 258-4 (Root 117; Buttler 6) Bumrah strays on Root’s pads and Root glances him downs to the rope where Ishant Sharma makes a dog’s dinner of the fielding and it goes for four. On the big screen, it flashes up that Root has now gathered 9000 Test runs -the second youngest after Alastair Cook. As if to reset the world, Bumrah then beats him as he pushes forward.

2.35pm BST

85th over: England 252-4 (Root 111; Buttler 6) The crowd watch in sunglasses and hats as Ishant eats up the grass with his huge strides. Buttler is watchful. Why is Ishant bowling? This might explain it:

Ishant Sharma has dismissed Jos Buttler five times in Test cricket. No player has taken his wicket more often. #ENGvIND

2.31pm BST

84th over: England 251-4 (Root 110; Buttler 6) The watching Kohli will know how Root feels; Root will remember how Kohli feels. Even the best have slumps. Bumrah on the money.

2.26pm BST

83rd over: England 247-4 (Root 106; Buttler 6) Buttler goes for a cover drive and it chips mid-off by a sheaf of paper. Then Root leans back and glides Ishant, like a man whose flagon is full.

Joe Root's fifth Test century in 2021... one away from the English record of six in a year shared by Denis Compton (1947) Michael Vaughan (2002) ... Mohammad Yousuf's nine in 2006 a little away off still...

2.22pm BST

82nd over: England 243-4 (Root 106; Buttler 3) Brilliant from Root, who came in on hat-trick ball and stands supreme above all English batsmen. An expensive over from Bumrah: 8 off it including an edge through the slips from Root.

2.19pm BST

The tightest of tight singles! He takes off his helmet and lifts both arms into the air: 200 balls, 299 minutes, nine fours and gorgeously captivating. He punches the air and grins, and Lord’s grins with him.

2.16pm BST

81st over: England 235-4 (Root 99; Buttler 2) The new ball is given to Siraj, who puts away his leg-theory and bowls full-length. The first ball yo-yos through the air and Root is beaten by the fourth which wallops into his thigh pad. A square drive off the last so nearly makes the boundary, but a diving Jadeja means he will have to sit on 99.

2.10pm BST

80th over: England 230-4 (Root 96; Buttler 2) Jadeja likes an lbw shout against Buttler - but a nervous looking Kohli declines the review - it would have bee umpire’s call. And, my friends, we have the new ball.

2.08pm BST

79th over: England 230-4 (Root 95; Buttler 1) Great tactics from India - with both Root and Bairstow keen to take Siraj on. The wicket means an out-of-touch Buttler will face the new ball and in the far picture, we can see Bumrah warming up.

2.04pm BST

He falls for the trap! YJB pulls at Siraj and gloves it, bubbling into an arc which Kohli, coming forwards from slip can collect.

2.01pm BST

78th over: England 228-3 (Root 94; Bairstow 57) Jadeja, fizzing them through flat at just less that 60mph. Pant flicks the bails off his last ball, just for the lols.

1.58pm BST

77th over: England 226-3 (Root 93; Bairstow 57) Siraj continues with his short-pitched attack. Bairstow takes his eye off one which sears into this shoulder and leaps into the off side. Then Bairstow picks off a boundary with a pull that lacks conviction and isn’t that far from the leaping Pant. England taking on the short stuff here.

1.53pm BST

76th over: England 220-3 (Root 92; Bairstow 52) Bright sunlight now at Lord’s, Root’s shadow crouching beneath his knees. A single apiece off Jadeja.

YJB: a story.

It was two years ago this weekend that Jonny Bairstow last scored a Test fifty before this. Since then he has been dropped as a keeper, dropped as a player twice (once for more than a year), and rested-and-rotated when he was scoring runs. But he is back, and England need him

1.50pm BST

75th over: England 218-3 (Root 91; Bairstow 51) Siraj has Root tempted: he hooks and misses, at his first, second, and third ball. He makes it fourth time, hitting down towards fine leg for a single. A plan has been set. Bairstow then shoulders arms awkwardly.

1.47pm BST

74th over: England 217-3 (Root 90; Bairstow 51) Jadeja resumes after lunch, a short shirt, untucked. Root tucks into a single to enter the 90s. Bairstow doesn’t like something on the pitch and prods with a glare.

1.43pm BST

Time to resume, with England the happier after an almost perfect session. A pause while an(other) pitch invader, this time in whites, is escorted off the field.

Olly is still mulling over Joe Root, “Good afternoon Tanya. Given that we have a batting coach despite the fact that it takes no more than an A5 notebook to record half the top order’s scores; a bowling coach despite the fact that some of them couldn’t spell “line and length” let alone employ it; a fielding coach despite the fact, if the pitch was a coconut shy, half of them would go home without a goldfish; why not embrace Root as both our best batsman, and our captain, and hire a captaincy coach and help him improve?”

1.08pm BST

I’m going to grab a sandwich - seven overs to go till the new ball. Back in half an hour!

The Players' Dining Room Menu for Day Three.

What choice would you make? #LoveLords | #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/2OvbU0Pjlp

1.06pm BST

72nd over: England 216-3 (Root 89; Bairstow 51) Shami scuttles through the last over before lunch. Root leg-glances for four as Shami sends down a pre-prandial loosener. And that’s salmon sandwiches- 97 runs from the session, and it has been all England as Bairstow leads Root into the Lord’s pavilion. India slowly make their way off - time for a regroup.

1.01pm BST

72nd over: England 210-3 (Root 84; Bairstow 50) A dab to deep square off Sharma brings up the Bairstow fifty. No roar today, just a raise of the bat and a bump of gloves with Root - who looks genuinely delighted for him. It’s YJB’s 22nd fifty of his 134 Test innings. Really well played - attacking at times, serenely defensive when he had to be. Support for Root, at last.

12.57pm BST

71st over: England 208-3 (Root 83; Bairstow 49) Shami opens his over with a huge bouncer that screams off the pitch and to the rope. The next is a better ball, which stops Bairstow from hooking, arrowing towards the collar bone. A Root single to Third Man brings up the hundred partnership - good going Yorkies.

12.52pm BST

70th over: England 201-3 (Root 82; Bairstow 48) Root picks up his bat and glides Sharma past point. It’s simply gorgeous, though it brings only two. Bairstow retorts with an uglier, but more effective, toe-ended cut off a wide one which brings up the 200 to the happy applause of the crowd.

Nice stats for England viewing:

WinViz as it stands:

England - 33%
India - 33%
Draw - 34%#ENGvIND

12.45pm BST

69th over: England 194-3 (Root 79; Bairstow 44) On the boundary, KL Rahul is unimpressed by the patchwork of champagne corks on the grass. Root edges Shami, one of his least convincing shots of the day.

12.42pm BST

68th over: England 192-3 (Root 78; Bairstow 43) England’s serene-ish progress continues into the final half hour before lunch. No real risks. No real faux-pas. This time it is KL Rahul who attempts to get the ball changed, but the umpire gives him short shrift. A beauty from Sharma squeezes past Bairstow, before he picks up a couple from a clip towards the Grand Stand.

“If we overlook the current vice-captain, Buttler, we could try it the old-fashioned way,” ponders John Starbuck. “Forget about squeezing the current team for an alternative to Root and instead focus on the county cricket captains (provided they are English enough) and check the stats to find whose win/loss ratio is the best. It worked in 1981.”

12.35pm BST

67th over: England 187-3 (Root 77; Bairstow 38) It’s the shaven headed Shami from the pavilion end, a scrambled egg napkin hanging out of his waistband. A dab to square leg brings Root a single, then YJB charges two from nothing. In the ECB box, Michael McIntyre is relaxing.

“Hi Tanya.” Hi Nikhilesh Bhattacharya! “News from India is that the youngish Unmukt Chand has retired from Indian cricket to pursue his dreams elsewhere. A follow up report on Cricinfo on this development contained the line, “His IPL clause prevents him from playing any professional cricket over the next three years...” This seems inexplicable to a casual fan like me. Would anyone be able to explain this? How Faustian are these IPL contracts?”

12.29pm BST

66th over: England 186-3 (Root 77; Bairstow 38) Bumrah gets a rest, and we see the towering figure of Sharma for the first time today. He opens with a no-ball which Root dispatches for a quiet single. Ooof Baristow tries to flick one that wafts down the legside - don’t do that Jonny. He picks up a long-awaited single with a thick edge, is Ishant going to release the pressure Bumrah built up?

12.24pm BST

65th over: England 182-3 (Root 75; Bairstow 37) YJB has now gone 17 balls without scoring, can he keep that thought out of his head?

12.22pm BST

64th over: England 181-3 (Root 74; Bairstow 37) Just one off the immaculate Bumrah - India will be able to grab the new ball just after lunch.

“The issue with picking a captain who ‘might score a little, might score a lot’ is that we’ve got 5 of the top 6 batting like this,” taps Graeme Thorn. “There are no other obvious captaincy options (apart from Morgan, but he doesn’t play Tests) so where would we go if we dump Root as skipper?”

12.19pm BST

63rd over: England 180-3 (Root 73; Bairstow 37) A pleasing symmetry between Root and Bairstow’s scores, as a battle of wills plays out in the middle. India have slowed the scoring and the pressure starts to build. One from Jadeja’s over.

A cease and desist order arrives from Brian Withington.: “Please, please don’t encourage the jinxing gods further with any more of your encouragement for YJB - we all know where that can lead.

12.15pm BST

62nd over: England 179-3 (Root 71; Bairstow 37) Bumrah has been the most testing bowler this morning. He jags past the outside edge of Root who is pushing to drive, before, next ball, Root delicately sends him outrageously late between first and third slip. Enormously irritating for Bumrah.

12.11pm BST

61st over: England 174-3 (Root 67; Bairstow 37) A wind starts to blow, ruffling Jadeja’s hair and the shirt of the Bairstow at the non-striker’s end. Root picks up a careful single in to the leg side.

From France, Jeremy Boyce writes: “Nick Parish (58th over). we were talking yesterday about a captain who picked himself on captaincy merit, certainly not on his batting stats. Brearley was a genius who managed the team in a way that was worth runs and wickets he couldn’t possibly have scored or taken. Like the great Derek Randall, might score ten, might score a ton, but worth at least 40 runs per innings for his fielding.”

12.04pm BST

60th over: England 173-3 (Root 66; Bairstow 37) A testing over from Bumrah, another maiden, YJB looks as nervous as he has all morning. And that is DRINKS!

12.01pm BST

59th over: England 173-3 (Root 66; Bairstow 37) A dinky Bairstow paddle-sweep sends Jadeja for four - touchingly gentle for a man who always looks ready to burst through his clothes incredible-hulk style. Then a

foolishly
clever

quick single to keep India on their toes.

11.58am BST

58th over: England 165-3 (Root 65; Bairstow 31) A mid-morning lull has settled over Lord’s: a maiden from Bumrah and a stuffed Kalamata olive from the hamper

“A lot of the complaints about Root’s captaincy - on OBO and elsewhere - have centred on the fact that he isn’t a natural captain and we can’t afford it because it’s damaging the batting of just about our only world class batsman,” mulls Nick Parish. “That might have been true last year, but given he’s batting so well this year, it clearly isn’t any more. And while we might have potentially better captains available, how can we appoint any of them when they aren’t sure of their place in the team on playing merit? Feels to me like Root’s sometimes rather stiff captaincy is overall the lesser of two evils.”

11.54am BST

57th over: England 165-3 (Root 65; Bairstow 31) Jadeja, rockstar hair, rolls in with his innocuous looking slow-left arm. Luckily, England aren’t fooled as Root is almost gotchaed by one that slides through.

Guy Hornsby, we’re on the same wave-length.

This feels like such an important innings for YJB @tjaldred. He's got his problems, not least the straight one, but like so many others for England he looks classy then destructs. If he can play each ball on merit anything's possible.*

*(He's going to get out now isn't he)

11.50am BST

56th over: England 163-3 (Root 64; Bairstow 30) England opt for the quick singles off Bumrah, and India don’t look 100 per cent alert in the field. Kohli is inscrutable behind his sunglasses. Would it be against OBO etiquette to predict two Yorkshire tons today?

“Two years in Tokyo and just back for a few weeks, looking forward to a smashing day at Lord’s,” writes Rajesh. “Though right now the jam packed train to Marylebone makes me ask if there ever was a pandemic! Fingers crossed for good health of all and for a super tight entertainer today!” Enjoy!

11.46am BST

55th over: England 159-3 (Root 61; Bairstow 29) A double change as Ravindra Jadeja presses in from the Pavilion End. Root is wary, and picks up just the single.

11.44am BST

54th over: England 158-3 (Root 60; Bairstow 29) Kohli tires of Shami and calls for Bumrah, who sprays his first ball down the legside and past the diving hands of Pant. A single through midwicket brings up the white-rose fifty partnership - off 74 balls. Bumrah redeems himself by sliding a ball past the outside edge of Bairstow’s committed bat. Root now has England’s top three scores in the series, with Rory Burns the next closest with 49.

11.39am BST

53rd over: England 153-3 (Root 59; Bairstow 29) Root is perplexed for the first time this morning, beaten by a ball from Siraj and unsure where it has gone. Just a single from the over as India try to stem the morning’s run flow.

And a kind, keen-eyed reader, has spotted that the overseas TMS link lives on the BBC live updates page, just underneath the scorecard. In case you need it.

11.34am BST

52nd over: England 152-3 (Root 58; Bairstow 29) Just a couple from Shami’s over as the egg and bacon ties slowly bake in the pavilion sun.

11.31am BST

51st over: England 150-3 (Root 57; Bairstow 28) Oh Jonny is in the grove this morning. Another four roars straight through mid-on for a boundary, before a swivel pull brings up the 150.

Has anyone read Charles Sale’s book on the redevelopment of Lord’s: The Covers are Off? An utterly bewildering tale of bad behaviour and petty personal battles - aside from the rightness or wrongness of the various architectural plans.

11.25am BST

50th over: England 144-3 (Root 56; Bairstow 23) Athers is interesting, as ever, on Bairstow. Says he bumped into him while filming and they had a chat. Says Bairstow is confident of his method right now and really wants to succeed in Test cricket. And, as if on cue, Bairstow sends Shami through gully for four before bellowing a straight drive to the rope. Then a bewildering hiatus where YJB sees a shadow in the stands and no-one is quite sure what it is that has caught his eye.

Root’s supreme year:

Joe Root in 2021: 1,117 Test runs @ 62, four centuries (inc two doubles), two-half centuries and currently 53*

11.19am BST

49th over: England 135-3 (Root 56; Bairstow 15) Root picks up three into the leg side. Sharma decides to try his luck with changing the ball, but the umpire brings out his hoop and the ball slips through without a sigh.

11.15am BST

48th over: England 132-3 (Root 53; Bairstow 14) Ooof. Bairstow jiffies Shami off his pads for four, and then goes for a drive and edges it past fifth slip to the boundary. He calls for a new bat and Zac Crawley does the business.

Hi Tanya! Hello Anirvan Dasgupta.

11.11am BST

47th over: England 124-3 (Root 53; Bairstow 6) It is Siraj from the pavilion end this morning: Root briefly considers a single but wisely decides it isn’t there. He pulls away from Siraj’s third ball just before he hits the crease, and an lbw appeals follows - but the impact is well outside off stump. And that’s the fifty! With a knee-bend, and a glorious square drive. He gives the bat a little pump into the air as Lord’s bathes in his glory.

11.04am BST

46th over: England 120-3 (Root 49; Bairstow 6) Root lets the first ball from Shami pass harmlessly by his off stump. Shami bustles in, ploughman style, as the sun kisses the front rows of the pavilion. Bairstow prods forwards and Root needs just a single for his half-century.

10.58am BST

There are still a few gaps in the stands as the players touch their toes one last time before Farokh Engineer rings the five minute bell.

Former Indian cricketer Farokh Engineer will be ringing the five-minute bell at Lord's this morning.#LoveLords | #ENGvIND

10.52am BST

Thanks so much to William Hargreaves for doing the business: here’s the link.

10.42am BST

Time to make a quick coffee, back in five.

10.39am BST

Behind the Sky commentary team, the Lord’s hum can be heard. A man folds his legs to reveal imperial purple socks and somewhere, be still my ears, a champagne cork pops.

10.28am BST

Bumble is in a beret. Nick Knight, dapper in a suit, is looking at the pitch: “a green tinge which might encourage something for the seamers. Some balls have kept a bit low, the edges haven’t really carried. Move the slips up a bit.”

Michael Holding advises: BOWL STRAIGHT.

10.25am BST

This Test is of course raising money for the Ruth Strauss Foundation. So far an amazing £612,253 has been raised. See below if you would like to donate.

Lord's looks lovely in red ♥️

It's fantastic to see your support and so many going #RedForRuth!

Donate here ➡️ https://t.co/cC67SqiYjD #ENGvsIND pic.twitter.com/RQwomC5Blh

10.16am BST

Also this lovely read on Hameed’s time in Wellington.

Much like at Lord’s, @HaseebHameed97’s form-finding trip to NZ in 2019 began with being bowled off the 1st ball he faced. But he left such an impression during his 8-week stay that the Wellington cricket community’s been rooting for him ever since #EngvIND https://t.co/l4fD0Vri7A

10.12am BST

So much to read today. From Ali’s excellent match report:

10.02am BST

Good morning! It’s the Saturday of the Lord’s Test - traditionally one of the most hallowed days of the sporting calendar - and the weather is blank-faced in anticipation.

Joe Root and Rory Burns settled England’s batting wobbles yesterday afternoon, though that will bring little comfort to poor Dom Sibley, whose Test days look numbered, or Haseeb Hameed whose 1,717 days of waiting resulted only in brief crushing disappointment. The agony of the walk back. The silence of the dressing room. Oh cricket, you are a cruel bastard.

View more on Geoff Lemon's website »

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Published on August 14, 2021 10:51

England v India: second Test, day three – live!

Updates from the third day of the Lord’s TestDay two report: Root holds firm but India have edgeAnd you can contact Tanya by email or on Twitter

1.08pm BST

I’m going to grab a sandwich - seven overs to go till the new ball. Back in half an hour!

The Players' Dining Room Menu for Day Three.

What choice would you make? #LoveLords | #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/2OvbU0Pjlp

1.06pm BST

72nd over: England 265-3 (Root 89; Bairstow 51) Shami scuttles through the last over before lunch. Root leg-glances for four as Shami sends down a pre-prandial loosener. And that’s salmon sandwiches- 97 runs from the session, and it has been all England as Bairstow leads Root into the Lord’s pavilion. India slowly make their way off - time for a regroup.

1.01pm BST

72nd over: England 210-3 (Root 84; Bairstow 50) A dab to deep square off Sharma brings up the Bairstow fifty. No roar today, just a raise of the bat and a bump of gloves with Root - who looks genuinely delighted for him. It’s YJB’s 22nd fifty of his 134 Test innings. Really well played - attacking at times, serenely defensive when he had to be. Support for Root, at last.

12.57pm BST

71st over: England 208-3 (Root 83; Bairstow 49) Shami opens his over with a huge bouncer that screams off the pitch and to the rope. The next is a better ball, which stops Bairstow from hooking, arrowing towards the collar bone. A Root single to Third Man brings up the hundred partnership - good going Yorkies.

12.52pm BST

70th over: England 201-3 (Root 82; Bairstow 48) Root picks up his bat and glides Sharma past point. It’s simply gorgeous, though it brings only two. Bairstow retorts with an uglier, but more effective, toe-ended cut off a wide one which brings up the 200 to the happy applause of the crowd.

Nice stats for England viewing:

WinViz as it stands:

England - 33%
India - 33%
Draw - 34%#ENGvIND

12.45pm BST

69th over: England 194-3 (Root 79; Bairstow 44) On the boundary, KL Rahul is unimpressed by the patchwork of champagne corks on the grass. Root edges Shami, one of his least convincing shots of the day.

12.42pm BST

68th over: England 192-3 (Root 78; Bairstow 43) England’s serene-ish progress continues into the final half hour before lunch. No real risks. No real faux-pas. This time it is KL Rahul who attempts to get the ball changed, but the umpire gives him short shrift. A beauty from Sharma squeezes past Bairstow, before he picks up a couple from a clip towards the Grand Stand.

“If we overlook the current vice-captain, Buttler, we could try it the old-fashioned way,” ponders John Starbuck. “Forget about squeezing the current team for an alternative to Root and instead focus on the county cricket captains (provided they are English enough) and check the stats to find whose win/loss ratio is the best. It worked in 1981.”

12.35pm BST

67th over: England 187-3 (Root 77; Bairstow 38) It’s the shaven headed Shami from the pavilion end, a scrambled egg napkin hanging out of his waistband. A dab to square leg brings Root a single, then YJB charges two from nothing. In the ECB box, Michael McIntyre is relaxing.

“Hi Tanya.” Hi Nikhilesh Bhattacharya! “News from India is that the youngish Unmukt Chand has retired from Indian cricket to pursue his dreams elsewhere. A follow up report on Cricinfo on this development contained the line, “His IPL clause prevents him from playing any professional cricket over the next three years...” This seems inexplicable to a casual fan like me. Would anyone be able to explain this? How Faustian are these IPL contracts?”

12.29pm BST

66th over: England 186-3 (Root 77; Bairstow 38) Bumrah gets a rest, and we see the towering figure of Sharma for the first time today. He opens with a no-ball which Root dispatches for a quiet single. Ooof Baristow tries to flick one that wafts down the legside - don’t do that Jonny. He picks up a long-awaited single with a thick edge, is Ishant going to release the pressure Bumrah built up?

12.24pm BST

65th over: England 182-3 (Root 75; Bairstow 37) YJB has now gone 17 balls without scoring, can he keep that thought out of his head?

12.22pm BST

64th over: England 181-3 (Root 74; Bairstow 37) Just one off the immaculate Bumrah - India will be able to grab the new ball just after lunch.

“The issue with picking a captain who ‘might score a little, might score a lot’ is that we’ve got 5 of the top 6 batting like this,” taps Graeme Thorn. “There are no other obvious captaincy options (apart from Morgan, but he doesn’t play Tests) so where would we go if we dump Root as skipper?”

12.19pm BST

63rd over: England 180-3 (Root 73; Bairstow 37) A pleasing symmetry between Root and Bairstow’s scores, as a battle of wills plays out in the middle. India have slowed the scoring and the pressure starts to build. One from Jadeja’s over.

A cease and desist order arrives from Brian Withington.: “Please, please don’t encourage the jinxing gods further with any more of your encouragement for YJB - we all know where that can lead.

12.15pm BST

62nd over: England 179-3 (Root 71; Bairstow 37) Bumrah has been the most testing bowler this morning. He jags past the outside edge of Root who is pushing to drive, before, next ball, Root delicately sends him outrageously late between first and third slip. Enormously irritating for Bumrah.

12.11pm BST

61st over: England 174-3 (Root 67; Bairstow 37) A wind starts to blow, ruffling Jadeja’s hair and the shirt of the Bairstow at the non-striker’s end. Root picks up a careful single in to the leg side.

From France, Jeremy Boyce writes: “Nick Parish (58th over). we were talking yesterday about a captain who picked himself on captaincy merit, certainly not on his batting stats. Brearley was a genius who managed the team in a way that was worth runs and wickets he couldn’t possibly have scored or taken. Like the great Derek Randall, might score ten, might score a ton, but worth at least 40 runs per innings for his fielding.”

12.04pm BST

60th over: England 173-3 (Root 66; Bairstow 37) A testing over from Bumrah, another maiden, YJB looks as nervous as he has all morning. And that is DRINKS!

12.01pm BST

59th over: England 173-3 (Root 66; Bairstow 37) A dinky Bairstow paddle-sweep sends Jadeja for four - touchingly gentle for a man who always looks ready to burst through his clothes incredible-hulk style. Then a

foolishly
clever

quick single to keep India on their toes.

11.58am BST

58th over: England 165-3 (Root 65; Bairstow 31) A mid-morning lull has settled over Lord’s: a maiden from Bumrah and a stuffed Kalamata olive from the hamper

“A lot of the complaints about Root’s captaincy - on OBO and elsewhere - have centred on the fact that he isn’t a natural captain and we can’t afford it because it’s damaging the batting of just about our only world class batsman,” mulls Nick Parish. “That might have been true last year, but given he’s batting so well this year, it clearly isn’t any more. And while we might have potentially better captains available, how can we appoint any of them when they aren’t sure of their place in the team on playing merit? Feels to me like Root’s sometimes rather stiff captaincy is overall the lesser of two evils.”

11.54am BST

57th over: England 165-3 (Root 65; Bairstow 31) Jadeja, rockstar hair, rolls in with his innocuous looking slow-left arm. Luckily, England aren’t fooled as Root is almost gotchaed by one that slides through.

Guy Hornsby, we’re on the same wave-length.

This feels like such an important innings for YJB @tjaldred. He's got his problems, not least the straight one, but like so many others for England he looks classy then destructs. If he can play each ball on merit anything's possible.*

*(He's going to get out now isn't he)

11.50am BST

56th over: England 163-3 (Root 64; Bairstow 30) England opt for the quick singles off Bumrah, and India don’t look 100 per cent alert in the field. Kohli is inscrutable behind his sunglasses. Would it be against OBO etiquette to predict two Yorkshire tons today?

“Two years in Tokyo and just back for a few weeks, looking forward to a smashing day at Lord’s,” writes Rajesh. “Though right now the jam packed train to Marylebone makes me ask if there ever was a pandemic! Fingers crossed for good health of all and for a super tight entertainer today!” Enjoy!

11.46am BST

55th over: England 159-3 (Root 61; Bairstow 29) A double change as Ravindra Jadeja presses in from the Pavilion End. Root is wary, and picks up just the single.

11.44am BST

54th over: England 158-3 (Root 60; Bairstow 29) Kohli tires of Shami and calls for Bumrah, who sprays his first ball down the legside and past the diving hands of Pant. A single through midwicket brings up the white-rose fifty partnership - off 74 balls. Bumrah redeems himself by sliding a ball past the outside edge of Bairstow’s committed bat. Root now has England’s top three scores in the series, with Rory Burns the next closest with 49.

11.39am BST

53rd over: England 153-3 (Root 59; Bairstow 29) Root is perplexed for the first time this morning, beaten by a ball from Siraj and unsure where it has gone. Just a single from the over as India try to stem the morning’s run flow.

And a kind, keen-eyed reader, has spotted that the overseas TMS link lives on the BBC live updates page, just underneath the scorecard. In case you need it.

11.34am BST

52nd over: England 152-3 (Root 58; Bairstow 29) Just a couple from Shami’s over as the egg and bacon ties slowly bake in the pavilion sun.

11.31am BST

51st over: England 150-3 (Root 57; Bairstow 28) Oh Jonny is in the grove this morning. Another four roars straight through mid-on for a boundary, before a swivel pull brings up the 150.

Has anyone read Charles Sale’s book on the redevelopment of Lord’s: The Covers are Off? An utterly bewildering tale of bad behaviour and petty personal battles - aside from the rightness or wrongness of the various architectural plans.

11.25am BST

50th over: England 144-3 (Root 56; Bairstow 23) Athers is interesting, as ever, on Bairstow. Says he bumped into him while filming and they had a chat. Says Bairstow is confident of his method right now and really wants to succeed in Test cricket. And, as if on cue, Bairstow sends Shami through gully for four before bellowing a straight drive to the rope. Then a bewildering hiatus where YJB sees a shadow in the stands and no-one is quite sure what it is that has caught his eye.

Root’s supreme year:

Joe Root in 2021: 1,117 Test runs @ 62, four centuries (inc two doubles), two-half centuries and currently 53*

11.19am BST

49th over: England 135-3 (Root 56; Bairstow 15) Root picks up three into the leg side. Sharma decides to try his luck with changing the ball, but the umpire brings out his hoop and the ball slips through without a sigh.

11.15am BST

48th over: England 132-3 (Root 53; Bairstow 14) Ooof. Bairstow jiffies Shami off his pads for four, and then goes for a drive and edges it past fifth slip to the boundary. He calls for a new bat and Zac Crawley does the business.

Hi Tanya! Hello Anirvan Dasgupta.

11.11am BST

47th over: England 124-3 (Root 53; Bairstow 6) It is Siraj from the pavilion end this morning: Root briefly considers a single but wisely decides it isn’t there. He pulls away from Siraj’s third ball just before he hits the crease, and an lbw appeals follows - but the impact is well outside off stump. And that’s the fifty! With a knee-bend, and a glorious square drive. He gives the bat a little pump into the air as Lord’s bathes in his glory.

11.04am BST

46th over: England 120-3 (Root 49; Bairstow 6) Root lets the first ball from Shami pass harmlessly by his off stump. Shami bustles in, ploughman style, as the sun kisses the front rows of the pavilion. Bairstow prods forwards and Root needs just a single for his half-century.

10.58am BST

There are still a few gaps in the stands as the players touch their toes one last time before Farokh Engineer rings the five minute bell.

Former Indian cricketer Farokh Engineer will be ringing the five-minute bell at Lord's this morning.#LoveLords | #ENGvIND

10.52am BST

Thanks so much to William Hargreaves for doing the business: here’s the link.

10.42am BST

Time to make a quick coffee, back in five.

10.39am BST

Behind the Sky commentary team, the Lord’s hum can be heard. A man folds his legs to reveal imperial purple socks and somewhere, be still my ears, a champagne cork pops.

10.28am BST

Bumble is in a beret. Nick Knight, dapper in a suit, is looking at the pitch: “a green tinge which might encourage something for the seamers. Some balls have kept a bit low, the edges haven’t really carried. Move the slips up a bit.”

Michael Holding advises: BOWL STRAIGHT.

10.25am BST

This Test is of course raising money for the Ruth Strauss Foundation. So far an amazing £612,253 has been raised. See below if you would like to donate.

Lord's looks lovely in red ♥️

It's fantastic to see your support and so many going #RedForRuth!

Donate here ➡️ https://t.co/cC67SqiYjD #ENGvsIND pic.twitter.com/RQwomC5Blh

10.16am BST

Also this lovely read on Hameed’s time in Wellington.

Much like at Lord’s, @HaseebHameed97’s form-finding trip to NZ in 2019 began with being bowled off the 1st ball he faced. But he left such an impression during his 8-week stay that the Wellington cricket community’s been rooting for him ever since #EngvIND https://t.co/l4fD0Vri7A

10.12am BST

So much to read today. From Ali’s excellent match report:

10.02am BST

Good morning! It’s the Saturday of the Lord’s Test - traditionally one of the most hallowed days of the sporting calendar - and the weather is blank-faced in anticipation.

Joe Root and Rory Burns settled England’s batting wobbles yesterday afternoon, though that will bring little comfort to poor Dom Sibley, whose Test days look numbered, or Haseeb Hameed whose 1,717 days of waiting resulted only in brief crushing disappointment. The agony of the walk back. The silence of the dressing room. Oh cricket, you are a cruel bastard.

View more on Geoff Lemon's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 14, 2021 05:08

Day five of England v India washed out by rain with first Test drawn – as it happened

India were chasing 209 to win at Trent Bridge but persistent rain meant there was no play and the first Test is drawn

4.41pm BST

So now then

That’s it for today’s blog. It’s been an unsatisfying end to a fine Test - but on the plus side, England have set off on a new unbeaten run, and we only have to wait until Thursday for the second Test. Good day!

4.38pm BST

Get the man a brolly! ☔

Player of the Match and England captain Joe Root felt his team had a real chance of victory before rain had the final say in #ENGvIND

What a he scored, by the way!

Scorecard https://t.co/XEDHaMGCF8 pic.twitter.com/2MibRTHk8E

4.34pm BST

“At the start of the year, I would have agreed with you about it being too soon to throw Hameed back in and risk all the progress he has made, but he’s been pretty solid all season now, culminating in a 100 against the Indians, so why not?” says Andrew Cosgrove. “I am increasingly coming to the conclusion that Tom Abell is the answer atNo3. He has been one of the best No3s in the championship this year. He’s well used to coming in at 5/1 in the third over and then watching a procession of wickets at the other end, before marshalling the tail to a competitive score, so he’ll fit right into this England team. His dibbly-dobblies are unlikely to be as effective at Test level, but it wouldn’t hurt to have that option. And finally, he’s a decent captain. I wouldn’t advocate bringing him in and making him captain immediately, but at some stage it surely would be worth giving Root a go at just being the best No3 he can be without having to worry about everything else.”

I’d argue that, after four torrid years, Hameed needs more credit in the bank - and more subconscious security - before he returns to Test cricket. If England were going anywhere other than Australia this winter, I’d be more inclined to bring him back. But I think an away Ashes series would be too much, too soon; they could destroy him.

4.21pm BST

“Hameed & Burns to start at Lord’s,” says John Starbuck, “but drop Lawrence and have five proper bowlers from Robinson, Curran/Mahmood, Broad, Leach and Anderson. If that’s what India would do, why not us too?”

If we had their top five, I’d be all for it. As it is I think England need to pad out the batting as much as possible. They need to decide what Sam Curran’s role is, though - there were times in this game when he felt like a No8 batsman who bowls a bit.

4.19pm BST

The Player of the Match is Joe Root

“The weather has robbed us of what could have been a very entertaining final day. It’s been a great Test to play in - and I assume to watch as well - and that bodes well for the rest of the series. Hopefully we can take some of the good stuff from this week to Lord’s.

4.13pm BST

Virat Kohli speaks

“It’s going to be an exciting series - England v India is always a blockbuster. It’s most likely we will play four seamers and one spinner throughout the series, but we will be adaptable depending on the conditions.”

4.07pm BST

Hameed, or not Hameed

“You were just a tick ahead of me in turning towards Lord’s - grieving for this game obviously, but excited by the idea that after four years and nine months in the wilderness all of us who follow OBO will resume the Haseeb Hammed years!” says Pete Salmon. “I feel like its been a huge journey for all of us – there are of course people, even cricket followers, who haven’t ridden his every third ball duck, scratchy 30, and teasing 77 in five hours against Hampshire as though the world depended on it, but for those of us who have, I feel like this redemption is a shared one. I don’t care who they drop, any five of the top six will do, but let the Hameed Years begin!”

3.57pm BST

It’s over/You don’t need to tell me

Play has been abandoned and the first Test ends in a draw.

Scorecard/Clips: https://t.co/s8ctdMUblv

#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/ETyyNRVZ1k

3.55pm BST

“Lord’s selection,” says Andrew Thomas. “I remember a time when, if the selectors were in doubt, the answer was to drop Ramprakash.”

Or, failing that, recall Ramprakash. Actually, as time passes I get more rather than less angry about the way Ramprakash was handled, particularly 1992. On reflection, that year did irreparable damage. He wasn’t treated brilliantly in 1993, either, or 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997.

3.53pm BST

I won’t lie to you, it’s not a JFK moment. On reflection, I’m not sure why I bothered with the capital letters. Bloody breaking-news culture. Anyway, the umpires have surrendered to the inevitable, and the first Test is drawn. Joe Root’s glorious innings wasn’t in vain after all.

3.51pm BST

“Loving the OBO community today,” says Toby Sims. “I’ve been up and down for 20 years and there’s some been great stuff today. If any OBOers are are north Kent, East Sussex/Surrey way, I’m happy to come out for a quiet pint, local match, wild swim or a walk to keep the nerves down. Been there, still there. Happy for the OBO to pass on my email. Also - can the rain go away!”

You tell me now, after I’ve moved from Kent to Orkney. Yeah, cheers. Thanks a lot. No, really: thanks.

3.49pm BST

And so to Lord’s Assuming this match is over, what would be your England team for the second Test? Let’s stick to the 17-man squad that they picked for the first two games: the XI here plus Hameed, Leach, Bess, Wood, Pope and Overton.

3.46pm BST

“Much appreciating the wide-ranging conversation during the rain,” says Peter Bower. “It occured to me that a charity T20 cricket match, with both teams in full fancy dress (and listed on the scorecard as the characters they are dressed as) could be wonderfully entertaining. Imagine Machiavelli bowling wicked spin to a batsman like Hercules, weiding his club. Or Medusa bowling against Marie Antionette. Hours of fun. Imagine Guy the Gorilla batting at no 11.”

Beefy has already done enough for charity, surely.

3.42pm BST

Ian Ward says there are puddles all over the outfield. With that, and the news that Nasa are hiring people to watch Netflix for a year, I’m off. Seeya! Bye!

3.40pm BST

“Afternoon Rob,” says Matt Emerson. “I’ve taken No 2 son to Trent Bridge today for his first taste of Test cricket. I’m telling him to treat this as a metaphor for life…”

A metaphor for life? You’ve been listening to Don’t Tell Me The Score, haven’t you? (If you haven’t, I can unequivocally recommend it.)

3.31pm BST

It’s a little brighter at Trent Bridge, though there is no suggestion of an inspection just yet. The exasperating thing is that the forecast is extremely good from 7ish. I won’t lie to you, I have no idea what it says in the playing conditions, but I suspect somebody, somewhere is going to lose their temper before the day is out.

3.09pm BST

“Just reflecting further on our philosophical discussion today, and the way that the OBO and cricket can be a metaphor for life - keen anticipation, inclement weather, covers laid, removed (and replaced), hopes for further play, wry observations, idle distractions, questions asked, small acts of kindness between strangers,” says Brian Withington. “And for those of a more spiritual persuasion, let’s not forget the wisdom and compassion of the great but humble facilitator in the cloud. Nice going, Geoff.”

Thanks very much.

2.57pm BST

Sky’s Ian Ward reports that it has been “hammering down” for the last 15-20 minutes. Even if it does stop raining this instant, forever, I’d imagine the outfield will be prohibitively wet for the next hour or so. Like I said, nine per cent.

2.56pm BST

Weatherwatch You’ll never guess!

2.53pm BST

“Must say that all the talk from the media in England about Indian being favourites today made me queasy (they have a lot more to lose in this game than England),” says Digvijay Yadav. “When the coverage started it seemed that bowling conditions were perfect for England but as the day wears on, India’s task becomes clearer - give it a thump and if a few wickets fall then shut up shop.”

India need 157 more to win. If we can get 16.4 overs in, it’s game on.

2.50pm BST

Thanks Geoff, hello everyone. The forecast is for dry weather from - and you’ll like this - 7pm. But it’s not beyond the realms that we will get some cricket during the ICC-approved hours of play. Let’s just say there’s a nine per cent chance, okay?

2.44pm BST

Right, that’s it for me. Thanks so much for your company, which was sorely needed and provided with generosity in quality and quantity. Time for me to watch the rest of the rain in quiet contemplation, after handing over to your friend and mine, Rob Smyth.

Oh, and guess what? Ali Martin just texted two words. “Bright sunshine!”

2.42pm BST

I’ll let Robert Wilson have the last word. I’m sure he’s not used to that.

“In response to Damian Clarke’s mild protestations of love for me (the word ‘slightly’ does NOT belong to the form), I’m tempted to go full Dylan Moran and say ‘Gimme Cake. Where’s my cake?’ Is it time to set up an OBO matchmaking service with you and Adam Collins as yentas? Or perhaps we should just have an evening of OBO erotica? I can pump out Viv Richards and Robin Smith slash/fic at the drop of a hat and have a four page thing about Peter Beardsley that would curl your eyebrows and make your socks roll up and down simultaneously.

2.41pm BST

Still raining, still raining... but you know what? The rainy days on the OBO can be some of the best. I wish we didn’t have an exciting Test result being washed away but it’s still been fun.

A couple of emails on that theme. Here’s a very nice one from Robert Ellson.

2.30pm BST

A lovely contribution in the emails from Sam, following on from earlier.

“Thank you for your reply to Aditi. I have known the slow and pulsing ache of depression in myself and too many others. I have also asked that question on many, many occasions. Fortunately the answers have gently revealed themselves over time, sometimes hiding away but then coming back with friends. For some I have known that didn’t happen. I find it quite poignant that your beautiful reply was in a place where I have found much comfort over the years, yet was quite unexpected. Thank you. I hope the sun shines on this game eventually, and for you and others when the sky darkens.”

2.21pm BST

Ok, I thought that would be as good as it might get. The covers are going back on.

2.15pm BST

At Trent Bridge, there will be an inspection in 15 minutes. Which will be 2:30pm Nottingham time.

2.14pm BST

Might as well do another sport before we get inundated with cricket. Sport climbing! My new favourite along with the rhythmic gymnastics. (Seriously. They were both amazing.) This is via Ross Moulden, re the Olympic blog.

“I appreciate it must have been incredibly difficult to keep an eye on so many things at once while providing quality updates, and I thought you did a fantastic job, along with the rest of your colleagues. One thing I especially liked was the enjoyment and enthusiasm you seemed to have to for watching sport climbing for the first time. I thought I’d send you a link in case you want to see more of Janja Garnbret’s ridiculous ability to cakewalk climbs everyone else is struggling with.

2.06pm BST

There might be more rain coming, as per the Met, but Ali Martin says the covers are being removed. So we might as well enjoy this wonderful moment, considering it may be all we get.

2.04pm BST

Re our baseball metaphor, Håkan Burden emails with a good bilingual one.

Swedish: Det duger inte att bara ställa skorna på plan, man måste göra jobbet också.

English: It’s not enough to put your shoes on the pitch, you need to make the effort as well.

2.00pm BST

Phil Sawyer writes in about the important subject of Bad Horse.

“Oh, Geoff, why did you have to post the Thoroughbred of Sin? Now I’m going through the full song list as I drag my hungover frame around Sawyer Towers doing chores. Incidentally, the company who supplied the bad Doctor’s goggles and gloves are very friendly and happy to ship a set across the pond, although it’ll cost you a fair whack. Erm, so a friend tells me...”

1.49pm BST

On our philosophical topic, a practical message comes in from Olly.

“I am writing this from a psychiatric hospital which is full of people with lots of mental health and addiction issues. The one piece of advice I’d give is to ask for help. Speak to your GP and they will provide you with multiple options, including the well known Samaritans but also probably some local help. Do not bottle it up and be ashamed, depression is an illness and can be treated with medication and counselling like many other illnesses. I know this is heavy for the OBO but we all need to be there for each other.”

1.46pm BST

It’s still raining. Emma John references my favourite part of Trent Bridge. “There are people actually waiting in the Hadlee waiting area. I have never seen that before. I always thought those three seats under the stairwell in the Radcliffe Road stand were an existential joke.”

1.44pm BST

“I’m an American who got interested in cricket because I like the words. I asked the other day what ‘pants’ are and got an answer. Told a baseball fan friend, and she wrote this:

Dennis Eckersley, a hall-of-famer who played for Boston and other teams and now does color commentary for the Red Sox has his own lingo, and his expression for somebody who strikes out looking, meaning they didn’t swing the bat at a third strike, is “a pair of shoes”. Meaning he just stood there. Unique expression to Eck. Sounds like it could transfer to Cricket...

1.32pm BST

More punchy Parisians, what is it with that city? Mike Gibb this time.

“So-called physicist David Holder is forgetting to take relativistic effects into account. As the ball will be travelling a small fraction of the speed of light, the ball will fore-shorten, rendering it more dense. A sensitive batsman will pick this up as a heavier ball.”

1.27pm BST

Onto matchmaking then, as I try to make people happy. This for Damian Clarke.

“After thirty-one years of monogamous devotion to my wife, I have never once even considered another human being with thoughts of possible dalliance (well, apart from Dr. Alice Roberts, and that is obviously forgiveable). But may I say that I am surprised to find that I may just be slightly in love with Robert Wilson.”

1.23pm BST

“Any philosophical advice to someone who’s depressed and doesn’t know what to do with her life?”

Well. Hello Aditi, thanks for giving me something to think about during the rain. That’s a good question, and a perennial one.

12.57pm BST

The Met Office prediction has now changed to a thunderstorm at 3pm (that’s bad) but clearing to 10% likelihood of precipitation after that. In Jim Carrey limo-driver style, I’m saying there’s a chance.

12.54pm BST

“How many overs do you think India would need to try and chase the score down?” asks Vincent Barreto with acuity. “Go into one-day mode and hope for 30 or so? Send in Pant and Jadeja to try and whack their way to the figure and if it doesn’t work out play for the draw?”

We’re not quite at that point yet, because the last session can go to at least 7pm with the delays, and once we’re into the last hour then 15 overs have to be bowled, so it might be possible to get something like 45 overs into a long third session.

12.45pm BST

Here’s another level. Robert Wilson has just emerged into the fray from Paris, fists swinging, proclaiming that it’s metaphysics or nothing.

“I’d like to riposte to sweetly irascible physicist, David Holder, who would like us to stop using the term ‘heavy ball’ for the deeply insufficient reason that there is no such thing. As a metaphysicist of no little repute may I suggest that this is the merest of mechanicalism. Of course there’s a heavy ball. Because that’s how it feels, morally and emotionally. And such things beat Newtonian laws of motion into a cocked hat. And that’s without dealing with the ‘accusing ball’, the ‘false hope leg-hop’, the ‘short-of-a-length sociopath’ or my favourite reverse swinger ‘the nameless sensation of guilt’. The matchless Shane Warne’s entire career of epic piffle and persiflage is proof that metaphysics steals physics’ lunch money every day of the week.”

12.42pm BST

Science Fight just reminded me of Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, for some reason. Bad Horse, Bad Horse.

12.39pm BST

Ah ha. Some rumblings in the lab. Here is Hugh Molloy.

“The physicist has neglected to take into account that the ball not only has linear velocity but also rotational velocity. Some bowlers such as Bumrah use a whippy flick of the wrist to apply back spin which will slow the ball off the pitch unlike someone like Flintoff who bowls from the shoulder with far less spin so is quicker off the pitch. Also, a spinning ball interacts with a surface differently because the spin reduces the contact time with the bat. Spinning balls skid off hard surfaces more, i.e. a bat, whereas a less spinning ball gives more of a thud, or heavy feeling.”

12.37pm BST

“Now pooling it down,” writes Ali, which is a bit of presumably Brum vernacular with which I’ve not had the pleasure of being acquainted. It makes sense.

12.32pm BST

“It’s been raining all day here in Sydney too,” writes Arthur Graves. Poor old Sydney, that’s all that it needs. “I reckon the slow over rate penalty would work if it was increased. Set the amount of overs per full day at a minimum (80). Then reduce runs got by the bowling team at five per over under that. If that doesn’t do the job, increase it to ten per over. At some point the reduction in runs will find a sweet-spot all on it’s own.”

I’d say it has to be runs added as extras rather than subtracted - we can’t make runs disappear that have actually been scored. But yes, that’s a method. Again, it can only work if the batting side’s avenues to waste time are closed first.

12.30pm BST

Ali Martin: “Bright sunshine has broken out ... for how long, we know not. The direction the wet stuff is coming from remains filled in.”

12.23pm BST

The mysterious TM has been reading. “This over-rate chat reminded me of a passage in Derek Pringle’s memoirs about quirks of the era and fines for players and counties for not achieving what would be 19.5 hours per hour. In one match against Middlesex they were well behind and so with the collusion of John Emburey who was pals with Graham Gooch they got the over-rate up to 48 an hour with Goochie completing an over in 18s. So, err, it can be done.”

Imagine, 19.5 an hour. The golden fingers of God shining down onto the fields of Kent or Worcestershire. A holy promised land.

12.16pm BST

Big news, the reverberations of which will be felt through the ages. My colleague Ali Martin has front row seats at the Bridge.

“The all-important lunch is being taken at 12:30, so nowt before 1.10pm. It’s a pretty bleak scene, covers on. They’ve not even started the mop-up during the little dry spells as they’ve known more is coming.”

12.11pm BST

David Holder is putting the foot down.

“Good morning to you from alternately sunny and very wet Warrington! Why don’t we have a minimum of 30 overs per session? The players would have to eat into their lunch and tea breaks; this would affect both the bowling side (who would want to rest their bowlers) and the batsmen (who would like to put their feet up too). If either side procrastinates they’d lose that time at the intervals. Also, as a physicist, please can people stop referring to bowlers bowling ‘a heavy ball’ when the batsmen suggest it hits the bat harder than they’d expect for the speed of the bowler. The only variable that will affect the force of the blow is its velocity... nothing else.”

12.07pm BST

The rain has just got harder at Trent Bridge.

12.07pm BST

What else to fill your time? I could direct you to a couple of long Final Word interviews that we did recently, which were special.

We spoke to Clare Connor in one episode, initially about the Hundred and what it was for, but then went very deep into her story, life, achievements.

11.59am BST

Speaking of the Olympics, if you have memories of Roy and HG from the Sydney games, I wrote this last week on a special book written by one of their creators.

11.58am BST

While we’re waiting, you could also be keeping one eye on the last gasps of the Olympic blog, as I’ve been doing. Writing this thing was the single most difficult and interesting task I’ve had in this line of work: trying to cover up to 20 sports in a five-hour session, trying to watch four screens at once while checking results elsewhere, having to learn the rules of judo or sport climbing or whatever else while live on the keys, because however diligent you were there was no time to prepare for everything. Good times.

11.45am BST

Onto other things, here’s Andrew Benton. “May we have your expert take on the Bangladesh T20 series victory? Wrapped up inside the minimum number of games, does this signal the beginning of a major decline for Australia, the start of a phenomenal rise for Bangladesh, or is it just a blip in the world of averages?”

Go on, then, I’ll bang on. I don’t think it tells us anything new. It just reminds us that Australia has mostly been pretty bad at T20 International cricket for some reason, and that Australia has been especially bad on slow spinners’ wickets for more obvious reasons. In the 2016 T20 World Cup, most of the pitches were similar and Australia struggled. Ditto in the UAE in 2018, and the Caribbean recently.

11.32am BST

Maybe the most uniformly annoying penalty for a bowling side would be that until they catch up the rate, the batters in the middle get to choose who bowls.

11.31am BST

@GeoffLemonSport re over rates, tickets are refunded really easily straight back onto the cards that bought them now. Would be super simple to refund 1/90th back to paying fans for every over lost. I also like the Hundred rule re fielding restrictions.

Yep, this does work pretty well in the white ball stuff. Not quite the same for red, though the earlier idea of taking one fielder off the field completely has its charms. There would still be times when that would hurt bowling teams less than others, like if the 10 and 11 were batting. But every penalty will be variable in its effect. A team defending 500 won’t care if they concede a few penalty runs, if it lets them optimise their wicket-taking potential.

11.28am BST

Kim Thonger’s suggestion: “I’ve thought for some time that the penalty for slow over rates should simply be restricted run ups, say 5 metres, until the bowling side gets back to the required rate.”

This would definitely be funny. And in this house, we respect the Liebke Equation that funny cricket > good cricket.

11.19am BST

“In answer to Phil Rutovitz, who seems to think India should reach 209,” writes Jen Oram, “start of Day 5 against NZ, India (only the third innings, not the last) have 64 for 2. Shortly thereafter Kyle Jamieson has them 72 for 4. They make 170. That’s without input from the weather, which seems to be disrupting India’s batting rather more than England’s.”

11.18am BST

Nathaniel Rogers takes his turn down memory lane.

“I remember getting back from a stag do on a Sunday morning in 2004, switching the telly on and being told Headingley were offering tickets at £10 to watch 80 remaining overs after lunch against New Zealand. So off I went with the lass and a couple of mates and got to watch Flintoff and Jones racing each other to 50 and then 100, with Jones getting his only Test century and Flintoff holing out on 96 ish trying to hit a six. Must have been 110 overs that day. Cant have finished till after 20:00.

11.15am BST

Right on cue, Emma says the rain has got heavier in Nottingham.

11.13am BST

“Why cant they have a running counter as to how far behind the over rate a team is (allowing for injuries etc) and at the top every hour, have them field with one man less for that period of time? Fines won’t work. Fines haven’t worked,” writes Shankar Mony.

Spot on. The penalty must be in play, and significant enough to draw a response. Fielding restrictions is one, run penalties another. But again, the batting side’s contribution has to be monitored and accounted for.

11.08am BST

“On the subject of slow over rates, why not penalise the offending bowler by giving him or her a yellow card that would mean being unable to bowl during the next, say, 20 overs or 90 minutes?” asks Darryl Accone.

Because it’s not really down to one bowler being too slow. At 30 overs a session, each over should take four minutes on average. Take out time for drinks and wickets falling and so on, and call that three and a half minutes. That doesn’t mean that every over must be three and a half minutes. I’ve timed Ravindra Jadeja bowling overs in 70 seconds, sometimes. Which means his fast bowlers can take longer. Even having a slow morning session with the quicks is alright if the spinners make it up later in the day. The thing is, nobody bothers making up the deficit now.

11.02am BST

Good English morning to John Starbuck.

“Hello there. If we genuinely need more recovery time for bowlers teams should be picked with at least six who are able to turn their arms over. It upsets our idea of a balanced side but look what happens when a real all-rounder is missing. Also, at least two of the bowlers should be spinners able to take on a longer workload, which is one reason why over-rates have been going down. Like a Tory dazzled by money, too many selectors are obsessed with speed. Speed costs time.”

10.51am BST

So the scheduled start time will not be met. Sorry.

10.50am BST

“Apparently my piece from yesterday has really pissed off the weather gods,” says my colleague Emma John from Nottingham.

10.46am BST

“Surely only one job for Chris Silverwood this morning,” writes Peter Salmon. “Tell Stuart Broad he’s thinking of replacing him with Jack Leach at Lord’s.”

Rather, the key factor has been identified by Isabelle.

Stuart Broad since the onset of the pandemic...

• with headband: 33w for 519r @ 15.7

• without headband: 6w for 244r @ 40.7

The only statistics you need, tbh.#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/zKn5Jb5aSK

10.42am BST

Andrew Goldie casts his mind back.

“I raced home from school in 1979 hoping for an exciting denouement to England v India at the Oval - it had been four pretty turgid days in a rain-affected series. Switched on he telly, the big Oval scoreboard focussed on 160. I felt flat. It was going to be a dull draw. Then it pans out. That was Gavaskar’s not out score. India, chasing 438, were on course for a win. The last hour of that match was possibly the most giddying watch I’ve ever seen, as all four results were possible, everyone was trying not to panic, only a controversial low catch at extra cover that did for Viswanath put the India win out of the picture, and it finished 429-8.”

10.40am BST

@GeoffLemonSport ok so I know that England has a theoretical chance of getting a draw or even winning, but how likely do you think it really is that India will not manage 157 with 9 wickets in hand and a full day to play?

Absolutely! Well, not the draw, unless it rains. Take rain out of the equation, there’s no way that India bats a day and doesn’t make 157. But it’s very possible, with many many precedents, to be bowled out for that sort of score on the final day of a Test. Just takes a wicket or two early and suddenly the whole side slides away.

10.38am BST

I’m being told by comrades at Trent Bridge that the outlook weather-wise is not good. The Met Office has the dark cloud icon coming in at bang on our start time, 11am. And the precipitation odds don’t drop below 30% all day.

10.31am BST

We do already use the early start in Australia and other places, though only when there are overs lost to weather and such, not when lost to teams just not bowling enough.

Some people try to cast slow over rates as the obsession of old fogeys, but as a relatively young fogey it’s still a problem. It’s easy to say that 8o or 90 overs a day doesn’t matter if the cricket is good. There’s logic to that. But at its base, you need to set a minimum amount of play for a match to be fair and a result to be likely.

10.23am BST

Can’t argue with any of this, Anand.

@GeoffLemonSport
Can't we make our glorious sport gloriouser by
1.Having a reserve day for all tests (board(s) pay all costs due to slow rates if we play on day 6)
2.Starting earlier(weather permitting)to make up for lost time
3.Shorter lunch, tea breaks on interrupted days#obo

10.00am BST

As ever, the lines are open via email or the birdphone. Just ring and ask for Geoff. I’ll take it in my room. Claudia, stop listening!

10.00am BST

Good morning, afternoon, or evening, and welcome to (whisper it gently) day five. That’s right, just say it to yourself. Find a quiet room in the house, stand in the furthest corner, and allow the self-satisfaction of sounding out the syllables. You can share it later, but this moment is just for you.

The fifth day. The finest treat of Test cricket. The thing that no other forms can offer. For four days we’ve veered between rain and sun, light and shade, frustration and absorption. We’ve been off, we’ve been on, and so has the game. Wrestling back and forth with some deep ranks of quality bowling and a couple of batting performances of admirable resistance.

So here we are: with nine Bumrah wickets and one Root century in the bank, ahead of the closing chapter. India at 52 for 1 need a further 157 runs to reach the 209 required for victory. They lost that wicket last night to some wicked Stuart Broad bowling - KL Rahul, the top-scorer from the first innings. Rohit Sharma and Cheteshawar Pujara are at the crease.

That Indian batting lineup looks imposing down to Pant and Jadeja but the engine room of Pujara, Kohli, Rahane struggled in the WTC final against New Zealand, and struggled again in the first innings here. India might be favourites to win, but that could very easily change.

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Published on August 08, 2021 08:41

England v India: first Test, day five start delayed due to rain – live!

Over-by-over updates from the final day at Trent BridgeRoot urges England to grasp opportunity for winAnd you can contact Geoff by email or on Twitter

2.06pm BST

There might be more rain coming, as per the Met, but Ali Martin says the covers are being removed. So we might as well enjoy this wonderful moment, considering it may be all we get.

2.04pm BST

Re our baseball metaphor, Håkan Burden emails with a good bilingual one.

Swedish: Det duger inte att bara ställa skorna på plan, man måste göra jobbet också.

English: It’s not enough to put your shoes on the pitch, you need to make the effort as well.

2.00pm BST

Phil Sawyer writes in about the important subject of Bad Horse.

“Oh, Geoff, why did you have to post the Thoroughbred of Sin? Now I’m going through the full song list as I drag my hungover frame around Sawyer Towers doing chores. Incidentally, the company who supplied the bad Doctor’s goggles and gloves are very friendly and happy to ship a set across the pond, although it’ll cost you a fair whack. Erm, so a friend tells me...”

1.49pm BST

On our philosophical topic, a practical message comes in from Olly.

“I am writing this from a psychiatric hospital which is full of people with lots of mental health and addiction issues. The one piece of advice I’d give is to ask for help. Speak to your GP and they will provide you with multiple options, including the well known Samaritans but also probably some local help. Do not bottle it up and be ashamed, depression is an illness and can be treated with medication and counselling like many other illnesses. I know this is heavy for the OBO but we all need to be there for each other.”

1.46pm BST

It’s still raining. Emma John references my favourite part of Trent Bridge. “There are people actually waiting in the Hadlee waiting area. I have never seen that before. I always thought those three seats under the stairwell in the Radcliffe Road stand were an existential joke.”

1.44pm BST

“I’m an American who got interested in cricket because I like the words. I asked the other day what ‘pants’ are and got an answer. Told a baseball fan friend, and she wrote this:

Dennis Eckersley, a hall-of-famer who played for Boston and other teams and now does color commentary for the Red Sox has his own lingo, and his expression for somebody who strikes out looking, meaning they didn’t swing the bat at a third strike, is “a pair of shoes”. Meaning he just stood there. Unique expression to Eck. Sounds like it could transfer to Cricket...

1.32pm BST

More punchy Parisians, what is it with that city? Mike Gibb this time.

“So-called physicist David Holder is forgetting to take relativistic effects into account. As the ball will be travelling a small fraction of the speed of light, the ball will fore-shorten, rendering it more dense. A sensitive batsman will pick this up as a heavier ball.”

1.27pm BST

Onto matchmaking then, as I try to make people happy. This for Damian Clarke.

“After thirty-one years of monogamous devotion to my wife, I have never once even considered another human being with thoughts of possible dalliance (well, apart from Dr. Alice Roberts, and that is obviously forgiveable). But may I say that I am surprised to find that I may just be slightly in love with Robert Wilson.”

1.23pm BST

“Any philosophical advice to someone who’s depressed and doesn’t know what to do with her life?”

Well. Hello Aditi, thanks for giving me something to think about during the rain. That’s a good question, and a perennial one.

12.57pm BST

The Met Office prediction has now changed to a thunderstorm at 3pm (that’s bad) but clearing to 10% likelihood of precipitation after that. In Jim Carrey limo-driver style, I’m saying there’s a chance.

12.54pm BST

“How many overs do you think India would need to try and chase the score down?” asks Vincent Barreto with acuity. “Go into one-day mode and hope for 30 or so? Send in Pant and Jadeja to try and whack their way to the figure and if it doesn’t work out play for the draw?”

We’re not quite at that point yet, because the last session can go to at least 7pm with the delays, and once we’re into the last hour then 15 overs have to be bowled, so it might be possible to get something like 45 overs into a long third session.

12.45pm BST

Here’s another level. Robert Wilson has just emerged into the fray from Paris, fists swinging, proclaiming that it’s metaphysics or nothing.

“I’d like to riposte to sweetly irascible physicist, David Holder, who would like us to stop using the term ‘heavy ball’ for the deeply insufficient reason that there is no such thing. As a metaphysicist of no little repute may I suggest that this is the merest of mechanicalism. Of course there’s a heavy ball. Because that’s how it feels, morally and emotionally. And such things beat Newtonian laws of motion into a cocked hat. And that’s without dealing with the ‘accusing ball’, the ‘false hope leg-hop’, the ‘short-of-a-length sociopath’ or my favourite reverse swinger ‘the nameless sensation of guilt’. The matchless Shane Warne’s entire career of epic piffle and persiflage is proof that metaphysics steals physics’ lunch money every day of the week.”

12.42pm BST

Science Fight just reminded me of Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, for some reason. Bad Horse, Bad Horse.

12.39pm BST

Ah ha. Some rumblings in the lab. Here is Hugh Molloy.

“The physicist has neglected to take into account that the ball not only has linear velocity but also rotational velocity. Some bowlers such as Bumrah use a whippy flick of the wrist to apply back spin which will slow the ball off the pitch unlike someone like Flintoff who bowls from the shoulder with far less spin so is quicker off the pitch. Also, a spinning ball interacts with a surface differently because the spin reduces the contact time with the bat. Spinning balls skid off hard surfaces more, i.e. a bat, whereas a less spinning ball gives more of a thud, or heavy feeling.”

12.37pm BST

“Now pooling it down,” writes Ali, which is a bit of presumably Brum vernacular with which I’ve not had the pleasure of being acquainted. It makes sense.

12.32pm BST

“It’s been raining all day here in Sydney too,” writes Arthur Graves. Poor old Sydney, that’s all that it needs. “I reckon the slow over rate penalty would work if it was increased. Set the amount of overs per full day at a minimum (80). Then reduce runs got by the bowling team at five per over under that. If that doesn’t do the job, increase it to ten per over. At some point the reduction in runs will find a sweet-spot all on it’s own.”

I’d say it has to be runs added as extras rather than subtracted - we can’t make runs disappear that have actually been scored. But yes, that’s a method. Again, it can only work if the batting side’s avenues to waste time are closed first.

12.30pm BST

Ali Martin: “Bright sunshine has broken out ... for how long, we know not. The direction the wet stuff is coming from remains filled in.”

12.23pm BST

The mysterious TM has been reading. “This over-rate chat reminded me of a passage in Derek Pringle’s memoirs about quirks of the era and fines for players and counties for not achieving what would be 19.5 hours per hour. In one match against Middlesex they were well behind and so with the collusion of John Emburey who was pals with Graham Gooch they got the over-rate up to 48 an hour with Goochie completing an over in 18s. So, err, it can be done.”

Imagine, 19.5 an hour. The golden fingers of God shining down onto the fields of Kent or Worcestershire. A holy promised land.

12.16pm BST

Big news, the reverberations of which will be felt through the ages. My colleague Ali Martin has front row seats at the Bridge.

“The all-important lunch is being taken at 12:30, so nowt before 1.10pm. It’s a pretty bleak scene, covers on. They’ve not even started the mop-up during the little dry spells as they’ve known more is coming.”

12.11pm BST

David Holder is putting the foot down.

“Good morning to you from alternately sunny and very wet Warrington! Why don’t we have a minimum of 30 overs per session? The players would have to eat into their lunch and tea breaks; this would affect both the bowling side (who would want to rest their bowlers) and the batsmen (who would like to put their feet up too). If either side procrastinates they’d lose that time at the intervals. Also, as a physicist, please can people stop referring to bowlers bowling ‘a heavy ball’ when the batsmen suggest it hits the bat harder than they’d expect for the speed of the bowler. The only variable that will affect the force of the blow is its velocity... nothing else.”

12.07pm BST

The rain has just got harder at Trent Bridge.

12.07pm BST

What else to fill your time? I could direct you to a couple of long Final Word interviews that we did recently, which were special.

We spoke to Clare Connor in one episode, initially about the Hundred and what it was for, but then went very deep into her story, life, achievements.

11.59am BST

Speaking of the Olympics, if you have memories of Roy and HG from the Sydney games, I wrote this last week on a special book written by one of their creators.

11.58am BST

While we’re waiting, you could also be keeping one eye on the last gasps of the Olympic blog, as I’ve been doing. Writing this thing was the single most difficult and interesting task I’ve had in this line of work: trying to cover up to 20 sports in a five-hour session, trying to watch four screens at once while checking results elsewhere, having to learn the rules of judo or sport climbing or whatever else while live on the keys, because however diligent you were there was no time to prepare for everything. Good times.

11.45am BST

Onto other things, here’s Andrew Benton. “May we have your expert take on the Bangladesh T20 series victory? Wrapped up inside the minimum number of games, does this signal the beginning of a major decline for Australia, the start of a phenomenal rise for Bangladesh, or is it just a blip in the world of averages?”

Go on, then, I’ll bang on. I don’t think it tells us anything new. It just reminds us that Australia has mostly been pretty bad at T20 International cricket for some reason, and that Australia has been especially bad on slow spinners’ wickets for more obvious reasons. In the 2016 T20 World Cup, most of the pitches were similar and Australia struggled. Ditto in the UAE in 2018, and the Caribbean recently.

11.32am BST

Maybe the most uniformly annoying penalty for a bowling side would be that until they catch up the rate, the batters in the middle get to choose who bowls.

11.31am BST

@GeoffLemonSport re over rates, tickets are refunded really easily straight back onto the cards that bought them now. Would be super simple to refund 1/90th back to paying fans for every over lost. I also like the Hundred rule re fielding restrictions.

Yep, this does work pretty well in the white ball stuff. Not quite the same for red, though the earlier idea of taking one fielder off the field completely has its charms. There would still be times when that would hurt bowling teams less than others, like if the 10 and 11 were batting. But every penalty will be variable in its effect. A team defending 500 won’t care if they concede a few penalty runs, if it lets them optimise their wicket-taking potential.

11.28am BST

Kim Thonger’s suggestion: “I’ve thought for some time that the penalty for slow over rates should simply be restricted run ups, say 5 metres, until the bowling side gets back to the required rate.”

This would definitely be funny. And in this house, we respect the Liebke Equation that funny cricket > good cricket.

11.19am BST

“In answer to Phil Rutovitz, who seems to think India should reach 209,” writes Jen Oram, “start of Day 5 against NZ, India (only the third innings, not the last) have 64 for 2. Shortly thereafter Kyle Jamieson has them 72 for 4. They make 170. That’s without input from the weather, which seems to be disrupting India’s batting rather more than England’s.”

11.18am BST

Nathaniel Rogers takes his turn down memory lane.

“I remember getting back from a stag do on a Sunday morning in 2004, switching the telly on and being told Headingley were offering tickets at £10 to watch 80 remaining overs after lunch against New Zealand. So off I went with the lass and a couple of mates and got to watch Flintoff and Jones racing each other to 50 and then 100, with Jones getting his only Test century and Flintoff holing out on 96 ish trying to hit a six. Must have been 110 overs that day. Cant have finished till after 20:00.

11.15am BST

Right on cue, Emma says the rain has got heavier in Nottingham.

11.13am BST

“Why cant they have a running counter as to how far behind the over rate a team is (allowing for injuries etc) and at the top every hour, have them field with one man less for that period of time? Fines won’t work. Fines haven’t worked,” writes Shankar Mony.

Spot on. The penalty must be in play, and significant enough to draw a response. Fielding restrictions is one, run penalties another. But again, the batting side’s contribution has to be monitored and accounted for.

11.08am BST

“On the subject of slow over rates, why not penalise the offending bowler by giving him or her a yellow card that would mean being unable to bowl during the next, say, 20 overs or 90 minutes?” asks Darryl Accone.

Because it’s not really down to one bowler being too slow. At 30 overs a session, each over should take four minutes on average. Take out time for drinks and wickets falling and so on, and call that three and a half minutes. That doesn’t mean that every over must be three and a half minutes. I’ve timed Ravindra Jadeja bowling overs in 70 seconds, sometimes. Which means his fast bowlers can take longer. Even having a slow morning session with the quicks is alright if the spinners make it up later in the day. The thing is, nobody bothers making up the deficit now.

11.02am BST

Good English morning to John Starbuck.

“Hello there. If we genuinely need more recovery time for bowlers teams should be picked with at least six who are able to turn their arms over. It upsets our idea of a balanced side but look what happens when a real all-rounder is missing. Also, at least two of the bowlers should be spinners able to take on a longer workload, which is one reason why over-rates have been going down. Like a Tory dazzled by money, too many selectors are obsessed with speed. Speed costs time.”

10.51am BST

So the scheduled start time will not be met. Sorry.

10.50am BST

“Apparently my piece from yesterday has really pissed off the weather gods,” says my colleague Emma John from Nottingham.

10.46am BST

“Surely only one job for Chris Silverwood this morning,” writes Peter Salmon. “Tell Stuart Broad he’s thinking of replacing him with Jack Leach at Lord’s.”

Rather, the key factor has been identified by Isabelle.

Stuart Broad since the onset of the pandemic...

• with headband: 33w for 519r @ 15.7

• without headband: 6w for 244r @ 40.7

The only statistics you need, tbh.#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/zKn5Jb5aSK

10.42am BST

Andrew Goldie casts his mind back.

“I raced home from school in 1979 hoping for an exciting denouement to England v India at the Oval - it had been four pretty turgid days in a rain-affected series. Switched on he telly, the big Oval scoreboard focussed on 160. I felt flat. It was going to be a dull draw. Then it pans out. That was Gavaskar’s not out score. India, chasing 438, were on course for a win. The last hour of that match was possibly the most giddying watch I’ve ever seen, as all four results were possible, everyone was trying not to panic, only a controversial low catch at extra cover that did for Viswanath put the India win out of the picture, and it finished 429-8.”

10.40am BST

@GeoffLemonSport ok so I know that England has a theoretical chance of getting a draw or even winning, but how likely do you think it really is that India will not manage 157 with 9 wickets in hand and a full day to play?

Absolutely! Well, not the draw, unless it rains. Take rain out of the equation, there’s no way that India bats a day and doesn’t make 157. But it’s very possible, with many many precedents, to be bowled out for that sort of score on the final day of a Test. Just takes a wicket or two early and suddenly the whole side slides away.

10.38am BST

I’m being told by comrades at Trent Bridge that the outlook weather-wise is not good. The Met Office has the dark cloud icon coming in at bang on our start time, 11am. And the precipitation odds don’t drop below 30% all day.

10.31am BST

We do already use the early start in Australia and other places, though only when there are overs lost to weather and such, not when lost to teams just not bowling enough.

Some people try to cast slow over rates as the obsession of old fogeys, but as a relatively young fogey it’s still a problem. It’s easy to say that 8o or 90 overs a day doesn’t matter if the cricket is good. There’s logic to that. But at its base, you need to set a minimum amount of play for a match to be fair and a result to be likely.

10.23am BST

Can’t argue with any of this, Anand.

@GeoffLemonSport
Can't we make our glorious sport gloriouser by
1.Having a reserve day for all tests (board(s) pay all costs due to slow rates if we play on day 6)
2.Starting earlier(weather permitting)to make up for lost time
3.Shorter lunch, tea breaks on interrupted days#obo

10.00am BST

As ever, the lines are open via email or the birdphone. Just ring and ask for Geoff. I’ll take it in my room. Claudia, stop listening!

10.00am BST

Good morning, afternoon, or evening, and welcome to (whisper it gently) day five. That’s right, just say it to yourself. Find a quiet room in the house, stand in the furthest corner, and allow the self-satisfaction of sounding out the syllables. You can share it later, but this moment is just for you.

The fifth day. The finest treat of Test cricket. The thing that no other forms can offer. For four days we’ve veered between rain and sun, light and shade, frustration and absorption. We’ve been off, we’ve been on, and so has the game. Wrestling back and forth with some deep ranks of quality bowling and a couple of batting performances of admirable resistance.

So here we are: with nine Bumrah wickets and one Root century in the bank, ahead of the closing chapter. India at 52 for 1 need a further 157 runs to reach the 209 required for victory. They lost that wicket last night to some wicked Stuart Broad bowling - KL Rahul, the top-scorer from the first innings. Rohit Sharma and Cheteshawar Pujara are at the crease.

That Indian batting lineup looks imposing down to Pant and Jadeja but the engine room of Pujara, Kohli, Rahane struggled in the WTC final against New Zealand, and struggled again in the first innings here. India might be favourites to win, but that could very easily change.

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Published on August 08, 2021 06:06

England v India: first Test, day three – as it happened

Ollie Robinson’s five wickets kept India in check but the tourists still forged a 95-run first-innings lead at Lord’s

8.39pm BST

6.28pm BST

So after only a third of a day yesterday, we’ve had half of one today. Yet the game has kept on moving.

When England removed Rishabh Pant, India were 138 for 5 and honours were even, but then the Indian tail – plus KL Rahul, who stuck around for an implausible 214 balls – doubled the score. Ravindra Jadeja got his customary fifty, and Jasprit Bumrah suddenly discovered how to get past ten. England, like India, had two bowlers taking most of the wickets – Jimmy Anderson in his 163rd Test and Ollie Robinson in his second. But, unlike their Indian counterparts, they got no help from the other two, bar a couple of fine catches by Stuart Broad, which ushered Robinson to his first international five-for.

6.12pm BST

That’s that – even though the umbrellas are down and the sun is out. This country. Mad as a batter!

6.10pm BST

The good news is that the umpires are out there. The bad news is that they have their umbrellas up.

6.05pm BST

In other news, Australia’s T20 team are now 3-0 down to Bangladesh.

6.04pm BST

Arthur Graves has a cunning plan. “Now we’ve got the annoying first innings out of the way – very cleverly nice and quickly, and as our boys are evidently much better at the shorter versions of the game, why don’t they just slip back into their collective ‘happy place’, and bat like a one-dayer. Get a quick 350 on the board, then it’s happy days for the bowlers. This thing could be wrapped up by the end of day 4.”

5.59pm BST

“More pedantry I’m afraid,” says Simon Gates, picking up on the 9th over, “but it’s a Reliant Robin, not a Robin Reliant.” Superb.

5.59pm BST

It’s raining again, according to our old friend Lawrence Booth. “And dark,” he says on Twitter. “This could be terminal for the day.”

5.47pm BST

Play was due to resume at 5.45pm, but then, amazing to relate, it rained again. So the resumption has been shunted to 6.10.

5.24pm BST

“Call me a pedant,” says Brandan Large, “but I’d refute Vic Lanser’s claim that it’s difficult to see how England can win. It could happen many ways – Root/Bairstow go big, Buttler smashes it, Jimmy & Broad roll back the years etc. What’s hard is to believe that they will do it on current form.” True – and Zak Crawley always has a big score in him.

5.22pm BST

And Will Vignoles is back for another spell. “Just to continue this OBO version of The Go-Between,” he says, “I actually have a lot of time for Sibley’s temperament and willingness to dig in – I just think that his closed-face technique makes him struggle to find gaps, which means that his partner has to take up more than their fair share of the scoring slack. That’s fine if it’s Root or Stokes at the other end (e.g. in the first test in India this year), but I don’t think it suits Burns’s game to be the aggressor. I’m sure international cricketer Dom Sibley will be taking notes from me, a guy without a fifty for four years.” Ha. You may well be the best player in this conversation.

5.20pm BST

A suggestion from Crawford on Twitter. “Mary Pratt, your American correspondent [84th over], might like to know that the way we all ‘solved’ cricket was via this old chestnut.” Ah yes, I remember the tea towel. But it could do with an update: can some modern tea-towel manufacturer please replace all those “men” with “people”?

5.12pm BST

“In reply to Vignoles,” says Vic Lanser, “what Sibley can do is bat for time, if he can avoid midwicket madness. Hard to see how England can win, but dragging it out and praying for more rain might save them.”

5.10pm BST

Out of a clear blue sky. Literally.

5.09pm BST

11th over: England 25-0 (Burns 11, Sibley 9) The lights are on and the ball “just might start dodging around,” as David Lloyd puts it. Shami bowls a beauty that beats Burns’s inelegant prod, but Burns gets his revenge, guiding an edge for four. He can relax now: he’s overtaken Sibley.

The crowd are getting a bit bored. A fan who has come dressed as Jack Russell – accompanied by several Ian Bothams – gets other spectators to throw a tennis ball at him. His takes are all right, but I’m not sure he could manage a legside stumping off Gladstone Small.

5.04pm BST

10th over: England 21-0 (Burns 7, Sibley 9) A single to Burns, covering his stumps and nudging Siraj down to fine leg.

“In reply to Jim Hornby [7th over],” says Will Vignoles, “he might want to look at India’s run-rate early on – even with such good batters as Rohit and KL Rahul, they barely got above two per over until they were set (and India’s attack is better than England’s as well). Burns and Sibley aren’t a fantastic opening partnership, and can go into their shells too much, but surely sometimes you have to see off the bowling?

4.59pm BST

9th over: England 20-0 (Burns 6, Sibley 9) Burns, embarrassed to find himself outpaced by a Robin Reliant, steps on the gas and clips Shami for four.

Here’s John Starbuck, picking up on Jim Hornby’s point from two overs ago. “That Burns and Sibley aren’t openers is very clear,” he reckons, “but that’s no reason to drop them; either but not both should be retained to partner a more aggressive opener, such as Hameed. Although he often takes a while to get going too, he has more stickability. I’d keep Burns, mainly because Sibley’s style is so ugly he offends sensibilities, as well as being the worse fielder.” Alas, poor Sibley. Does anyone feel he should keep his place?

4.54pm BST

8th over: England 15-0 (Burns 1, Sibley 9) I thought Bumrah might be changing ends but Siraj continues. Que Siraj Siraj. Sibley thick-edges him for four, then flirts with the danger that did for him on Wednesday, the chip to short midwicket. This time he keeps it just low enough. And let’s just register the fact that he is outscoring Burns by nine to one.

4.50pm BST

7th over: England 11-0 (Burns 1, Sibley 5) Burns edges Shami’s first ball, but downwards and with reasonable control. That’s a maiden.

“Six runs in five overs?” says Jim Hornby. “These guys aren’t openers, they’re dampeners —dampening any confidence, excitement or interest in the game, just like they did against New Zealand when offered the chance to make a game of it in the last innings of the first Test. Dismal.”

4.47pm BST

The Indians are back out there. It looks as if Kohli has realised the error of his ways and sent for Mohammed Shami.

4.34pm BST

An email with your cuppa. “Hello Tim!” Hello Tim Sanders! “As a boyhood Essex fan, the Andrew Samson stat (79th over) reminded me of Keith Fletcher’s struggles to establish himself in the Test team. He was first picked for the 1968 Ashes, but his undoubted class didn’t tell until 1973, when he averaged 62 against New Zealand, then 67 as England were soundly beaten by the West Indies. He enjoyed another season as a regular pick before the 1974-75 Ashes tour, which included being hit on the forehead by a Thommo delivery in the Sydney Test. Even though he had as good a tour as anyone, averaging 36, it was then seven years more of never quite being established.

“As a grown-up living in Yorkshire, my favourite cricketer now is Jonny Bairstow. You kind of get used to the in-and-out selection thing.” Ha. Bairstow does seem to be treated as if Alec Bedser was still in charge.

4.30pm BST

6th over: England 11-0 (Burns 1, Sibley 5) Intoxicated by getting off the mark, Sibley clips Siraj off his pad for four. If he carries on like this, he’ll reach a hundred before Christmas. His run glut is rudely interrupted by a ball that strikes him in the most painful area known to man. Siraj then joins in the no-ball frenzy, so extras are now level with Sibley on five.

And that’s tea, with England hanging in there (by a thread) and India still well on top, although the ball has barely swung for them so far in this innings. That’s good news for Burns, whose mission, should he choose to accept it, is to stay there so long that Kohli regrets not having Ashwin to bowl at him.

4.23pm BST

5th over: England 6-0 (Burns 1, Sibley 1) Another no-ball from Bumrah, and a wide, given for height. England are getting ’em in extras – until Sibley manages a leg glance, off his 17th delivery, to the sound of ironic cheers.

“Sam Curran a livewire @TimdeLisle?” snorts Bernard Walsh, picking up on the 80th over of India’s innings. “I’ve seen better bowlers in the Ribblesdale League 2nd Division. Basically Curran was picked as a specialist number eight batsman, a strategy so flawed that it should result in the hapless Silverwood being sacked.” That’s entertaining but not entirely fair – last time India were here, Curran was England’s Player of the Series.

4.17pm BST

4th over: England 3-0 (Burns 1, Sibley 0) After batting like millionaires, India’s tail-enders are now bowling like misers – just one single off 26 balls so far. Siraj almost persuades Burns to play on as he pats a short one down into the crease.

4.13pm BST

3rd over: England 3-0 (Burns 1, Sibley 0) Bumrah to Sibley: two cricketers with no time for the coaching manual. It’s almost a maiden, but then Bumrah is found to have committed another no-ball. The seventh delivery has some venom to it, though Sibley manages to withdraw his bat. The sun pokes its head out, curious to see if England can put together a decent opening partnership.

4.07pm BST

2nd over: England 2-0 (Burns 1, Sibley 0) The other new-ball bowler is not Mohammed Shami but Mohammed Siraj. “When he bowled with the new ball in Australia,” says Dinesh Karthik, “he did really well.” Another Indian wicketkeeper, Rishabh Pant, may not be such a fan as Siraj lands one ball just in front of him, on the second bounce. Burns plays out the over with no alarms.

4.02pm BST

1st over: England 2-0 (Burns 1, Sibley 0) Rory Burns, on a pair, faces his nemesis from the first innings. He plays and misses at what turns out to be a no-ball, but then gets a nice friendly short one and helps it round the corner. Dom Sibley sees out the second half of the over with his signature contribution – the dot.

England’s chance of a win, according to CricViz, is just 10pc, with India on 43 and the draw still shading it on 47. They must be expecting a lot of rain.

3.57pm BST

The players are out there and Virat Kohli is looking – what else? – intense.

3.50pm BST

Another great catch from Broad, who is now a specialist fielder, hands a five-for to Ollie Robinson, the man who may well be his successor. Robinson fully deserves it but India are laughing all the way back to the dressing-room. They have a lead of 95, massive in the circumstances, and Bumrah is celebrating his first Test score of more than 10. His average has rocketed from 2.26 to 3.55.

3.43pm BST

84th over: India 274-9 (Bumrah 24, Siraj 7) Root removes Curran and gives Jimmy Anderson the chance of yet another five-for, but the merriment continues. The lead is 91.

“An American here,” says Mary Pratt, “still trying to solve cricket ... if that’s possible. What are ‘pants’? Batters who just stand there?” Ha, no, batters who can’t bat. In Britain and Australia, where Geoff is from, pants means useless.

3.38pm BST

83rd over: India 270-9 (Bumrah 23, Siraj 4) It’s still Robinson, searching for the first five-for of an embryonic and very promising Test career. The late Mike Hendrick would recognise his lift, movement, accuracy and persistence, if not his spiky persona. But he can’t stop Bumrah getting four off the glove with an attempted pull.

3.34pm BST

82nd over: India 264-9 (Bumrah 17, Siraj 4) Root keeps Curran on for the new ball, God knows why. Bumrah helps himself from the buffet – four, six, four (off the edge). This is what would happen if Curran bowled to himself. The lead is 80.

3.30pm BST

81st over: India 249-9 (Bumrah 3, Siraj 4) Someone seems to have told the Indian tail that Geoff Lemon described them as pants. Mohammed Siraj, coming in at No 11, plays a straight drive off Robinson that is more like Pant.

3.27pm BST

Handed the new ball, Ollie Robinson responds by pitching it up and thudding it into Shami’s pad, from where it thumps into the stumps.

3.25pm BST

80th over: India 245-8 (Shami 13, Bumrah 3) Curran continues, filling in before the new ball. Having him as one of only four bowlers looked like a bad idea, because he’s a livewire not a workhorse, and so it has proved. India have now added 100 since the fall of the fifth wicket, to England’s 45.

3.18pm BST

79th over: India 244-8 (Shami 12, Bumrah 3) Bumrah squirts Robinson past gully, picks up two and stretches the lead to 61. That should be enough to win the match, unless the rain gods have other ideas. At drinks, India are the happier team; England would be on level terms if they had fielded better.

A killer stat from Andrew Samson on Twitter. “After 17 Tests Ravindra Jadeja averaged 20.62 with the bat,” he notes. “In his 53rd Test he now averages 35.80. Only one player with a lower average after 17 Tests has had a higher average after 53: Keith Fletcher – 19.11 to 39.38.” Just give him a bit more time and Jadeja will make an excellent captain of Essex.

3.14pm BST

78th over: India 241-8 (Shami 11, Bumrah 1) Amid the mayhem, a maiden from Curran. Not quite sure how he managed that.

3.10pm BST

77th over: India 241-8 (Shami 11, Bumrah 1) Bumrah becomes the latest Indian to try to run himself out, scampering back to the non-striker’s end, but Anderson’s throw is less accurate than his bowling. The field has far too many holes in it. Robinson ends up bowling bouncers to keep Shami off strike, a compliment he may not quite have earned.

3.06pm BST

76th over: India 238-8 (Shami 9, Bumrah 0) It’s a double change as Sam Curran replaces Broad at the wicketless end. After seeing Jadeja perish to a skyer, Shami thinks “I’ll have a bit of that” and targets every cloud he can see. One of these shots is dropped by Anderson at deep mid-something. The lead goes past 50.

3.02pm BST

75th over: India 232-8 (Shami 3, Bumrah 0) The field was a mess for that ball, with only one slip, but Jadeja’s miscue and Broad’s experience did the job for England.

3.01pm BST

Got him! Jadeja takes 4-2-4 off Robinson but then gets carried away and sends a slog into the sky. Stuart Broad at mid-off engages reverse gear to take a cool catch, his first meaningful contribution of this Test.

2.57pm BST

Jadeja cuts Robinson for a crisp four and joins a select club: Root, Rahul and now Ravi, the only batters to reach 50 in this match. He celebrates with a lavish twiddle of the bat, like Alec Stewart on steroids.

2.55pm BST

74th over: India 222-7 (Jadeja 46, Shami 3) While Anderson is busy being 39 years young, things are now going so badly for his old mate Broad that he has allowed Mohammed Shami to stroke a three off the first ball of an over. It’s a classy stroke too – a cover push, hit on the up. England then bungle yet another run-out chance as Jadeja looks to keep the strike and Burns misses when a direct hit is required. India lead by Anderson’s age.

2.50pm BST

73rd over: India 218-7 (Jadeja 45, Shami 0) Jadeja, facing Anderson, peppers backward point: a couple of gentle cuts, which would be singles if he had any faith in Shami, followed by a pop off the splice, just over Burns’s outstretched arm at gully, which somehow goes for four. Then a flick over fine leg for six! And finally a big old heave at thin air, straight out of the as-yet-unpublished coaching manual called How to Bat Like Me by R Pant.

2.46pm BST

Thanks Geoff, afternoon everyone and welcome back to the Jimmy Anderson show.

2.45pm BST

Thanks for the company. That’s enough cricket for me.* From here you’ll be in the capable hands of Tim de Lisle.

* Yes, I will be watching the rest of the cricket.

2.44pm BST

72nd over: India 208-7 (Jadeja 35, Shami 0) Very good. “Will Jadeja be a bit more aggressive?” asks Mike Atherton.

“Depends how much faith he has in Shami,” replies Michael Holding.

2.39pm BST

71st over: India 205-7 (Jadeja 32, Shami 0) Generously, the rest of India’s batting is pants. Shami is a No11. So is Bumrah. So is Siraj. By lottery, one of them has to bat at No9. Shami only has to survive one Anderson ball, and does.

2.37pm BST

Too good, James Anderson. Again that immaculate length, Thakur unsure how to go about defending it. Again the inward angle and slight movement away. Thick edge from the defensive shot on the line of middle, and this time Root at slip makes up for his sins. His first drop hasn’t cost much, his catch has got England right back in the game.

2.32pm BST

70th over: India 205-6 (Jadeja 32, Thakur 0) Broad to Jadeja, with 10 overs to go before the second new ball. You wonder whether England would want it, actually. This one is doing a bit, and sometimes the lacquered ball goes straighter in England for the first 10 or 20 overs. Jadeja is defending, evading, Broad trying the short ball a couple of times. Nothing from the over.

2.30pm BST

69th over: India 205-6 (Jadeja 32, Thakur 0) Anderson does go past Kumble now to 620 Test wickets. Shardul Thakur comes to the middle, the first of the genuine non-batsmen, though he can bat. Defends the last ball of the over correctly. India’s lead is 22. So much rests on what happens now.

2.27pm BST

At last, Anderson gets his man!

He starts the over a little unsteady, Rahul, as he digs out a full straight ball from Anderson to the leg side. Airborne through midwicket and he’s lucky that he gets it square of the field for two. Much more convincing through the off side as he reads the pitch of the ball and cover drives for four. Proper. But that gets his confidence a bit too high, and he goes again at a much better Anderson delivery. That good testing length, short enough to move and full enough to make the movement dangerous. A bit of seam movement after angling in. And Rahul goes hard enough at it to give up the nick behind.

2.23pm BST

68th over: India 199-5 (Rahul 78, Jadeja 32) Jadeja filling his plate off the leg-line buffet. All the way to the boundary this time as Broad bowls straight from around the wicket. The wind has picked up so strongly that it blows Broad off his run-up twice in the over. Then the breeze blows one ball nearly past the keeper, away for a bye as Buttler half saves. Another break as Rahul gets some eye drops, while Jadeja has a drink. He must have been thirsting for that. The lead is up to 18.

2.17pm BST

67th over: India 193-5 (Rahul 78, Jadeja 27) Back after lunch, which means we’re an over or two from the next player-mandated drinks break. Anderson to bowl from the Radcliffe Road end. A single here, a leg bye there, then KL Rahul is dropped at first slip. Joe Root this time, after Sibley dropped him the day before. Wide, Rahul reaches, takes a top edge, and that is a simple chance really. Not coming too quickly, around head height so he has a good line of sight, and Root just isn’t switched on. Goes at it a bit late, parries it away, and Anderson stays level with Anil Kumble on 619 Test wickets.

2.01pm BST

With other news, Phil Sawyer. “Thanks, Geoff. I’ve now got ‘drop a little short, give a little width’ (59th over) stuck in my head as an earworm to this tune. Actually, there are worse states to be in.”

1.58pm BST

Back to our discussion about getting the game moving, Brian Withington.

“Rejecting any unworthy observation about Antipodean indifference to the precious sanctity of the condition of the ball, you make a good (unarguable?) point about what is really most important for cricket. Presumably the holy grail is to develop a pink ball that would be considered acceptable for all conditions, but in the absence of that, swapping over seems entirely preferable to no play. Maybe the batting team could have some choice of how long to carry on with the red when the light is marginal but not dangerously so?”

1.49pm BST

Also broadly related to the Olympicisation of cricket, Mike Gibb links us to this article from El Pais on getting the sport federated in Spain. One quote:

“When we started the league, cricket was only recognized as a hobby in Spain. In 2010, we managed to get it recognized as a sport, and since then we have been in the process of federation,” explains the MCC [no, the Madrid Cricket Club] president. The cricketers have been fulfilling the requirements of the Sports Ministry for more than 10 years, only to have more demands placed on them, complains [Jon] Woodward. First, there had to be 30 registered teams in the country; then 40, in five different regions; then 80 and a children’s game program. Last time authorities also asked for women’s teams. The cricketers managed to organize this and are now waiting for a response.”

1.43pm BST

Back to more important matters, here’s Chris Bourne. “For the Olympics, we should have an entirely new format in which umpires compete to make the fewest mistakes, a bit like showjumping, but without the leaping around. There could also be a batting competition in which batters are marked out of ten for shot difficulty and artistic interpretation.”

I can tell you, Chris, if you’d like a glimpse behind the OBO curtain, that I’ve spent a not insignificant amount of time recently playing a cricket video game in which you are an umpire and you make decisions on lbw appeals. That’s it. There is no other aspect to it. But the deliveries are all different, and it takes a certain skill. Just lodging this in case there is ever any debate about how cool I am.

1.40pm BST

An interrupted session, but KL Rahul didn’t let it break his concentration. Instead he proceeded calmly throughout when he was able to get into the middle, and was very judicious in choosing when to score. Rishabh Pant gave some entertainment and a relatively early departure, but Ravindra Jadeja has been valuable support for Rahul since then. India added 66 for the loss of one wicket, which is probably a reasonable trade.

England will still have the chance to rattle through the lower order if they can get one more wicket, but India have a good chance to forge ahead before then.

1.32pm BST

66th over: India 191-5 (Rahul 77, Jadeja 27) One over after India’s voluntary drinks break, that’s lunch. Three singles from Curran’s over, India lead by 8 runs, and that’s a strong morning’s work from them.

1.31pm BST

65th over: India 188-5 (Rahul 75, Jadeja 26) Jimmy’s back, which means it will start raining any second now. Again it’s the punch through point, should be four but Bairstow chases and dives and saves. Jadeja flicks a couple off his pads. India lead by 5. And they celebrate by having a runner come out with a towel and drinks. FIVE MINUTES before lunch.

Somebody, please, do something about this. There are two umpires who just stand there and let this happen. Frankly, unless someone has a broken piece of kit to swap out, nobody but two players from the batting side should be allowed onto the field during play. There’s a drinks break once a session. They could add more breaks if they really needed them. But random interventions for new gloves or more drinks whenever someone feels like it is absolute nonsense.

1.21pm BST

64th over: India 183-5 (Rahul 72, Jadeja 24) Rahul draws India level with England on 183, clipping Curran square. Now it’s all about how far ahead this pair can build. Even a lead of 50 could be significant.

1.19pm BST

63rd over: India 182-5 (Rahul 71, Jadeja 24) Jadeja makes things look easy. A simple little check-drive from Broad, rolling straight of Anderson, and so well timed that it beats him for four. Just looked like a forward defensive, but it reaches long on. India one run behind.

1.13pm BST

62nd over: India 178-5 (Rahul 71, Jadeja 20) Rotating pretty comfortably off his pads, is Jadeja, another run from Curran this time. Trickier for the right-hander, who pushes a little at the ball that holds its line, and gets an edge on the bounce into the cordon where Root dives to his right and fields one-handed. Saves four. The English lead is down to five runs.

1.11pm BST

61st over: India 177-5 (Rahul 71, Jadeja 19) KL takes Broad for a single, driven square. First ball of the over, Broad would hate that. It does give him a look at the lefty though, and Broad is immediately around the wicket to Jadeja. Tries to come in at the pads but Jadeja is equal to it, whipping to fine leg for one.

1.04pm BST

60th over: India 175-5 (Rahul 70, Jadeja 18) Sam Curran comes on for Robinson, and the short left-armer is all about pitching it up to find swing. Overpitches twice though, and Jadeja picks off two runs from his pads before driving four down the ground. Already a useful contribution from the all-rounder, closing the gap to 8 runs.

1.02pm BST

59th over: India 169-5 (Rahul 70, Jadeja 12) Robinson is having a long chat with bowling coach Jon Lewis on the boundary line as Broad continues bowling. What Lewis won’t be saying is: drop a little short, give a little width. Broad does, and Rahul punches crisply through cover point for four. Hard into the ground, safe as houses, and timed well enough to make the rope. Broad goes wider and Rahul leaves. The sun has vanished again and a strong breeze is rippling across the ground. Broad tries a bouncer and Rahul sways like a strong sapling.

Last ball of the over, a big appeal. Broad bowls from wide on the crease and Rahul doesn’t even really play, just stands and leaves his bat in its backlift. The English cordon is convinced, convinced that there’s a nick. Rahul shakes his head. Umpire Kettleborough takes his time, thinks about it, and normally when he doesn’t like a shout he looks down at his clicker immediately. Eventually he says it’s not out. Root reviews immediately, thought Buttler was trying to drag him back.

12.54pm BST

58th over: India 165-5 (Rahul 66, Jadeja 12) Robinson around the wicket to the left-hander, and Jadeja picks up another boundary through fine leg with the angle, a bit more controlled than the first. The deficit is cut to 18.

“Greetings from a sunny but only just warm Cape Town,” writes Trevor Tutu. “It is obvious to me that the problem is Anderson – the rain comes on when he bowls. Is there a witchdoctor that he has failed to pay in full from his last visit to South Africa? Their vengeance can be devastating.”

12.52pm BST

57th over: India 161-5 (Rahul 66, Jadeja 8) KL Rahul has been a model of patience. When he’s been beaten, he’s only been defending down the line of the ball. When Broad overpitches he calmly drives two runs past mid off. Not concerned about his scoring rate.

12.44pm BST

56th over: India 158-5 (Rahul 64, Jadeja 7) Robinson testing out Jadeja outside the off stump. A large yellow napkin does an American Beauty dance in the wind, interrupting the bowler, and the camera’s line of sight. Jadeja glances a single, he’s been very measured so far. Rahul is beaten once again, but he abides. England lead by 25.

12.42pm BST

55th over: India 157-5 (Rahul 64, Jadeja 6) Bathed in Met Office proprietary sunshine as one Stuart Broad comes on for the first time today. The ultimate Notts Outlaw, the Celebrappealer, Big Bad & Better Than His Dad, Scourge of Warner, Draco Malfoy on Stilts.

He’s bowling to the right-hander, making Rahul play, and beats him nicely with the sixth ball, having a quiet word afterwards about how close that may have been to edge or glove.

12.36pm BST

54th over: India 157-5 (Rahul 64, Jadeja 6) India really keen on run outs in this match. After Rahane’s kamikaze work yesterday, and Rahul’s dodgy call in the previous over, he makes an even worse one. Drops Robinson to cover and just bolts. Jadeja is the fastest in the team but he knows there isn’t a run there. He hangs back and then realises he has to go, if only to save his partner. Does the team thing, and luckily for him Lawrence fires at the striker’s stumps instead of taking a beat and throwing to the approaching keeper. Would have been a wicket either way. Instead the throw misses, and Jadeja stays. Takes a breath, clips two runs through midwicket, leaves anything wide of him, plays inside the line of a good one.

The deficit is 26.

12.31pm BST

53rd over: India 154-5 (Rahul 63, Jadeja 4) Anderson sizes up his new challenge, after Rahul takes a sprinter’s single to mid on. Another left-hander in Jadeja. Two balls at him. Anderson goes a little wide, a tempter, then swings in a fuller ball at the pads, driven nicely by Jadeja but saved. He’s been a proper batting contributor for the past two or three years, has Jadeja, rather than a bowler who can help out.

12.28pm BST

52nd over: India 153-5 (Rahul 62, Jadeja 4) A touch of luck for Jadeja to get off the mark with a boundary. Not the classic edge through slips, but he gets a shorter ball from Robinson at the body and fends fairly aimlessly, the ball leaping off the shoulder of the bat through fine leg. India trail by 30.

12.24pm BST

51st over: India 149-5 (Rahul 62, Jadeja 0) England’s lead stands at 38 runs as the last of India’s proper batting contributors comes to the crease. Shardul Thakur next is decent, but English conditions may not be his go. Rahul is on strike for this over though, and plays a lovely square drive against Anderson after surviving a very enthusiastic lbw appeal after an in-ducker. It hits him outside the line, and England fortuitously decide not to chance their last referral on this one.

12.17pm BST

50th over: India 133-4 (Rahul 58) This is... a very funny over. It’s raining, a bit. Drizzly. The umpires say they’re going off. Then it stops and they stay on. Then it comes back, and KL Rahul starts walking off. But he’s ordered back by Umpire Gough. Rahul would love to be back in the change room until the conditions are easier for batting. Rishabh Pant doesn’t mind being out there though. After a leg bye that thundered into Rahul’s thigh pad, Pant pokes at a ball and edges Robinson for four. Between gully and slip. Pant has a smile, another four runs to his name. He’s going at better than a run a ball. Because of course he is. And so he hooks his next ball for six! Off the top edge, over the keeper. 25 from 19 balls. Who cannot love this man?

The sun comes out for a second. Pant takes time to let his eyes adjust. Takes guard two feet down the crease. And chips a drive to short cover. Through the shot early, the ball stops in the crease, and it’s a simple catch.

12.11pm BST

49th over: India 133-4 (Rahul 58, Pant 14) We’re back. For a minute. Anderson finishes the over, bowls a short ball that Rishabah has a huge swish at outside off stump, and misses. Appeal for a nick. Umpire says no. England don’t review. Pant follows up with a single into the leg side.

11.54am BST

Next planned resumption of play is at 12:05pm, ten minutes from now.

11.53am BST

Relevant to all of this discussion of lost play, the Guardian’s consumer writer Miles Brignall was at Trent Bridge yesterday and wrote this review.

“Having paid £120 for two very average seats, we had a very frustrating day not helped by the the way the ECB runs Test matches. It was a bright sunny day at 10am, when they should have started the game. What came later was incredibly frustrating. When the game was fantastically poised, just after Anderson had just taken his two wickets, they went off the bad light even though the floodlights were on, and it was perfectly playable. Of course then it started raining and we had 3 balls after that.

11.46am BST

Krishnamoorthy writes in. “When will the anomaly called ‘bad light stops play’ end when every ground is equipped with floodlights?”

Your main problem there is that the red ball is quite dark, so when the sky is overcast and the floodlights are on it’s quite hard to see. It becomes a safety problem because players can be hit. That’s why they put so much research and effort into the pink ball, to develop one that would almost glow under lights.

11.43am BST

“Now that karate without an opponent to fight is apparently an Olympic sport, surely shadow batting must be a shoo-in,” writes Andrew Cosgrove. “Also, with regards to swapping to a pink ball, there’s no such thing as a pink ball of similar wear and tear to a red one. The way they are made is very different, so they wear differently.”

Well, yes, but this is what I mean about cricket’s preciousness. The ball is treated as sacred, its condition inviolable. But getting some from of cricket happening is better, in my opinion, than having perfect cricket that isn’t happening.

11.39am BST

Halloween H20: The rain has come back.

11.37am BST

Bad news from Peter Salmon.

“Lots of fascinating contributions on getting cricket to the Olympics, but I’ve gone to the charter and alas, its not going to happen.

11.35am BST

“It seems to me that The Hundred has been specifically designed for inclusion in the Olympics,” writes Arthur Graves. “They seem to like shortened versions of sports, both in terms of time taken and players involved. So with a small tweak, of just ten players per side, it’s good to go.”

Base ten! Base ten!

11.31am BST

The Met Office forecast up until 2pm is more cheerful than the BBC one. Pretty dry for a couple of hours, rain from 2 until 4, then clearing again. We’ll see.

11.29am BST

The TMS overseas link for today is here, if you’re after it.

11.24am BST

The covers are coming off, and play (meaning another two deliveries) is allegedly set to resume at 11:40am local time. Which is in 15 minutes.

11.23am BST

Controversy on the OBO, with a counter proposal from Brian Withington. Could this lead to the Great Rift of 2021?

“Fine work displacement from TvdG already. But why combine into a decathlon rather than offering individual medals? In case coin tossing proves a bridge too far (important but no advantage to legacy nations), I was mulling over a dressage style event awarded for leaving the away swinging ball; nicking off down leg-side; and padding up outside off to the in-ducker. Marks awarded for elan, technical difficulty and artistic impression.”

11.19am BST

“I like the idea of multiple skills for cricket players,” writes John Starbuck, “but it should be treated like a pentathlon/heptathlon, with all competitors having to tackle all the disciplines, otherwise we get medal inflation like so many Olympic sports. There ought to be a direct competition for run-outs, with opposing double players against the fielder (operating from set distances).”

11.16am BST

Em Jackson on the email has a few suggestions of their own to add to our Olympic event.

“Good Morning Geoff, good morning everyone (the ubiquitous cricketing opening line really). Can I take the first eight events of Tom’s event but change #9 to ‘Invent a Franchise Mission Statement’ with points awarded by an expert judging panel of international poets, authors, marketing analysts - say six judges, one from each continent. Points awarded for originality, deducted for cliche. And #10 - Etch-A-Crest. Where a slide-show of cricket counties / franchises / states are shown to competitors and they’ve got to guess them. In the event of a tie, fastest finger wins. All crests are shown in the style of an Etch-a-Sketch. As to events at Trent Bridge, a day’s worth of Qwik-Cricket at a local comp’s gym for India and England surely? Keep the match going...”

11.12am BST

48.3 overs: India 132-4 (Rahul 58, Pant 13) It was looking like fun, too. Anderson bowling, Pant squeezing out a bottom-handed flick through square leg for two runs. Then next ball, skipping down at Anderson and smashing him wide of mid-off for four.

That’s when the rain came. Two balls from Anderson, six from Robinson, three more from Anderson. So poor old Jimmy still hasn’t got to bowl a full over in a single stint of play.

11.10am BST

That lasted a long time.

11.10am BST

48th over: India 126-4 (Rahul 58, Pant 7) Ollie Robinson will start us off from the other end, and bowls a pretty good over first up. A little rusty on line once or twice, but hangs around outside off for the most part. No score by Rahul.

11.03am BST

47th over: India 126-4 (Rahul 58, Pant 7) Anderson gets to finish his over on his fourth attempt, a day later. And guess what, he’s right on the money first ball of the day. Good length, testing around off stump. KL Rahul manages to press it away for a single towards cover point but it was a good one. Pant defends the sixth and final of what was more an odyssey than an over.

11.01am BST

We’ll get some play!

11.01am BST

Bill Hargreaves writes in. “Michael Vaughan was giving it large on the telly yesterday arguing that there were times when white or pink ball cricket would have carried on under the lights. He was critical of the ECB, I think, saying they needed to do what was necessary so that more play could be enabled. Any thoughts?”

Yep, fair point - the proposal of switching to a pink ball of similar wear and tear when bad light intervenes is one that my colleague Adam Collins has made in recent years. Test cricket is very precious about conditions, but a willingness to compromise could be to its advantage.

10.40am BST

Tom van der Gucht is procrastinating already.

“I was wondering if the best way of getting cricket into the Olympics would be to do away with the team aspect and instead tasks that show off cricketing skills to their highest human degree like in the decathlon.

10.10am BST

For what it’s worth, the BBC weather report for 11am in Nottingham with its cute little pictograms has simultaneous cloud, rain, sunshine, and lightning.

The precipitation chance drops below 50% by 3pm, by which time the ground will probably be deemed too wet to play. Onward, optimists! The glass is indeed half full. Of rainwater.

10.06am BST

Email, birdphone, dealer’s choice. Drop me a line with your thoughts on... let’s be honest, it will mostly be about rain.

10.06am BST

Test cricket. You curious beast. We had a full day’s play on day one, with the extra half hour, and still only managed 81 overs. We had ongoing interruptions yesterday and managed a tick under 34 overs. Now we’ll try to resume on the third day with more rain forecast through the day, but not all at once. Hope springs.

We may be treated to the sight of Jimmy Anderson attempting to finish an over that will have spanned at least two days and four sessions of play, given that yesterday he bowled four deliveries across three segments either side of rain delays.

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Published on August 06, 2021 10:30

England v India: first Test, day three – live!

Over-by-over updates on the third day’s action at Trent BridgeRain gives respite to India as Anderson leads fightbackAnd you can email mail Geoff or tweet @GeoffLemonSport

2.01pm BST

With other news, Phil Sawyer. “Thanks, Geoff. I’ve now got ‘drop a little short, give a little width’ (59th over) stuck in my head as an earworm to this tune. Actually, there are worse states to be in.”

1.58pm BST

Back to our discussion about getting the game moving, Brian Withington.

“Rejecting any unworthy observation about Antipodean indifference to the precious sanctity of the condition of the ball, you make a good (unarguable?) point about what is really most important for cricket. Presumably the holy grail is to develop a pink ball that would be considered acceptable for all conditions, but in the absence of that, swapping over seems entirely preferable to no play. Maybe the batting team could have some choice of how long to carry on with the red when the light is marginal but not dangerously so?”

1.49pm BST

Also broadly related to the Olympicisation of cricket, Mike Gibb links us to this article from El Pais on getting the sport federated in Spain. One quote:

“When we started the league, cricket was only recognized as a hobby in Spain. In 2010, we managed to get it recognized as a sport, and since then we have been in the process of federation,” explains the MCC [no, the Madrid Cricket Club] president. The cricketers have been fulfilling the requirements of the Sports Ministry for more than 10 years, only to have more demands placed on them, complains [Jon] Woodward. First, there had to be 30 registered teams in the country; then 40, in five different regions; then 80 and a children’s game program. Last time authorities also asked for women’s teams. The cricketers managed to organize this and are now waiting for a response.”

1.43pm BST

Back to more important matters, here’s Chris Bourne. “For the Olympics, we should have an entirely new format in which umpires compete to make the fewest mistakes, a bit like showjumping, but without the leaping around. There could also be a batting competition in which batters are marked out of ten for shot difficulty and artistic interpretation.”

I can tell you, Chris, if you’d like a glimpse behind the OBO curtain, that I’ve spent a not insignificant amount of time recently playing a cricket video game in which you are an umpire and you make decisions on lbw appeals. That’s it. There is no other aspect to it. But the deliveries are all different, and it takes a certain skill. Just lodging this in case there is ever any debate about how cool I am.

1.40pm BST

An interrupted session, but KL Rahul didn’t let it break his concentration. Instead he proceeded calmly throughout when he was able to get into the middle, and was very judicious in choosing when to score. Rishabh Pant gave some entertainment and a relatively early departure, but Ravindra Jadeja has been valuable support for Rahul since then. India added 66 for the loss of one wicket, which is probably a reasonable trade.

England will still have the chance to rattle through the lower order if they can get one more wicket, but India have a good chance to forge ahead before then.

1.32pm BST

66th over: India 191-5 (Rahul 77, Jadeja 27) One over after India’s voluntary drinks break, that’s lunch. Three singles from Curran’s over, India lead by 8 runs, and that’s a strong morning’s work from them.

1.31pm BST

65th over: India 188-5 (Rahul 75, Jadeja 26) Jimmy’s back, which means it will start raining any second now. Again it’s the punch through point, should be four but Bairstow chases and dives and saves. Jadeja flicks a couple off his pads. India lead by 5. And they celebrate by having a runner come out with a towel and drinks. FIVE MINUTES before lunch.

Somebody, please, do something about this. There are two umpires who just stand there and let this happen. Frankly, unless someone has a broken piece of kit to swap out, nobody but two players from the batting side should be allowed onto the field during play. There’s a drinks break once a session. They could add more breaks if they really needed them. But random interventions for new gloves or more drinks whenever someone feels like it is absolute nonsense.

1.21pm BST

64th over: India 183-5 (Rahul 72, Jadeja 24) Rahul draws India level with England on 183, clipping Curran square. Now it’s all about how far ahead this pair can build. Even a lead of 50 could be significant.

1.19pm BST

63rd over: India 182-5 (Rahul 71, Jadeja 24) Jadeja makes things look easy. A simple little check-drive from Broad, rolling straight of Anderson, and so well timed that it beats him for four. Just looked like a forward defensive, but it reaches long on. India one run behind.

1.13pm BST

62nd over: India 178-5 (Rahul 71, Jadeja 20) Rotating pretty comfortably off his pads, is Jadeja, another run from Curran this time. Trickier for the right-hander, who pushes a little at the ball that holds its line, and gets an edge on the bounce into the cordon where Root dives to his right and fields one-handed. Saves four. The English lead is down to five runs.

1.11pm BST

61st over: India 177-5 (Rahul 71, Jadeja 19) KL takes Broad for a single, driven square. First ball of the over, Broad would hate that. It does give him a look at the lefty though, and Broad is immediately around the wicket to Jadeja. Tries to come in at the pads but Jadeja is equal to it, whipping to fine leg for one.

1.04pm BST

60th over: India 175-5 (Rahul 70, Jadeja 18) Sam Curran comes on for Robinson, and the short left-armer is all about pitching it up to find swing. Overpitches twice though, and Jadeja picks off two runs from his pads before driving four down the ground. Already a useful contribution from the all-rounder, closing the gap to 8 runs.

1.02pm BST

59th over: India 169-5 (Rahul 70, Jadeja 12) Robinson is having a long chat with bowling coach Jon Lewis on the boundary line as Broad continues bowling. What Lewis won’t be saying is: drop a little short, give a little width. Broad does, and Rahul punches crisply through cover point for four. Hard into the ground, safe as houses, and timed well enough to make the rope. Broad goes wider and Rahul leaves. The sun has vanished again and a strong breeze is rippling across the ground. Broad tries a bouncer and Rahul sways like a strong sapling.

Last ball of the over, a big appeal. Broad bowls from wide on the crease and Rahul doesn’t even really play, just stands and leaves his bat in its backlift. The English cordon is convinced, convinced that there’s a nick. Rahul shakes his head. Umpire Kettleborough takes his time, thinks about it, and normally when he doesn’t like a shout he looks down at his clicker immediately. Eventually he says it’s not out. Root reviews immediately, thought Buttler was trying to drag him back.

12.54pm BST

58th over: India 165-5 (Rahul 66, Jadeja 12) Robinson around the wicket to the left-hander, and Jadeja picks up another boundary through fine leg with the angle, a bit more controlled than the first. The deficit is cut to 18.

“Greetings from a sunny but only just warm Cape Town,” writes Trevor Tutu. “It is obvious to me that the problem is Anderson – the rain comes on when he bowls. Is there a witchdoctor that he has failed to pay in full from his last visit to South Africa? Their vengeance can be devastating.”

12.52pm BST

57th over: India 161-5 (Rahul 66, Jadeja 8) KL Rahul has been a model of patience. When he’s been beaten, he’s only been defending down the line of the ball. When Broad overpitches he calmly drives two runs past mid off. Not concerned about his scoring rate.

12.44pm BST

56th over: India 158-5 (Rahul 64, Jadeja 7) Robinson testing out Jadeja outside the off stump. A large yellow napkin does an American Beauty dance in the wind, interrupting the bowler, and the camera’s line of sight. Jadeja glances a single, he’s been very measured so far. Rahul is beaten once again, but he abides. England lead by 25.

12.42pm BST

55th over: India 157-5 (Rahul 64, Jadeja 6) Bathed in Met Office proprietary sunshine as one Stuart Broad comes on for the first time today. The ultimate Notts Outlaw, the Celebrappealer, Big Bad & Better Than His Dad, Scourge of Warner, Draco Malfoy on Stilts.

He’s bowling to the right-hander, making Rahul play, and beats him nicely with the sixth ball, having a quiet word afterwards about how close that may have been to edge or glove.

12.36pm BST

54th over: India 157-5 (Rahul 64, Jadeja 6) India really keen on run outs in this match. After Rahane’s kamikaze work yesterday, and Rahul’s dodgy call in the previous over, he makes an even worse one. Drops Robinson to cover and just bolts. Jadeja is the fastest in the team but he knows there isn’t a run there. He hangs back and then realises he has to go, if only to save his partner. Does the team thing, and luckily for him Lawrence fires at the striker’s stumps instead of taking a beat and throwing to the approaching keeper. Would have been a wicket either way. Instead the throw misses, and Jadeja stays. Takes a breath, clips two runs through midwicket, leaves anything wide of him, plays inside the line of a good one.

The deficit is 26.

12.31pm BST

53rd over: India 154-5 (Rahul 63, Jadeja 4) Anderson sizes up his new challenge, after Rahul takes a sprinter’s single to mid on. Another left-hander in Jadeja. Two balls at him. Anderson goes a little wide, a tempter, then swings in a fuller ball at the pads, driven nicely by Jadeja but saved. He’s been a proper batting contributor for the past two or three years, has Jadeja, rather than a bowler who can help out.

12.28pm BST

52nd over: India 153-5 (Rahul 62, Jadeja 4) A touch of luck for Jadeja to get off the mark with a boundary. Not the classic edge through slips, but he gets a shorter ball from Robinson at the body and fends fairly aimlessly, the ball leaping off the shoulder of the bat through fine leg. India trail by 30.

12.24pm BST

51st over: India 149-5 (Rahul 62, Jadeja 0) England’s lead stands at 38 runs as the last of India’s proper batting contributors comes to the crease. Shardul Thakur next is decent, but English conditions may not be his go. Rahul is on strike for this over though, and plays a lovely square drive against Anderson after surviving a very enthusiastic lbw appeal after an in-ducker. It hits him outside the line, and England fortuitously decide not to chance their last referral on this one.

12.17pm BST

50th over: India 133-4 (Rahul 58) This is... a very funny over. It’s raining, a bit. Drizzly. The umpires say they’re going off. Then it stops and they stay on. Then it comes back, and KL Rahul starts walking off. But he’s ordered back by Umpire Gough. Rahul would love to be back in the change room until the conditions are easier for batting. Rishabh Pant doesn’t mind being out there though. After a leg bye that thundered into Rahul’s thigh pad, Pant pokes at a ball and edges Robinson for four. Between gully and slip. Pant has a smile, another four runs to his name. He’s going at better than a run a ball. Because of course he is. And so he hooks his next ball for six! Off the top edge, over the keeper. 25 from 19 balls. Who cannot love this man?

The sun comes out for a second. Pant takes time to let his eyes adjust. Takes guard two feet down the crease. And chips a drive to short cover. Through the shot early, the ball stops in the crease, and it’s a simple catch.

12.11pm BST

49th over: India 133-4 (Rahul 58, Pant 14) We’re back. For a minute. Anderson finishes the over, bowls a short ball that Rishabah has a huge swish at outside off stump, and misses. Appeal for a nick. Umpire says no. England don’t review. Pant follows up with a single into the leg side.

11.54am BST

Next planned resumption of play is at 12:05pm, ten minutes from now.

11.53am BST

Relevant to all of this discussion of lost play, the Guardian’s consumer writer Miles Brignall was at Trent Bridge yesterday and wrote this review.

“Having paid £120 for two very average seats, we had a very frustrating day not helped by the the way the ECB runs Test matches. It was a bright sunny day at 10am, when they should have started the game. What came later was incredibly frustrating. When the game was fantastically poised, just after Anderson had just taken his two wickets, they went off the bad light even though the floodlights were on, and it was perfectly playable. Of course then it started raining and we had 3 balls after that.

11.46am BST

Krishnamoorthy writes in. “When will the anomaly called ‘bad light stops play’ end when every ground is equipped with floodlights?”

Your main problem there is that the red ball is quite dark, so when the sky is overcast and the floodlights are on it’s quite hard to see. It becomes a safety problem because players can be hit. That’s why they put so much research and effort into the pink ball, to develop one that would almost glow under lights.

11.43am BST

“Now that karate without an opponent to fight is apparently an Olympic sport, surely shadow batting must be a shoo-in,” writes Andrew Cosgrove. “Also, with regards to swapping to a pink ball, there’s no such thing as a pink ball of similar wear and tear to a red one. The way they are made is very different, so they wear differently.”

Well, yes, but this is what I mean about cricket’s preciousness. The ball is treated as sacred, its condition inviolable. But getting some from of cricket happening is better, in my opinion, than having perfect cricket that isn’t happening.

11.39am BST

Halloween H20: The rain has come back.

11.37am BST

Bad news from Peter Salmon.

“Lots of fascinating contributions on getting cricket to the Olympics, but I’ve gone to the charter and alas, its not going to happen.

11.35am BST

“It seems to me that The Hundred has been specifically designed for inclusion in the Olympics,” writes Arthur Graves. “They seem to like shortened versions of sports, both in terms of time taken and players involved. So with a small tweak, of just ten players per side, it’s good to go.”

Base ten! Base ten!

11.31am BST

The Met Office forecast up until 2pm is more cheerful than the BBC one. Pretty dry for a couple of hours, rain from 2 until 4, then clearing again. We’ll see.

11.29am BST

The TMS overseas link for today is here, if you’re after it.

11.24am BST

The covers are coming off, and play (meaning another two deliveries) is allegedly set to resume at 11:40am local time. Which is in 15 minutes.

11.23am BST

Controversy on the OBO, with a counter proposal from Brian Withington. Could this lead to the Great Rift of 2021?

“Fine work displacement from TvdG already. But why combine into a decathlon rather than offering individual medals? In case coin tossing proves a bridge too far (important but no advantage to legacy nations), I was mulling over a dressage style event awarded for leaving the away swinging ball; nicking off down leg-side; and padding up outside off to the in-ducker. Marks awarded for elan, technical difficulty and artistic impression.”

11.19am BST

“I like the idea of multiple skills for cricket players,” writes John Starbuck, “but it should be treated like a pentathlon/heptathlon, with all competitors having to tackle all the disciplines, otherwise we get medal inflation like so many Olympic sports. There ought to be a direct competition for run-outs, with opposing double players against the fielder (operating from set distances).”

11.16am BST

Em Jackson on the email has a few suggestions of their own to add to our Olympic event.

“Good Morning Geoff, good morning everyone (the ubiquitous cricketing opening line really). Can I take the first eight events of Tom’s event but change #9 to ‘Invent a Franchise Mission Statement’ with points awarded by an expert judging panel of international poets, authors, marketing analysts - say six judges, one from each continent. Points awarded for originality, deducted for cliche. And #10 - Etch-A-Crest. Where a slide-show of cricket counties / franchises / states are shown to competitors and they’ve got to guess them. In the event of a tie, fastest finger wins. All crests are shown in the style of an Etch-a-Sketch. As to events at Trent Bridge, a day’s worth of Qwik-Cricket at a local comp’s gym for India and England surely? Keep the match going...”

11.12am BST

48.3 overs: India 132-4 (Rahul 58, Pant 13) It was looking like fun, too. Anderson bowling, Pant squeezing out a bottom-handed flick through square leg for two runs. Then next ball, skipping down at Anderson and smashing him wide of mid-off for four.

That’s when the rain came. Two balls from Anderson, six from Robinson, three more from Anderson. So poor old Jimmy still hasn’t got to bowl a full over in a single stint of play.

11.10am BST

That lasted a long time.

11.10am BST

48th over: India 126-4 (Rahul 58, Pant 7) Ollie Robinson will start us off from the other end, and bowls a pretty good over first up. A little rusty on line once or twice, but hangs around outside off for the most part. No score by Rahul.

11.03am BST

47th over: India 126-4 (Rahul 58, Pant 7) Anderson gets to finish his over on his fourth attempt, a day later. And guess what, he’s right on the money first ball of the day. Good length, testing around off stump. KL Rahul manages to press it away for a single towards cover point but it was a good one. Pant defends the sixth and final of what was more an odyssey than an over.

11.01am BST

We’ll get some play!

11.01am BST

Bill Hargreaves writes in. “Michael Vaughan was giving it large on the telly yesterday arguing that there were times when white or pink ball cricket would have carried on under the lights. He was critical of the ECB, I think, saying they needed to do what was necessary so that more play could be enabled. Any thoughts?”

Yep, fair point - the proposal of switching to a pink ball of similar wear and tear when bad light intervenes is one that my colleague Adam Collins has made in recent years. Test cricket is very precious about conditions, but a willingness to compromise could be to its advantage.

10.40am BST

Tom van der Gucht is procrastinating already.

“I was wondering if the best way of getting cricket into the Olympics would be to do away with the team aspect and instead tasks that show off cricketing skills to their highest human degree like in the decathlon.

10.10am BST

For what it’s worth, the BBC weather report for 11am in Nottingham with its cute little pictograms has simultaneous cloud, rain, sunshine, and lightning.

The precipitation chance drops below 50% by 3pm, by which time the ground will probably be deemed too wet to play. Onward, optimists! The glass is indeed half full. Of rainwater.

10.06am BST

Email, birdphone, dealer’s choice. Drop me a line with your thoughts on... let’s be honest, it will mostly be about rain.

10.06am BST

Test cricket. You curious beast. We had a full day’s play on day one, with the extra half hour, and still only managed 81 overs. We had ongoing interruptions yesterday and managed a tick under 34 overs. Now we’ll try to resume on the third day with more rain forecast through the day, but not all at once. Hope springs.

We may be treated to the sight of Jimmy Anderson attempting to finish an over that will have spanned at least two days and four sessions of play, given that yesterday he bowled four deliveries across three segments either side of rain delays.

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Published on August 06, 2021 06:12