A fine innings of 69 from Jos Buttler helped England seize the initiative against India on another pulsating day of Test cricket
England’s day? I will call it in their favour, especially for getting themselves going again after losing Root in the middle of it. Shami was superb for the visitors, the Rashid wicket to finish his third after trapping Jennings with the final ball before lunch and uprooting Bairstow’s leg-stump with the first one back. After Root and Stokes got the hosts on track, Buttler played another innings of considerable class to push the lead into a territory that will be very tricky to chase for India, now at 233. With Sam Curran still there on 37, it could be 250 or more by the time they bowl again. I have to nip off to the press conference so we’ll call it a day on the OBO. On behalf of Tim and me, thanks for your company. Have a lovely Saturday night. Bye!
It was worth rushing through that Ashwin because Shami’s done the trick, locating Rashid’s edge with a delivery that squared him up after pitching.
91st over: England 259-7 (Curran 36, Rashid 11) Ashwin does come on for a 60-second maiden at Rashid. The spinner gave him the full bag of tricks but his opposite number wasn’t intersted in any of it, leaning forward in defense throughout. One over left.
Sam Curran now has a higher Test batting average than Joe Root. #ENGvIND
90th over: England 259-7 (Curran 36, Rashid 11) Two overs to stumps, unless they rush Ashwin through to make a third. We’ll see. For now, it is Shami again. Rashid is a fan of the pace on the ball, getting back in his crease to carve through the gap at backward point for his second boundary. He is playing this mini-session beautifully.
89th over: England 253-7 (Curran 35, Rashid 6) Ishant to Rashid again, the new batsman looking at ease before giving the strike back to Curran with a tickle to fine leg. The youngster defends with a straight blade then misses a ball down the legside that also beats the diving Pant, adding a bye to the extras column. England’s lead is 226.
“Every time Kohli seems to run out of ideas, on the field, he disappears into the pavilion and comes back to a change of fortune,” observes Ian Howard. “Is he being coached? The time in the pavilion does not seem to be long enough to relieve himself.”
88th over: England 251-7 (Curran 35, Rashid 5) Curran makes it boundaries in each of the last three overs, boldly cutting over the cordon to complete the first over of Shami’s new spell. The shot gets England to 250, which is some achivement given where they were when Root was run out halfway through the day.
87th over: England 245-7 (Curran 30, Rashid 4) A competent start for Rashid, getting right in behind Ishant’s offerings from the get-go before clipping through the legside to the ropewith immaculate timing. A delightful way to get off the mark.
“Sympathies for Mr Pant,” emails George Humphreys after the Indian wicketkeeper’s chunder a little back. “The last time I played cricket was as a ringer for an after work 6-a-side league (I’m that good). The regular ‘keeper was missing having detached his Achilles’ tendon in the previous game. His brother took his place until he dislocated a finger three overs in and went to hospital. The replacement replacement was then standing up to the stumps (bold in the circumstances, right?) when the batsman was castled and our man got hit in the chin by a flying bail, splitting it open and sending him the way of his predecessors. To be honest, nobody really fancied keeping after that so we packed it in. Thanks for the splendid work.”
86th over: England 241-7 (Curran 30, Rashid 0) Once again, Curran is taking it to the Indian attack when batting with the bowlers. Given the chance to drive Bumrah he does so perfectly, down the ground for four. Next up, he’s in almost the identical posture but on this occasion placing through the covers for four more. Lovely stuff.
“Curran to bat at number 3, I say” writes Andrew Benton in response. “Worth a try? He’s got oodles of common sense with the bat, and plenty of well-managed confidence.”
Ishant replaces Ashwin and gets the breakthrough! It’s the big one too, Buttler caught on the front pad just below the knee-roll. DRS confirmed that it was darting back off the seam onto his woodwork. Fantastic piece of bowling to end a crucial innings and very handy partnership of 55 with Curran. England lead by 206.
85th over: England 233-7 (Curran 22)
84th over: England 228-6 (Buttler 66, Curran 20) Bumran takes the second new ball from the pavilion and sends down a maiden to Buttler, who is understandably watchful given what the Indian attack-leader did with it last week at Trent Bridge.
83rd over: England 228-6 (Buttler 66, Curran 20) New ball! Taken... by Ashwin! Is Ishant broken? Buttler scores off the first ball from it, taking a single to the cover rope. Curran is watchful until he is given the chance to lash an overpitched delivery outside the off-stump through the field and to the boundary. Andrew Samson on TMS notes that in each of the six Test innings that Curran has played so far he has reached 20. Fantastic, isn’t he?
82nd over: England 223-6 (Buttler 65, Curran 16) Is Pandya doing something in this spell that I can’t see? Ishant hasn’t bowled this session, nor Shami. Instead, the all-rounder’s ninth over on the bounce brings runs from four of the six deliveries. They’re all in the smaller denominations but it highlights that this is drifting away from Kohli.
Our old OBO pal Vish is sitting beneath our press box in the sun with a couple of schoolmates on a busman’s. How’s he tracking at the end of a long day, do you think?
Genuinely the most remorseful I’ve ever been that I viewed Jos Buttler in the Test side as anything other than correctness.
And I once high-fived my high school crush on a date and left with finger guns ffs #ENGvIND
81st over: England 218-6 (Buttler 63, Curran 13) And... new ball not taken. Hmmmm. Sunny Gavaskar notes on radio the new rock risks of quicker runs. No doubt. But if they can’t finish England off tonight they’re in strife. Ashwin sends down another maiden to Curran, who looks as set as Buttler. Danger time for India again.
80th over: England 218-6 (Buttler 63, Curran 13) Shotttttt purr the purists as Buttler leans into a delightful off-drive off Pandya. The last ball of his eighth ineffective over keeps low, which will warm the heart of local fans who have now burst into a verse of Delilah with Billy the Trumpeter doing his thing. New ball due.
79th over: England 214-6 (Buttler 59, Curran 13) Ashwin to Curran in what will almost certainly be the final over of his long spell with the new ball due from his end the next time around. That may have informed the batsman’s defensive disposition here, taking no risks and patting away a maiden.
“You can actually pinpoint the second when his heart rips in half...” #EngvIndpic.twitter.com/59BL3vGbU1
78th over: England 214-6 (Buttler 59, Curran 11) Pandya is allowing Buttler to dictate terms now, taking a couple of balls to get set before steering behind point for a two then going even finer to finish with a boundary to third man. A couple of singles in there too makes eight from the over. Sorry to keep banging on about it but Kohli has missed a trick here. The lead, all of a sudden, is 187.
The last time India won a Test away from home with a 4th innings chase was 2010.
The last time they chased a 4th innings target of above 75 outside Asia was 2003.
Highest successful chase in England – 174 (Oval 1971)
77th over: England 206-6 (Buttler 52, Curran 12) Ouch! Some huge spin out of the rough from Ashwin over the wicket to Curran beats his edge and smashes into Pant’s face. He gets some attention from the medical staff which goes on for some minutes. Indeed, out come the ground staff too because he has thrown up on the field, so they need to cover it up in saw dust. I’ve never seen that before? Oh well, he’s all set now and we can play again.
Earlier, a dreadful full toss from the spinner was carted by Buttler through cover to bring up his half-century! 96 balls it took to raise his bat, reinforcing once more that he is a lot more than a white-ball basher. Indeed, his best hands this summer have been where he has needed to play this way. He looked ordinary for his first 30 minutes in the middle but is in control more by the over now.
76th over: England 201-6 (Buttler 47, Curran 12) There is the England 200, via a Sam Curran pull off Hardik early in his fresh over. Buttler drives another to cover to finish. There really is doing for the all-rounder so they have got to get one of their frontliners back on. Drinks in the final session taken with 18 overs remaining in he day.
Some stats here from the superstars at CricViz who give us the gift of numbers around this time every playing afternoon. Follow them here.
Difficult Areas
India’s seamers were bang on in their accuracy to Moeen Ali. Only 13% of deliveries would have hit the stumps, but as shown here, plenty more were right in just above off-stump.
White Ball Specialists Digging In
Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes have faced 539 deliveries batting together this series. The only partnership to have faced more is Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli, who’ve faced 565.
Weakness against straight balls
Eight of Bairstow’s last 18 dismissals against pace have been bowled (44%); average for all players against pace is 21%.
Playing it Late
77% of Joe Root’s runs today came behind square. He’s never made 48+ in a Test innings with a higher percentage through that zone.
Short of his Ground
Joe Root and Cheteshwar Pujara are the only two men to be run out twice in 2018 Tests.
Slow Going
Ben Stokes has really fought for his runs this summer. Across the series, he’s played just 10% attacking shots, well down on his career average of 29%.
Seriously Slow Going
Ben Stokes scoring rate of 2.05rpo in this series is his lowest for any series since India last toured England in 2014.
Tricky Day for Ashwin
Why hasn’t Ashwin been effective so far? He’s found 4° of spin, the most of any Test innings on tour, but he’s been a touch unlucky. The 8% play-and-misses he’s drawn today is the most for any innings this series.
75th over: England 199-6 (Buttler 46, Curran 11) Ashwin racing through, which might have a bit to do with the fact that they need to bowl 20 overs in 80 minutes and can’t be messing around. It’s another over where runs are on offer, two for Curran through midwicket and one to Buttler in the same direction to keep the strike. Between times, out of the rough Curran is leaving a ball that comes off the wicketkeeper Pant’s pad and runs away for a couple of byes. That’ll sting a bit; the crowd love it.
“There has been some live cricket on television, just not England’s men,” emails John Starbuck. “Over the past few years we have seen the IPL on ITV4 and some of the women’s matches. Only this week the BBC Red Button channel screened Ireland v Afghanistan ODIs. It looks as if the Freeview channels are trying to re-learn how to do it but the problem is the amount of cash offered by Sky to the ECB, just like they were dazzled by a caseful of dollars delivered by helicopter. Once bitten, twice shy maybe, but also short-sighted and naive, not realising that glossing it as a chance to improve the game at grass-roots level simply doesn’t play.”
#ENGvIND@collinsadam If India had picked Jadeja, they would have won this Test already, wouldn’t they?
74th over: England 194-6 (Buttler 46, Curran 8) Hardik doing the unfashionable work before the second new ball arrives. I think that is a mistake. The moment Stokes fell, one of the main three seamers should have returned to maximise the pressure. Instead, Buttler is able to defend the slightly less potent option before picking the gap through midwicket for a couple when he misses his mark. Lead: 167.
73rd over: England 192-6 (Buttler 44, Curran 8) Ashwin does go again, continuing his long shift from from the broadcast end and there’s a run from the first ball again via Curran’s blade. Buttler might be satisfied shifting back a notch at this point with another punchy type riding shotgun but there is a reminder that we are getting deeper into this game when Ashwin rips one out of the rough at the right-hander, beating the edge.
72nd over: England 190-6 (Buttler 43, Curran 7) Pandya is full and Curran is willing, square driving like Allan Border through point for his first boundary. He follows it with a single, leaving Buttler to play the rest conservatively. That lead is 163 and will quickly build in excess of 200 if these two can remain together for an hour or so.
71st over: England 185-6 (Buttler 43, Curran 2) Four from the over, Buttler again taking a couple from the first ball of it to get England going in the right direction, both men then taking singles off their pads. I know he just took a wicket but it might be time to give Ashwin a blow to see whether Ishant can find a bit of that sweet reverse swing.
70th over: England 181-6 (Buttler 40, Curran 1) Pandya isn’t going to bother Buttler now, who plays him with easy and takes the single on offer to third man. The all-rounder bangs it in at Curran, who is happy enough defending off the back foot then ducking under a bumper. Good start from him.
“I don’t really know how angry/hungover I am,” emails Nigel Phillips. Strong start, let’s continue. “I was at the cricket yesterday, waiting for my mate outside the ground and all the old fat guys were passing tickets through the fences to their work colleagues/clients. Some drunk people were dressed up as stars and frightening children. I got out of my fancy dress and chatted to my mate all day about sttuff. Between us we have three children (12 to 26), none of whom has shown the slightest interest in cricket, despite their dads playing regularly.”
69th over: England 180-6 (Buttler 39, Curran 1) There is a big roar from the crowd for Sam Curran, the hero of the first innings. He’s busy to begin, charging through for a single when clipping his second ball to midwicket before Buttler takes a full ball down the ground for one. If there were two more wickets on the board you can easily imagine him walloping a delivery like that through our press box window, but not now. Part of his charm this summer is that he has been able to turn his game up or down depending on the circumstances of the innings.
WICKET! Stokes falls for a patient 30 off 110 balls - well caught at slip by Rahane off a flighted Ashwin delivery. England 178-6 lead by 151 runs.
Watch the 4th #ENGvIND Test live on Sky Sports Cricket or follow: https://t.co/lN9uckoJ2Hpic.twitter.com/67X8184Cck
And they get that wicket next ball, Ashwin finding Stokes’ edge, taken at slip! Flighted from over the wicket, the left-hander was late on the full delivery trying to smother the spin but there was just enough movement to sort him out. That’s a big moment.
68th over: England 178-5 (Stokes 30, Buttler 38) Shot. Pandya gives Buttler the chance to drive and he doesn’t need a second invitation, crunching through the covers for four. That gets the crowd going. It takes the England lead beyond 150 too. India are in need of a wicket rather urgently, aren’t they?
67th over: England 174-5 (Stokes 30, Buttler 34) Buttler isn’t concerned about the near-miss, defending well then taking a full toss along the carpet to midwicket for one. A second bad ball in a row, this time to Stokes, does get the treatment: cut through cover with a minimum of fuss to the rope. Both men are now into the 30s and the partnership is now in excess of 50. It took 126 balls but that matters little with so much time left in this match.
“I feel a tad sorry for Bairstow,” writes tom V d Gucht. “He’s spent his entire international career desperately working hard to improve his glovesmanship and batting to the point that he’s at least Buttler’s equal as a keeper and has been a much more succesful test batsman. Yet he always has the looming spectre of Buttler’s “potential” hanging over him, despite Baistow going beyond mere potential with genuine runs, and again looks set to lose what is rightfully his. Keeping wicket seems to give Bairstow a psychological confidence boost, a bit like Dumbo and the magic feather, and by taking that away from him he might lose his ability to fly... It’s not quite compromising a strength to hide a weakness, but we’re certainly compromising a strength for a bit of wishful thinking.”
Has Ashwin found Buttler’s edge? The decision on the field is not out. Now confirmed by the third umpire. NOT OUT! Just as importantly, India are out of reviews.
66th over: England 169-5 (Stokes 26, Buttler 33) Hardik Pandya! Welcome to the bowling crease for the first time this innings. To think he was the destroyer at Nottingham in England’s first dig, it says a bit about the strength of India’s pace attack and he’s just a part-time option. Can he break this stand? Not initially, Buttler picking up a couple through midwicket from his first ball then another past point from the second. Stokes loses concentration briefly, playing and missing, after a long shift in defence-only mode.
65th over: England 166-5 (Stokes 26, Buttler 30) There is a shout for a bat-pad catch first up but it is nowhere near Buttler’s inside edge. Ashwin tries to keep the pressure on by racing through the rest of the over inside a minute but Buttler then Stokes look to have his measure. For now, at least.
64th over: England 165-5 (Stokes 26, Buttler 29) Bumrah begins by beating Buttler’s edge with a lovely delivery but is punished through midwicket for veering too straight from the next - a rare boundary for the hosts. The same man tries to give him the treatment through the same region to finish but there is a fielder in place so he gets only one. The partnership has moved along to a very handy 43 with the lad 138. Such is the low-scoring nature of this match, if they can get that above 220 or so, they might be laughing around this time tomorrow.
63rd over: England 160-5 (Stokes 26, Buttler 24) Ashwin bowling on the line of Stokes’ body, tying to hit his middle stump after pitching outside leg, isn’t causing him any issues. When missing his length with the final delivery, the southpaw has the time to get back and pull a couple to the sweeper in the deep. Good batting.
With a leg-slip in place to Ben Stokes, Ashwin is bowling for a new kind of dismissal - the Indian spinner has never had a left-hander caught at leg-slip in Tests. #ENGvIND
62nd over: England 158-5 (Stokes 24, Buttler 24) Not a lot going on from Bumrah’s end, Buttler taking a quick single then Stokes grabbing one through midwicket to finish. They’re still a long way from the second new ball, making Ashwin’s overs all the more important.
61st over: England 156-5 (Stokes 23, Buttler 23) They continue to stay neck and neck on the scoreboard, Stokes taking one from Ashwin’s first ball to nudge ahead then Buttler drawing even from the next. The left-hander has to use his bat for the rest of the over, smothering the turn rather than taking it on.
“The experiment with using Bairstow as a specialist batsman seems to be going well,” emails Phil Keegan. As one of those who has argued quite a lot for YJB to go into the top four, I don’t want to talk about it. As Simon Hughes noted on twitter, there was more to the dismissal than simply copping a good’un first up from Shami.
Bairstow dismissal. Note back foot outside legstump, off stump visible to bowler, bat path towards extra cover, not covering angle of ball pic.twitter.com/oieW474voA
60th over: England 154-5 (Stokes 22, Buttler 22) Bumrah to continue his spell from the pavilion end. He is spot on to begin - as always seems to be the case with this excellent young quick - finding Stokes’ edge. Just as it was in the previous over, it goes to ground and one run is taken. Buttler has settled after a skittish start before tea, leaving well now. What England would give for one of these two to be there at the close.
59th over: England 153-5 (Stokes 21, Buttler 22) Ashwin finding his range in the first over following the break, not threatening to begin but spinning into the outside edge of Stokes’ blade - albeit straight to ground and behind point for one - by the end.
And with that, nominations for your West Indian names are closed. Not because I don’t love them but because I feel this sponge has been squeezed fairly dry. Are you ready for a two and a half hour session? I am. Ben and Jos are. So is Virat and co. The players are back on the field. Ashwin has the ball in his hand. Stokes is on strike. PLAY!
Your West Indian names. Here we go...
John Woods also goes by Holland Truman.
58th over: England 152-5 (Stokes 20, Buttler 22) Bumrah returns for a one over burst before they devour an egg sandwich and a piece of cake. It is handled well by Jos, timing two to midwicket then leaving/defending the rest. That’s tea. A session where two wickets fell and 60 runs were made, giving the hosts a lead of 125. Neither dismissal reflects well upon those walking off, Bairstow bowled first ball through the gate by Shami then Root ran out for the second time in the series.
57th over: England 150-5 (Stokes 20, Buttler 20) Ashwin’s final over before the shorter interval and it goes close to locating a Buttler edge when trying to cut a ball that wasn’t quite there for it. It is followed by a pad-bad shout but there is no inside edge. A single to pushed midwicket, bringing up the England 150, means Buttler will again be on strike for the final set of the session.
56th over: England 149-5 (Stokes 20, Buttler 19) Shami gets another go at Buttler, who he has been all over in his two overs since returning to the attack from the pavilion end. But Jos is in better shape this time around, leaving then pushing down to mid-on to pass the baton to Stokes. He is solid in defence for the rest, only drawn out of that posture when the bowler takes a ping at his stumps when collecting the ball in his follow through. No issues with that. These two have put on 27.
55th over: England 148-5 (Stokes 20, Buttler 18) Defending, defending, defending, defending. Stokes is showing Ashwin full respect, especially this close to the interval. When the quicker ball comes, Stokes is up to that two with a deft little sweep for two. Oh! Going again with the dart, he nearly gets under the left-hander’s bat.
This was the Root non-dive earlier, in case you missed it.
WICKET! A needless single called by Stokes & Joe Root (48) is run out, a great throw from Shami. That's a big wicket, England are 122-5, a lead of 95.
Watch the 4th #ENGvIND Test live on Sky Sports Cricket or follow: https://t.co/OmdSDTMSDfpic.twitter.com/3DttE0i5w2
54th over: England 146-5 (Stokes 18, Buttler 18) Shami beats Buttler, rinse and repeat. To be fair, this was a good delivery that he couldn’t let go on line and length. He gets off strike from the penultimate ball of the testing over after letting a couple go, Stokes responding with a single of his own down to third man with nice, soft hands. The lead is 119 and we probably have three overs left until the tea break. Maybe four.
“I have no idea what is going on here today,” emails Mark Pentland from Australia. “I’m guessing my name is Burleigh Carter, but it’s a wild one, just like Stokes’s run. I’m following the action from my living room on the Gold Coast (it’s midnight, and my wife has given me a bye seeing as it’s father’s day here) via my mate Rog’s borrowed Foxtel account and your fine OBO, but could you please post the link for TMS overseas as I saw you do yesterday? Oh, and please explain the names, otherwise I might look silly. Yours, Burleigh. AKA Mark.”
53rd over: England 144-5 (Stokes 17, Buttler 17) More runs off Ashwin here, Stokes taking one to mid-off then Buttler past point before the former leans back to pull a couple into the deep. “There is no question he is getting the ball to turn but perhaps a little too much,” observes Sunil Gavaskar on TMS, advocating that the spinner redirects over the wicket to Ben Stokes in future overs.
52nd over: England 140-5 (Stokes 14, Buttler 16) Shami to Buttler, defending then leaving then playing and missing! Again! He’s not been there long but he is willing to unfurl the arms and have a flay at every available opportunity. Later in the over, they exchange singles before the quick does find Buttler’s edge, albeit squirted out behind point to advance the score by a couple. Such a vital passage of play leading into tea.
51st over: England 136-5 (Stokes 13, Buttler 13) I’ve already been flooded with your West Indian fast bowler names but I might park that and return to it at the tea interval in 25 minutes from now as this cricket is quite stimulating. Ashwin again, bouncing away from us at the broadcast end. Stokes is in more control this time around, adding one to square leg. Buttler’s turn and he nearly spoons a catch back to the spinner! He is lucky there after misjudging the length. He then keeps the strike with another behind square.
50th over: England 134-5 (Stokes 12, Buttler 12) Shami is back on for Ishant, his previous spell bringing the wickets of Jennings and Bairstow either side of lunch - literally. He beats Buttler with a beauty, just missing his edge. But the in-form right-hander keeps his cool, clipping the next delivery through midwicket for a classy boundary. Sure enough, the Indian quick responds too, with another ball that hoops away past Buttler’s blade. Fantastic Test cricket. Andrew Samson on TMS tells us that the previous time (before today) England changed their top order batting line-up for reasons other than quick runs was the 2006 Boxing Day Test when Pietersen and Collingwood switched spots in the second innings.
49th over: England 130-5 (Stokes 12, Buttler 8) The new man Buttler takes one from the first ball to get off strike. It’s a probing over from Ashwin, bringing Stokes forward throughout then beating his edge. Hard graft out there at the moment.
Hello. Angmering Reagan with you here from the press box at the Rose Bowl. That was the worst decision Joe Root has made since he (reportedly) let Ben Stokes cut his hair earlier this week. To be fair, I saw his new lid last night and has a certain style to it with the shaved bottom then short top – a bit Keaton Jennings, for better or worse. Anyway, where was his dive when running to the danger end? A spirited lunge might have even been enough. For calling him through in the first place, his former deputy must now take responsibility and bat for at least a couple of hours to give England a chance of setting a decent fourth innings chase for the visitors. I’ll be with you through to the close of play to see if he can. Catch me in the usual places – the email or the tweet.
48th over: England 129-5 (Stokes 12, Buttler 7) Buttler, seldom a solid starter, edges Ishant for four, just short of second slip – not even KL Rahul can grab that one. Then Ishant drifts onto the pads and that’s an easy clip for three, to take the lead into three figures: it’s a precarious 102.
It’s time for Adam Collins to take over, with this game still deliciously hard to call. Thanks very much for your company, your commentary, and your West Indies fast-bowler nomenclature.
47th over: England 122-5 (Stokes 12, Buttler 0) Ashwin beats Stokes with a drifter that is also a ripper and a snorter. That may well have Moeen and Rashid licking their lips, but will there be enough runs for them to play with? It may be up to Buttler and Curran.
To be fair to Stokes, Root did hesitate, and didn’t dive.
46th over: England 122-5 (Stokes 12, Buttler 0) Stokes is felled by Ishant’s late-swinging near-corker, and there’s a loud appeal, but it’s pitching outside leg. Stokes retorts with a chunky straight push for four, the best moment yet in a rather inhibited innings. And then he goes and runs out Root, just when he was half-way back to form. Oh dear.
Gone! Shami again, with a great shot. Root goes off shaking his head in disbelief, mixed with righteous indignation. Has Stokes just lost the match?
Stokes calls Root for a quick single, there’s a direct hit, and it looks out...
45th over: England 118-4 (Root 48, Stokes 8) Stokes just keeps out Ashwin’s quicker ball, shovelling it away for a single as it threatens to trap him in front. Perhaps I should say his even quicker ball, as Ashwin, according to Rob Key on Sky, is bowling the fastest he’s bowled for 39 Tests.
“You do realise,” says Nick Lezard, “that somewhere out there is a bowler who will one day come to torment us called Morecambe Trump?”
44th over: England 117-4 (Root 48, Stokes 7) Another maiden, from Ishant to Root. England have added only 25 off 12 overs since Bairstow’s brainstorm, but they haven’t lost another wicket. And that’s drinks, with India on top, if only by a sliver.
Time for some more of those fearsome fast bowlers. “Afternoon, Tim.” Afternoon, Phil Sawyer. “I’ve always dreamed of being a Wndies quick. But unfortunately I’m St Annes Nixon, a gauche bat who never cemented his place in the Test team, renowned for hitting a pretty 30-odd before nicking off with a loose one. The West Indian James Vince, if you will.”
43rd over: England 117-4 (Root 48, Stokes 7) Ashwin rattles through a maiden to Stokes, as if not remotely thinking about how difficult that might make things for an OBO writer.
A tweet from B Jont. “Have England’s batters become the image of their batting coach - the Test version?”
42nd over: England 117-4 (Root 48, Stokes 7) Stokes is loosening up at last, steering a couple past slip off Ishant, then prodding into the gap at midwicket. Ishant is having to come over the wicket because of his footmark issues, but he still gets enough away-swing to beat Root. This is a fantastic contest.
As Bill Hargreaves confirms. “I think that what makes for such a compelling match, and indeed series, is both the unpredictability of play and the passing bouts of heroism. If Shakespeare could have written cricket, this might have been one of his early dramas.” He would have to have been at his very best.
41st over: England 112-4 (Root 48, Stokes 4) After seven overs, and two for 29, Shami takes a breather. Ashwin is back, beating Root with his drifter, but also going for a few runs – Stokes breaks free at last, with an upright pull for three, and Root motors on with a glide for two.
“Have to say,” murmurs Nathan Atkinson, “quite happy with my Saltburn Clinton moniker. Reckon he’d have a field day racing through this England top order! Kind regards, Nathan/Saltburn.”
40th over: England 108-4 (Root 45, Stokes 1) Ishant Sharma returns from the doghouse, and Root picks up another single with his trusty leg glance. England lead by 81. It doesn’t feel like very many, but the mighty Sam Curran is still to come.
Another email about Windies fast-bowler names. “Stanley Hong Kong Eisenhower,” says the writer. “Stanley is where I was earlier today, and to complete that Eisenhower team. Thomas Hermann, German, not all that much cricket knowledge, even less understanding.” All this, and self-deprecation too.
39th over: England 107-4 (Root 44, Stokes 1) Root nicks a quick single off Bumrah, who then produces a rip-snorter, which Stokes does well to miss by a millimetre.
“Well maybe it’s because I’m Indian and 15 years old,” says Abhijato Sensarma, “but Juhu W. Bush is truly the name of my alter ego who never broke into the West Indian team. He was known to torment many scorers by confusing them about the name of his spelling. He was known to be a wicket-taker too, but local experts claim he was never able to translate the success from the beaches into the real arena!”
38th over: England 106-4 (Root 43, Stokes 1) Shami, who’s found “a hint of reverse swing” according to Ian Ward, beats Root outside the off stump. Root recovers to flick fluently off his hip for a single.
Windies pace latest... Jonathan Keable: “I would be Playa De Puerto De Xàbia Nixon. Which is actually a girl’s name.” Well, girls bowl fast too.
37th over: England 105-4 (Root 42, Stokes 1) Stokes keeps Bumrah at bay, dancing down the track ago one ball, but only to block it. He has one off 18 balls. Ever since that bad night in Bristol, he’s been a lot more sober at the crease.
“Well, playing Bairstow as a specialist batsman has not worked,” reckons Jim Todd. “Nor have many of the other specialist batsmen. England has a surfeit of ‘allrounders’, and perhaps we ought to play them all and drop the ‘specialist batsmen’.” That would be bold.
36th over: England 105-4 (Root 42, Stokes 1) Root glances Shami for a four that will make him feel better – that was authoritative. He follows up with a comfortable cover push for two, just leaning into it. On September 1, he’s playing his best innings since August 1, at the start of the series.
35th over: England 99-4 (Root 36, Stokes 1) An over from Bumrah in which nothing happens except for Stokes sending for a new bat.
Kevin Wilson’s not happy with Bairstow. “YJB is getting back into the looseness he showed in his first phase of Test cricket, playing round straight deliveries that weren’t doing much. He should never have played this Test and it also shows that his supporters who consider him a Test number four are living in dreamland.” Hard to argue with the first half of that conclusion, but the second seems a little premature. Golden ducks don’t tell us much, do they?
34th over: England 99-4 (Root 36, Stokes 1) Yet another appeal, as Shami raps Stokes on the thigh, but it’s too high. Stokes gets off the mark with a rather pokey leg glance.
Shami has to wait for his chance, and it’s Root, not Stokes, who’s facing the hat-trick ball. He steers it nicely for four to third man.
33rd over: England 93-4 (Root 31, Stokes 0) At the other end it’s Bumrah, still giving Root some trouble – the first ball is an lbw appeal, the second a play and miss.
And here’s Gary Naylor. “England picked Jonny Bairstow because they thought he could bat like Haseeb Hameed with a broken finger? Instead, he’s batted like Haseeb Hameed without a broken finger.” Harsh, but funny.
32nd over: England 92-4 (Root 30, Stokes 0) What a great over from Shami, spanning lunch and gobbling up Jennings and Bairstow. Root has to make a hundred now.
“Without wanting to put the mokkers on Cook in his final Test at the Oval,” says Richard Graveling, “perhaps the best option is now to look for a new pair of opening batsmen rather than just keep going with the Cook + 1 situation. There must be a massive amount of pressure on the batsman coming in to open with someone with 11,000 Test runs at the other end and it might be better to have two fresh faces in to build some solidarity and camaraderie - new boys at school together, that kind of thing. For my money it’d be Haseeb (ideally) and Jason Roy (earth and fire) but whatever really. Keep up the good work! Rich – aka Sea Palling Johnson, a name to strike fear into every international tailender.”
First ball! Bairstow pushes loosely at Shami, is bowled off the pad, bags another golden duck, as in the last Test, and Shami is on a hat-trick.
Before the drama resumes, some more fast bowlers. “Following my holibobbles in Portugal,” says Simon Fuller, “my Windie bowler name is Furadouro Johnson. Magnificent.”
“Best from friends,” says James Nottage, “are Frinton Clinton & Leon Seabush.”
An interesting question from Gareth Frith.“As absorbing as this Test series is, do you feel any of the questions posed of the England team have been answered?There’s been a lot of noise about selections and who has or has not been upset by them, but we seem to have come full circle with a couple of players in order to prove a point we already knew. This doesn’t feel like a team either progressing or in transition, but rather one relying on older stalwarts (with the exception of Curran) to try and get them over the line.” Well, you can see the selectors itching to go more youthful, with Bess and Pope as well as Curran, and Jamie Porter just outside the XI. He and Toby Roland-Jones, if fit, could be the next Anderson and Broad.
And another good question, from Christian Cummins. “India seamed out England and England spun out India. The lower orders got all the runs… Jimmy Anderson seemed off-line a bit. Have we fallen through the space-time continuum where all roles are reversed?”
Yes, angling in to hit leg stump on the shin. So Jennings falls on the stroke of lunch, just after guiding a four through the slips. What a shame, but it was coming, and he’d done well to survive for 30 overs.
Root is going well on 30, yet England are wobbly as ever. They lead by 65, so who’s on top? I’d say India, by an inch or two. Which is just what the script-doctor ordered.
Looks out...
31st over: England 87-2 (Jennings 32, Root 29) Root gets right forward to Ashwin and reaps the rewards with a late square-drive for three. He may be playing himself back into form here, just like in the one-dayers.
“Lynton Carter here,” says James Walsh. “Just wanted to send a hearty wooo-yeah in the direction of the England team for the genius plan of Moeen at 3 - hope they stick to it. Short of the selectors caving in to my monomaniacal desire for a Bell recall, putting the other mercurial west Midlands maestro up the order is the best we could hope for and more than we deserve.”
30th over: England 83-2 (Jennings 31, Root 26) Another contender for shot of the day from Root, who straight-drives Shami for four. Shami retorts with a sharp nip-backer and an lbw appeal – rightly turned down, too high. Root hasn’t been watertight but he has been admirably positive, making 26 off 45 balls and adding 50 with Jennings.
29th over: England 77-2 (Jennings 30, Root 21) Ashwin probing away, Pant screeching for lbw against Root but it’s going down. England lead by 50. What a gripper this game is.
28th over: England 75-2 (Jennings 29, Root 21) Shami continues, and Root misses out on a long hop as he cuts to the man at deepish backward point (Kohli copying a field placing of Root’s from yesterday), but then there’s a lovely late cut for four. Root at his best, if only for a moment.
27th over: England 71-2 (Jennings 29, Root 17) Ashwin gets his drifter just right this time and Jennings isn’t good enough to nick it. That’s a maiden.
A tweet from Guy Hornsby. “On a diverted train to Manchester via Sheffield @TimdeLisle,” he says, “but even standing all the way isn’t as mentally or physically draining as following the agony of our top 5. So come on then, we can’t drop both openers, but what do you do? Burns is a decent shout. Surely not more Vince?” Yes to Burns, though there is a long unhappy history of batsmen being given a debut for the last Test of a summer. And maybe yes to Vince – but not in the top three, except on turning tracks.
26th over: England 71-2 (Jennings 29, Root 17) Here’s Mohammad Shami for his first bowl of the day. Jennings tucks him for a single, and then Root plays and misses, hideously by his high standards – his right foot stays on middle and off, while his hands and his bat go for a walk. The mind playing tricks.
And here’s Mac Millings. “My family is insisting on going to the beach this weekend, but I’m not sure that I *want* to change my name to Edisto. Should I refuse to go? Yours, Kiawah Nixon.”
25th over: England 70-2 (Jennings 28, Root 17) Ashwin’s drift takes the ball down the leg side and Root plays a smack-sweep for four. Then there’s an appeal for LBW, as he misses with a forward grope, but it’s hit outside the line of off stump. Tense stuff. These two have doubled the score without looking secure.
24th over: England 66-2 (Jennings 28, Root 13) Another four, leg byes this time, as one of Bumrah’s catapults swerves past the jack-knifing Pant.
“Hi Tim.” Hi, Peter Salmon. “Can’t be Cook gone forever, surely, unless Jennings gets at least a ton, which he can’t. Feel sorry for Alastair – lots of chat about the difficulties of his opening partners, and I even recall an article wondering if the way Cook bats is affecting them.” Ouch. “Not so much on how batting with someone incompetent at the other end affects him. The bowlers must seem much better when it’s always one for 20. Plus the pressure of knowing 40 is not enough from him. I really feel if he had a regular partner going well we’d be watching another four years of him, and wondering how he does it. Yours, Aberystwyth Nixon.”
23rd over: England 61-2 (Jennings 28, Root 12) Jennings, sensing all this scepticism, plays a commanding shot for the first time today – a reverse sweep, of all things, off Ashwin. And then a regular sweep. But just when he seems to have conquered his nerves, he tries another sweep and is lucky to get away with a top edge.
22nd over: England 51-2 (Jennings 18, Root 12) Root celebrates by cover-driving Bumrah for four. Shot of the morning – sorry, Keaton.
“Bonjour M. De L’isle!” Words fail me, Anthony White. “In urgency, tea-watchman, nightwatchman, for example, the batting order is changed for the circumstances. Could this not be applied throughout the innings with batsmen being chosen to suit the state of play and conditions, as with the bowlers? Obviously the padded-in-waiting would look less whimsical on the balconies than if they knew who they would be following. Is this a dumb idea? One is still warming up!”
Too high.
Bumrah. Not given, but Indians convinced...
21st over: England 45-2 (Jennings 18, Root 6) Ashwin, who hasn’t been at his majestic best, gives Root a nice full one, driven for two, and a nice short one, cut for a single. Jennings, stiff-legged as ever, keeps out the other four balls.
More WI fast bowlers... Brian Hartigan: “From the pavilion end - Sant’Agnello Truman.” Definitely a handful.
20th over: England 42-2 (Jennings 18, Root 3) Bumrah was just changing ends, as Kohli removes Ishant from the fray. Jennings shovels a short one for four through the vacant leg slip. That’s the best shot he’s played today, which isn’t saying much alas. But he survives. This just could be the making of him.
19th over: England 38-2 (Jennings 14, Root 3) Back comes Ashwin, replacing Bumrah, which should suit Root. He clonks a full toss away to midwicket for a couple. Tries it again with a half-volley, only to inside-edge into his own foot. And he was in such good form by the end of the one-dayers...
18th over: England 36-2 (Jennings 14, Root 1) Jennings tries a swivel-pull off Ishant, but, wary as ever, only gets a single. Root is off the mark with a push into the covers, more controlled than in the previous over. And Ishant gets a second warning for running on the batsman’s turf – second and final. That’s drinks, with India winning the day so far. England have been so tentative. If the ball had been swinging, they’d be 30-odd for four again.
More West Indian fast bowlers. Andrew Brooks: “I’d be Old Hunstanton Kennedy! (At Old Hunstanton at the moment.)”
17th over: England 34-2 (Jennings 13, Root 0) Bumrah is bowling fast and well. Jennings escapes with a single; Root wafts at one but gets away with it, propping towards point, and then plays at thin air. Kohli twice resets the field while standing in the batting crease – another cheap trick that ought to be beneath him. He can win this fair and square.
Here’s Dave Seare. “For those of us wondering about England’s selections and batting order, the appearance of Moeen at 3 confirms that those in charge don’t know either. Now he’s out, who can come in at 8 to provide some rearguard resistance?” Curran! And Buttler at seven. But I know what you mean.
16th over: England 33-2 (Jennings 12, Root 0) So England are 6-2. You know you’re in trouble when your most durable batsman is Keaton Jennings.
The third umpire runs it a few times and decides that the demon Rahul has done it again. So the Mo experiment hasn’t worked – yet. It still could, if Root gets runs back at No 4. Here he is now, greeted by some sledging from Kohli, who bats at No 4 himself, so that’s hypocritical as well as unsporting.
A low nick to second slip. The soft signal is out, so it probably is.
15th over: England 33-1 (Jennings 12, Ali 9) Bumrah continues, and Moeen begins to settle, getting another four to third man but this time in control of it, opening the face and keeping his hands soft.
“Morning Tim!” Morning, Finbar Onslow. He’s in Piedmont – don’t you love it when our correspondents say where they are, as if writing a letter. “How about a spot of poetry? Into the valley of death rode the ECB’s hundred.” Harsh, but fair.
14th over: England 28-1 (Jennings 12, Ali 4) Ishant is beginning to get some swing, but his line is wide enough for Jennings to let it go.
“Re the Windies fast bowler name,” says Martin Wright. “I’m Burnham Overy Staithe Eisenhower. Honestly. Beat that.”
13th over: England 28-1 (Jennings 12, Ali 4) Moeen plays and misses at his first ball. He tries to leave his second, and it goes for four through the slips, giving England the lead. And he plays and misses at his third. That is a sizzling over from Bumrah. But still, a good move from Root, who had to do something about the top order. Mo is on form, in fact on fire, and he bats three for Worcestershire. And England, on recent form, have nothing to lose.
It’s not Joe Root, it’s Moeen Ali. Up four places to three, like a song in the charts.
Cook’s gone! Conceivably forever. Burma angles it across him, his prod is tentative, and Rahul, at second slip, takes a juggling catch at the third attempt, somewhere near the keeper. England are minus 3-1.
12th over: England 24-0 (Cook 12, Jennings 12) Ishant breaks rule one again, and the Chef helps himself. So it’s 12 overs, 12 apiece for this wobbly pair. “England’s openers enjoying the respite,” Mike Atherton says, “the absence of swing.”
One or two people asking for the overseas TMS link. Try this.
11th over: England 21-0 (Cook 9, Jennings 12) Ashwin gives way to Bumrah, Cook takes a single, and Jennings hits the first four of the day – a cut, but not a very confident one, squirting away to third man. Then Bumrah beats him outside off. That wonderball must be playing on Jennings’ mind, along with everything else.
A game was going round on Twitter yesterday: what’s your West Indian fast bowler name? You find it by taking the last seaside town you visited and adding the American president from when you were born. I’m Scarborough Kennedy, for what it’s worth. Keaton Jennings can just stick with the name his parents gave him.
10th over: England 16-0 (Cook 8, Jennings 8) Jennings keeps Ishant at bay and nudges another single. So does Cook, more confidently. In the crowd, two small blond boys are facing each other, playing (at a guess) Top Trumps. They only look up when someone tells them they’re on the screen.
“Morning, Tim.” Morning, Bill Hargreaves. “What do you think about the predicted importance of pitch / weather for bowling / batting in the latter days, here? At 86 for 6 on the opening day, all looked ominous, but avoiding batting in the last innings might be worth 100 runs?” It might! But I’m no groundsman. And although there is some uneven bounce and occasional extravagant turn, this is only a third-day pitch.
9th over: England 14-0 (Cook 7, Jennings 7) Jennings, looking as jumpy as you would if your Test career was hanging in the balance, finds a gap on the leg side and takes a single off Ashwin.
“Following from yesterday’s ‘poetry’,” says Mark Slater, “I am astonished that nobody has been adapting song lyrics to celebrate members of the Indian team. So, here is mine:
8th over: England 13-0 (Cook 7, Jennings 6) Rule one of Test cricket for the past decade: don’t give Alastair Cook a half-volley on his legs. Ishant breaks the rule and suffers the consequences. No swing yet, which may mean a swift recall for Bumrah.
7th over: England 9-0 (Cook 3, Jennings 6) The scoreboard never lies – actually, that’s nonsense. The scoreboard shows Jennings serenely adding two, and it was a decent shot, a muted cover drive off Ashwin. What the board doesn’t record is that Jennings was nearly out three times. Play and miss, inside edge, LBW appeal – how long will the poor man last?
6th over: England 7-0 (Cook 3, Jennings 4) Bumrah is off and Ishant Sharma on, which is surely the right move – Ishant eats left-handers for breakfast. But Cook keeps him out and that’s a maiden. Umpire already taking an interest in Ishant’s footmarks. Anybody out there?
Ah yes, Mr Starbuck. “We’ve seen Kohli bat very well at four, so why doesn’t our officially best bat do the same? Answer: the team is being run by an Australian, for whom this is axiomatic. We should be learning from best practice elsewhere, not leaning on tradition. Brighter cricket, anyone? In the sense of being smart, that is.”
5th over: England 7-0 (Cook 3, Jennings 4) Ashwin continues, and Cook gets bat on ball: a solid forward push, then a mistimed pull that goes straight to midwicket. He plays and misses at the third ball, but pushes the fifth for a single. Jennings get a big turner but it’s well outside off. Cook looking purposeful, perhaps fortified by hearing Graham Gooch, his old mentor, say that his batting is “flat-lining”.
Amble? Amble? There’s no ambling round here. As September arrives, we don’t have to wait for Sunday night to enjoy a gripping drama. After three and a half episodes, England-India 2018 is shaping up as one of the all-time great series, as tense as Bodyguard and as elegant as Vanity Fair.
This match has been the Platonic ideal of ebb and flow: India right on top at first, Sam Curran dragging England to respectability, Virat Kohli in command at 142-2, India capitulating to Moeen Ali, and then Cheteshwar Pujara showing the rest how to play Test creekit. We’ve had ten wickets each day and the contest is about as even as even can be. England are 21 runs behind but batting third, which is usually easier than going last, and should be all the more so on a drying, pockmarked pitch. But then anything Moeen can do, R Ashwin may well be able to do better.
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