That was a joyful day of Test cricket. Shan Masood made 156, the innings of his life - though that feels like an age ago, such was the drama when England batted. They were reduced to 12 for three by some majestic new-ball bowling from Shaheen Afridi and especially Mohammad Abbas. In the circumstances, Ollie Pope’s counter-attacking 46 not out was staggeringly good and has just about kept England in the match.
28th over: England 92-4 (Pope 46, Buttler 15) Buttler survives a run-out referral in the final over. Pope drove back towards Yasir, who got a slight touch to help the ball onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Buttler – once Mankadded, twice shy – was safely in his crease.
27th over: England 91-4 (Pope 45, Buttler 15) Shaheen’s final over of the day is a good one, well defended by Pope and Buttler. There’s time for one more over of a mesmeric day’s cricket.
“What’s with the pass-agg men crossthru and haal comments?” says Tom Wootton. “It’s a bit weird and if I’ve interpreted correctly not really very welcome. Always enjoy the OBO as a place of general inclusion, tolerance and interest but immediate response to that sort of thing is to wrinkle my nose in perplexity and shut down the browser!”
26th over: England 90-4 (Pope 44, Buttler 15) Pope again pinches a single to mid-off. That takes him to 44 from 58 balls; the rest have 41 from 101 between them. And four of them are out.
Buttler, who has started confidently despite his struggles with the gloves, waves Yasir lazily through extra cover for four more. While these two are together England are still in the game, but they have all sorts of catching up to do.
25th over: England 83-4 (Pope 43, Buttler 9) Shaheen continues to switch over and around the wicket, as if it’s the easiest thing in the world. Buttler is beaten by an inswinger that hits him on the thigh, and it’s a maiden.
24th over: England 83-4 (Pope 43, Buttler 9) Pope steals a quick single to mid-off off Yasir, another demonstration of his non-negotiable positivity. There have been a few great Test innings under 50 – Robin Smith played two in one match in 1995– and this performance Pope is only a rung below that level. He’s played incredibly well at a time when it has all been going off at the other end. As if to prove the point, Buttler is beaten by a nasty delivery from Yasir that drifts in and spits past the edge.
23rd over: England 79-4 (Pope 40, Buttler 8) Shaheen Afridi replaces Nassem Shah, who bowled a challenging spell of 5-2-18-0. A couple of deliveries to Pope lifted comically from a length. Shaheen’s first over back is harmless, which might be a first for this innings, and Buttler drives the last ball sweetly through mid-off for four. For Buttler fans, that was a shot of encouraging serenity.
22nd over: England 72-4 (Pope 40, Buttler 2) We’re having technical problems, perhaps in solidarity with England, so apologies for the delayed updates.
21st over: England 70-4 (Pope 40, Buttler 0) This is a fine contest between Naseem and Pope, one we’ll hopefully see a fair bit over the next decade. Pope pulls emphatically for four, fetching the ball from outside off stump, but edges the next just wide of gully at catchable height. Both
men players smile at the quality of the contest they are presenting to the watching world. Pope will know it was an unusually loose stroke though.
20th over: England 62-4 (Pope 31, Buttler 0) Jos Buttler is the new batsman. I’d have been tempted to send out Chris Woakes as a semi-nightwatchman, but it’s none of my business really.
Root’s torrid innings is over! He tries to cut a ball from Yasir that skids on, shaves the edge and is smartly raken by Rizwan. He trudges off having made 14 from 58 balls, and with England facing yet another first-Test defeat.
19th over: England 58-3 (Root 11, Pope 31) Pope is beaten by Naseem, trying to cut a delivery that bursts from a length outside off stump. Pope has played so well that I’m surprised he didn’t nick it. The next ball hoops back in and elicits a huge LBW appeal when Pope, offering no stroke, is hit in the breadbasket. It was too high.
“Even as an Indian, I share your love for Pakistani cricket,” says Kandukuru Nagarjun. “But can we put this haal business to rest, please? Even Osman now thinks it may be Orientalist and you can sense his embarrassment as he says this: ‘One commenter on the piece said it was, “Orientalism at its best”, and it still stings because, you know what, there is truth to it.’
18th over: England 58-3 (Root 11, Pope 31) A short ball from Yasir is pulled for four by Pope, who then runs down the track to clip a single through midwicket. As well as the obvious Root comparison, there’s something a bit Thorpeish about this counter-attack from Pope. First-gen Thorpe, that is, from 1993-2001.
Root, who is very slowly starting to settle, laps four more round the corner to complete a good over for England.
17th over: England 49-3 (Root 7, Pope 26) Pope drives Naseem Shah crisply through the covers for four. “Looks a class player, this Pope,” says Shane Warne on commentary. I doubt he’s said that about too many young England batsmen, on or off mic.
16th over: England 44-3 (Root 7, Pope 21) The legspinner Yasir Shah replaces Mohammad Abbas (7-0-24-2), and Pope pulls a loose first delivery round the corner for two. Many people have commented on Pope’s stylistic similarity, rightly so, but his busy, counter-attacking approach is also identical to a young, unburdened Root.
Root looks worn down in comparison to Pope and survives a big LBW appeal when he pushes around his front pad. Missing leg. The next ball missed off by a distance, but only because it turned and bounced violently off the straight. That’s exceedingly ominous for England. Root ends an eventful over with a decisive sweep for four, his first boundary from his 47th delivery. Good shot.
15th over: England 37-3 (Root 3, Pope 18) Naseem Shah has already hit 90mph. Pope still has enough time to, erm, time a beautiful straight drive for four. He has played quite brilliantly in this short innings.
14th over: England 32-3 (Root 3, Pope 12) “Ok,” says Tony Mason. “But your statement, ‘My spine is tingling’, I doubt would have been written if Australia had England 16-3 in the opening test match having posted over 300. Please tell me if I’m wrong.”
You’re right – but that’s because of the haal of Pakistan, nothing else. I’m not having that we wouldn’t praise exhilarating cricket by Australia or any of England’s opponents. Pick (almost) any liveblog since the OBO started in 2002 and you’ll see that. Off the top of my head, one example is Adelaide 2006 - probably the most traumatic England defeat of my lifetime, yet I’ve been high on Shane Warne’s heist ever since.
13th over: England 31-3 (Root 3, Pope 12) The teenage sensation Naseem Shah comes into the attack. He already has a Test hat-trick, at the age of 17 for FFS, and I cannot wait to see him bowl. His second ball is an absurd, trampolining legcutter to Pope, who offers no stroke and joins Naseem in smiling at the freakishness of the delivery.
The next ball angles in to thump the pad and prompt a huge LBW appeal. Richard Kettleborough says not out and replays show it was going over the top. Pope gets down the other end thanks to a leg-bye, and then Root is beaten outside off stump. A terrific first over from Naseem, and it’s time for everyone to have a drink.
12th over: England 30-3 (Root 3, Pope 12) Root is starting to look slightly more comfortable. Okay, slightly less uncomfortable, at least in defence. The runscoring can wait for another day. With Root batting out of his crease to negate Abbas’s movement, Rizwan calls for a helmet and stands up the stumps. Root, back in his crease, inside-edges a good nipbacker for a couple to move to 3 from 37 balls. That wasn’t far away from another LBW.
11th over: England 28-3 (Root 1, Pope 12) There are still 25 overs remaining today. Light will probably become an issue but Pakistan have two legspinners they can use. Pope times Shaheen nicely into the stumps at the non-striker’s end and then feathers a cover drive for two. I’ve been so impressed with how he has addressed a situation that would have overwhelmed 99.94 per cent of 22-year-olds.
“Would Rob Smyth be as gracious to Australia as he is to Pakistan?” asks Tony Mason. “No. It was the same with the WI. He will claim it is the cricket he is loving but if it was Australia there would be some other reason for their good play. It seems to me that NZ, WI and Pakistan get a different ride with Guardian compared with India, Australia and SA.”
10th over: England 26-3 (Root 1, Pope 10) Abbas bowls consecutive no-balls, called by the third umpire, and then Pope clips confidently off the pads to move into double figures. He is the only England batsman so far to look comfortable at the crease.
Or the legspinners.
And Naseem Shah hasn’t even bowled yet.
9th over: England 21-3 (Root 1, Pope 7) Shaheen is switching over and round the wicket to toy with Root, who digs out a superb inswinging yorker. Turns out it was a no-ball. Root doesn’t look comfortable, though, and his sole focus is survival. He’s managing it, just about; another torrid over ends with a play and miss at a scrambled-seam legcutter.
8th over: England 20-3 (Root 1, Pope 7) He may lose his off stump any second but this has been an impressive start from Pope, who is trying to put some pressure back on Pakistan. He back cuts Abbas for a couple and then steals a quick single. While it’s not exactly Headingley 81, it takes courage to start with such intent when Pakistan are wreaking havoc.
Related: Exploring the soul of the Pakistan cricket team
7th over: England 16-3 (Root 0, Pope 4) A maiden from Shaheen to Root, who has nought from 20 balls and is solely intent on trying to survive and reduce the pulse rate of this Test match.
Oh yes @Mohmmadabbas111pic.twitter.com/NioNE1spDR
6th over: England 16-3 (Root 0, Pope 4) Pope gets off the mark with a thick edge along the ground for four. He’ll learn as much in the next two hours, if he survives that long, as he has in his two years as a Test player.
My spine is tingling. Stokes walked down the track to Abbas, who was bowling round the wicket. He saw, or at least sensed, Stokes coming and snapped a monstrous delivery past his defensive stroke to hit the top of off stump. There was an almighty collective yelp of triumph when it hit the stumps, and just for a second - a glorious split-second - it felt like there were 30,000 people in the ground.
The human race does not deserve the Pakistan cricket team.
Ben Stokes 0-1 Mohammad Abbas. That is a stunning, emphatic dismissal!
5th over: England 12-2 (Root 0, Stokes 0)
4th over: England 12-2 (Root 0, Stokes 0) That dreadful review shows the extent to which England’s collective noggin has gone. Pakistan can this to anyone, though, and their new-ball bowling has been devastatingly good.
The new batsman is Ben Stokes, who takes guard well outside his crease in an attempt to reduce Abbas’s LBW threat.
That’s plumb. Pakistan are all over England like a cheap cliche, and now Dom Sibley has gone. It was a textbook Abbas dismissal: perfect length and nipping back to trap Sibley plumb in front. He wasted a review, with Root’s blessing, but replays confirmed it was hitting leg stump three quarters of the way up.
3rd over: England 10-1 (Sibley 6, Root 0) The LBW decision that was overturned came from a big inducker, which Root missed by a fair distance as he tried desperately to defend. He was up on his toes, though, and replays showed it was bouncing over.
Shaheen’s follow-up delivery is a stunning yorker that Root just inside-edges onto the pad. He would have been plumb otherwise. This is blistering stuff from Pakistan, and a helluva test of Root’s concentration. By hook or by crook, he needs to get through the first half-hour.
Sheesh. It was just bouncing over the stumps and Root survives.
WICKET! England 10-2 (Root LBW b Shaheen 0)
Joe Root is out for a duck! He has reviewed it and might just get away with this on height.
2nd over: England 10-1 (Sibley 6, Root 0) Mohammad Abbas, the clinical surgeon of this Pakistan attack, shares the new ball. He has an exceptional Test record - 75 wickets at 21 - and has already won Test matches against England and Australia off his own ball. Sibley gets off the mark with a work to leg for two and then thick edges wide of gully for four. Had he missed that, and he almost did, he would have been plumb LBW.
“Your point about England all too often losing the first Test of a series doesn’t just apply to cricket,” says Nick Fisher. “I was re-reading George Orwell’s The Lion and the Unicorn, and he says, ‘Probably the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing-fields of Eton, but the opening battles of all subsequent wars have been lost there.’ Old Etonians haven’t played much of a part in Test cricket for a while (with apologies to Jonners and Blowers), but I wonder if some of the same dark forces are involved?”
1st over: England 4-1 (Sibley 0, Root 0) The new batsman is the England captain Joe Root, who will do very well not to fail here. He must still have a scrambled mind from an irksome day in the field, and he is batting in a position he doesn’t like.
“I believe that the record without a stumping is 27 Tests, by Australia’s Wayne Phillips,” believes Richard O’Hagan. “The difference for Buttler is that England have arguably better spinners than the likes of Bob Holland and Peters Taylor and Sleep (and an occasional bit of Border), so there have probably been more opportunities.”
He’s gone! He pushed defensively outside the line of a good delivery that hit him on the knee roll, and replays showed it was hitting middle stump. Pakistan are doing it again!
0.4 overs: England 4-0 (Burns 4, Sibley 0) Shaheen Afridi, the left-arm seamer who bowled spectacularly during last year’s World Cup, will take the first over. He has a huge shout for LBW against Rory Burns turned down - but Pakistan have gone for the review. If Burns hasn’t hit this, he’s in bother.
And here’s another great stat
“Is it an indictment of England’s spinners or Buttler’s keeping that he has ZERO Test stumpings from 45 Tests (I believe he has kept wicket in 25 of those)?” says Kevin Wilson. “Bairstow at least has 13 from 70 Tests (48 as keeper). I’ll accept that England’s muddled approach to the position hasn’t helped but I’d be interested to know how many he’s muffed.”
As a formula for pulsating Test-match entertainment, Pakistan batting first and scoring between 275-350 is harsd to beat. It’s not necessarily a formula for an England victory, though. The last time they won a Test match when the opposition batted first and scored at least 325 was at Mumbai in 2012. And that needed an innings that was astonishing even by Kevin Pietersen’s standards.
England have drawn a few such Tests in the intervening eight years, including one in New Zealand last winter, but they don’t generally respond well to scoreboad pressure. Twasn’t ever thus. Michael Vaughan’s England won five Tests in seven months in 2004 after fielding first and conceding at least 325.
A strange end to the innings. Naseem Shah gloves a lifter from Broad through to Buttler, and England start to walk off the field. Then Naseem decides to review, so they have to hang around for a bit. Replays show it brushed his thumb on the way through to Buttler.
109th over: Pakistan 326-9 (Afridi 9, Naseem 0) Shaheen Afridi, who has batted pretty well for an apparent rabbit, pings Archer off the pads for consecutive boundaries. The first was an attempted knuckle ball that turned into a low full toss.
108th over: Pakistan 317-9 (Afridi 1, Naseem 0) The 17-year-old Naseem Shah is beaten first ball, curtain-railing optimistically towards the ball like Courtney Walsh.
“Hello Rob,” says Tim Sanders. “In response to Kevin Wilson (101st over), I’d say that Jonny Bairstow in his years of Titanic Test Batting (2015-17ish) might well have fluffed one or two of the chances Joss Buttler has missed. More recently (2018-19) I don’t think he would. However, the problem is that the batting fell away as the ‘keeping got better. To be fair to him, this was at the same time as becoming England’s best-ever ODI opener and World Cup winner, and being moved up the batting order in Tests. Jonny will be playing a couple of Bob Willis Trophy games for Yorkshire, so he’ll finally get a chance to get his first-class cricket batting back in order. Right now I’d pick Ben Foakes.”
A glorious, career-defining innings comes to an end. Shan got in a bit of a tangle with a Broad inducker and was hit on the back leg. Richard Kettleborough took so long to give the LBW that Broad had already turned round to discuss a review, and produced yet another #Broadface when he realised it was out. Replays showed it was hitting the outside of leg stump, and Shan goes for 156 from 319 balls. He’ll not play better in this lifetime.
Pakistan review! Shan Masood has been given out LBW to Broad, and I can’t see this being overturned.
105th over: Pakistan 317-8 (Shan 156, Afridi 1) Jofra starts after tea, with a decent chance of a fourth five-for in only 10 Tests. Imagine how good he’ll be when he’s treated properly. Shan Masood turns down a single early in the over but accepts the offer of a boundary with a swivel-pull round the corner.
He takes a single later in the over and Shaheen survives an LBW appeal. Missing leg, t’were.
#ENGvPAKpic.twitter.com/HyDQxVfgCx
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On the plus side, England have a chance to make history in the next few days. If they can pull off a defeat here they will become the first England side in Test history to lose the opening Test of six consecutive series.
“Any ideas what Root was thinking by bowling himself and Bess after lunch?” says Andrew Hurley. “He has four front-line quicks, he didn’t need to rest them all, and they were just coming from a lunch break. Very hard to understand...”
I can sort of see the thought process – five overs to the second new ball, Woakes and Archer had bowled a fair bit just before lunch, Broad and Anderson were waiting for the second new ball. But it was the wrong match situation and the wrong No7 to do it again, even for five overs. I think it’s another example of Root not having an instinctive feel for captaincy. As my colleague Tim de Lisle put it, it’s a language he doesn’t speak.
“Would you mind telling me if Foakes is in the bubble and therefore available for selection?” asks Dean Kinsella. “Not that England have any problems in the wicket-keeping department!”
He is. I feel really sorry for Buttler, who had a miserable year with the bat but finally looked like he was getting back to his best in the last Test against West Indies. And now his keeping, largely flawless for the past year, has inexplicably gone to seed in the last 24 hours. What Test cricket giveth…
That was a brilliant session for Pakistan: 125 runs for the loss of three wickets in 31 overs. Shan Masood was immense, Shadab Khan drove England up the wall, and at the moment Pakistan are on top. See you in 15 minutes for the evening session, when we should finally get to see Naseem Shah bowl.
106th over: Pakistan 312-8 (Shan 151, Afridi 1) Root has pulled Bess from the attack after that assault from Shan in his last over. Stuart Broad replaces him for the final over before tea, and Shan hares back for a second to bring up a mighty 150. He’s faced 311 balls, hitting 17 fours and two sixes. The gear changes have been fascinating. He faced 251 balls for his hundred and then 60 balls for the next fifty.
He’s down now, having been hit on the elbow by a short ball from Broad that got stuck in the pitch. There’s a break in play while he receives treatment. The break gives Sky the opportunity to replay a dreadful throw from Buttler when Shan came back from that second run. Shaheen Afridi was slow to turn so Buttler had a great chance to run him out at the non-striker’s end. His throw was miles wide of Broad, who added another expression to the #Broadface collection.
105th over: Pakistan 309-8 (Shan 148, Afridi 1) Shaheen Afridi survives a caught behind appeal from Archer, with replays showing he missed it by a distance. There was a noise, presumably bat on pad.
“The only Pakistan player I can think of who might have carried his bat against England was Hanif Mohammad,” says Peter Rowntree. “At a time when Pakistan were a weak side I have it in mind that he made a 64* - but it is a helluva long time ago, and my memory could be playing tricks. Nevertheless, Hanif was a wonderful player, and one of my favourite overseas cricketers when I was a schoolboy.”
104th over: Pakistan 307-8 (Shan 147, Afridi 0) Shan Masood adds another layer to an already extraordinary innings by going into one-day mode the moment he is left with the tail. He slog-sweeps Bess’s first ball of the over for six, taking out a mobile camera in the process, and then drives a huge six down the ground two balls later. Never mind one-day mode, this is T20 mode - he finishes the over by clouting four more to long on. Sixteen from the over. This is the innings of his life.
103rd over: Pakistan 291-8 (Shan 131, Afridi 0) Shaheen Afridi gets solidly in line to block the hat-trick ball.
Pakistan have a long tail, so this is a chance for England and specifically Archer to clean up. The new batsman is Mohammad Abbas, who has a Test average of 7.23.
Correction: the old batsman is Mohammad Abbas, who has a Test average of 6.71, He has gone first ball, caught by Root at first slip. Archer is on a hat-trick.
Yasir Shah has gone, trapped in front by Archer. He pushed defensively around a straight delivery, head falling over to the off side, and was given out by Richard Illingworth. Yasir didn’t review, though it didn’t matter: replays showed it was hitting leg stump.
102nd over: Pakistan 290-6 (Shan 130, Yasir 5) “Rob,” says Brian Withington. “I share your response to Digvijay Yadav that almost everyone seems up for it when playing England. This rather raises the interesting question of which opposition consistently inspires England in similar vein - I’d like to say Australia but over the years the record is a bit variable on the motivation vs intimidation spectrum. Is this another example of ‘reverse privilege’ i.e. the curse of coloniser vs colonist? I’m sure Laurence Fox could offer a useful perspective here.”
I suppose you could make a case for England being extremely good at home to Australia in the last 15 years as a response to what happened between 1989-2005. I can’t think of much else, though.
101st over: Pakistan 289-6 (Shan 129, Yasir 5) Shan Masood pulls Archer for two and then one.He looks as fresh as he did when he started yesterday morning.
“Re: over 98, you think Bairstow would definitely take any catch Buttler couldn’t?” says Kevin Wilson. “I don’t know, they’re much of a muchness behind the stumps.”
100th over: Pakistan 286-6 (Shan 126, Yasir 5) Another maiden, this time from Bess to Yasir. That means Shan Masood has batted for 100 overs. He’s faced 295 balls and counting; before this Test he’s faced 280 in eight Test innings against England.
“I hate to bore you this early on in your innings with a question,” says Ian Copestake, “but is this Test series for a trophy dedicated to someone good? Or are they all the Someone Good and Botham Cup?”
99th over: Pakistan 286-6 (Shan 126, Yasir 5) Jofra Archer returns to the attack in place of Woakes, who has his usual excellent figures of 20-6-43-2, and starts a maiden to the immovable Shan. I’d have to check to be sure, but I think the last Pakistan opener to carry his bat was Imran Farhat against New Zealand at Napier on 11 December 2009. No Pakistan player has done so against England.
98th over: Pakistan 286-6 (Shan 126, Yasir 5) Anderson and Broad are both off the field at the moment, though I don’t think there’s much to worry about except maybe the overactive bladder of the middle-aged man. Bess continues and twice beats Yasir with deliveries that skid on. Excellent bowling. In fact, replays show the second one took the edge and was dropped by Buttler. It was a sharp chance standing up to the stumps but they all count, especially when you’ve got Jonny Bairstow marching purposefully around your subconscious.
97th over: Pakistan 286-6 (Shan 126, Yasir 5) On Sky, Shane Warne has produced a terrific demonstration of why Bess is a) better to left-handers and b) needs to bowl from slightly wider on the crease to the right-handers. In short, he gets a lot more energy in his action when is not tight to the stumps. He went a bit wider for the ball that dismissed Shadab, which backs up Warne’s thesis. Bess seems pretty smart and I do think he’ll continue to improve; I’m just not sure he’s ready yet, certainly not for India and Australia away. But then I don’t know who is.
96th over: Pakistan 281-6 (Shan 126, Yasir 0) The new batsman is Yasir Shah. He has an uber-Agarkar combination of a Test hundred (against Australia, too) and a very modest average (13.59).
So that’s why Dom Bess is bowling. Shadab Khan’s deliberately chaotic innings of 45 from 76 balls has come to an end. He charges Bess, didn’t get to the pitch and belted the ball miles in the air. Root steadied himself at mid-on to take the catch.
95th over: Pakistan 281-5 (Shan 126, Shadab 45) Shadab’s unorthodox aggression has rattled England, who look a bit ragged. It happens a bit too often, certainly for a team that aspires to be the best in the world. If he hasn’t already, Joe Root should take Eoin Morgan out for a virtual dinner and ask him how he maintains equilibrium and control when the ball is disappearing to all parts.
“Afternoon, Rob,” says Digvijay Yadav. “Fair to say there is something about England that gets Pakistan going, particularly in England.”
94th over: Pakistan 277-5 (Shan 123, Shadab 44) Shan hits Bess for consecutive boundaries. The first was a firm sweep round the corner, the second a barnstorming drive on the run that flew past Burns at mid-off. There’s a lot to like about Bess, but he’s not yet ready for big school; I’d expect Jack Leach to return for the next Test, certainly if England lose. I’m not sure he’s the answer either but he’s probably a better option for a team with so many right-handers.
93rd over: Pakistan 268-5 (Shan 114, Shadab 44) Shadab makes room to slap a short ball from Woakes and ends up bottom-edging it short of the keeper. This is one-day cricket in whites. Joe Root has set a field that registers 7.2 on the funkometer, with no slips and men dotted around the ground. England really are all over the place.
92nd over: Pakistan 268-5 (Shan 114, Shadab 44) Bess continues, to what purpose I’m not entirely sure, and Shadab slices a square drive for three. It’s been an admirably pushy innings from Shadab, particularly in his running between the wickets. Shadab in your face.
Thanks Daniel, hello everyone. England are in a fair bit of bother here, but let’s accentuate the positive for once.
SEND THEM HOME. They want to improve as a Test team, and this is a great opportunity to show that collapsing under the mildest scoreboard pressure is so Bayliss era. Only once under Trevor Bayliss did England win a match batting second when the opposition posted a first-innings score of even 200. And that was almost five years ago.
91st over: Pakistan 264-5 (Shan 113, Shadab 42) The partnership is 85 at the start of the over, and it threatens to define the match; these two have batted and are batting brilliantly. In particular, since lunch they’ve picked their shots well and run well – they take three more singles from this Woakes over – and that’s drinks. That’s also the end of my knock; here’s Rob Smyth to coax you through the rest of the day. Send him an email, yeah?
90th over: Pakistan 261-5 (Shan 111, Shadab 40) Root brings Bess back on, and I wonder how Pakistan will respond to that. Will they let him bowl, holding down an end, or will they look to smack him out of the attack, forcing Root to deploy seamers from both ends and allowing them to put overs into legs? For now, it’s the former, two singles added to the total.
“I have noticed lots of bowlers reaching under their shirts in search of sweat with which to polish the ball,” says Olly. “Why don’t the non-bowlers all wear three sweaters to get, as they say in my part of the world, ‘a proper dab on’. If the ECB has an Innovation Officer I think this should be brought to their attention.”
89th over: Pakistan 259-5 (Shan 110, Shadab 39) Woakes returns to the attack with Broad leaving the pitch, and he starts well, forcing Masood to play, before yerman twizzles two around the corner – the only runs from the over. Meanwhile, Warne shows us how well Masood’s done in adjusting his plan since he was last in England, leaving more balls alone and defending with solidity but a certain looseness.
“I suppose that, because it’s so obvious, nobody has mentioned the Saturated Adiabatic Lapse Rate (which as you will know is lower than the Mean or the Dry Adiabatic Lapse Rates due to the effect of latent heat),” says Garry Sharp. “It is a factor in the Pennines though, as of course are anabatic and katabatic wind effects.
88th over: Pakistan 256-5 (Shan 108, Shadab 38) Sentences they never supposed to type: Pakistan’s running between the wickets has been brilliant since lunch; somewhere in Multan, Inzamam shakes his head sadly. “Why must they cheat so? Whatever happened to dignity?” he mutters to himself. Meanwhile, England are ticking, evidenced by another shy and a miss following a quick single – but again, the batsmen were home. The fielders seem a little closer now, though, and after three ones open the over, two dots follow ... but then Anderson offers Masood width and he graciously accepts, paddling four to the point fence. This is terrific Test-match battingTM, and Pakistan have gone at over five an over since lunch.
87th over: Pakistan 249-5 (Shan 103, Shadab 36) You can’t blame Root for sticking with his dons, but I’d be looking for something different now. Both batsmen are set, so perhaps it’s time for some tonsil-ticklers. But look at this! Masood, perhaps relaxing into his base-10 accomplishment, pulls uppishly ... and the ball drops just short of Archer at long leg. They run one, and two more singles plus a two follow. If England don’t act fast, Pakistan are going to be in control of this Test; the next hour is crucial, eh?
A lot of you are emailing in Shadab songs. But come on, it’s clearly this.
86th over: Pakistan 244-5 (Shan 100, Shadab 34) Single to Shadab, then Anderson strays straight, Masood glances him away, AND THERE IS IS! THAT’S HIS CENTURY AND IT’S A REAL GRAFTER’S KNOCK! PROPER TEST-MATCH BATTINGTM! It’s also Masood’s third ton in three Test-match innings, and his team go as wild as you would, Younis especially. Obviously crowds are much missed, but a nice little consolation is hearing the players’ reactions when good stuff happens. I am extremely envious of and extremely moved by the camaraderie.
85th over: Pakistan 241-5 (Shan 98, Shadab 33) Hello! Masood sees Broad coming, reclining to to crack him through point – that’s him into the 90s – then he slices four more just past gully. This has been a fantastic knock, it really has, because it’s been hard out there as those who’ve played the game can tell you. Anyhow, two more follow to make 10 off the over, all of them to Masood, and he’s just two away!
“Do we know what’s on the lunch menu at Old Trafford?” asks Christopher Davis. “Two days running England have released all the pressured built up before lunch.”
84th over: Pakistan 231-5 (Shan 88, Shadab 33) Shadab drops and runs, then changes his mind when someone, I didn’t see who, gathers. Shadab turns, races back ... then adds two when the chuck misses and no one’s backing up. “That’s what happens when you put pressure on the fielders,” muses Wasim as Shadab adds two more before Anderson gives him width and he swats it to the point fence for four. England need something here; Pakistan are lovin it like that.
“And there I was thinking I was the only Frankfurter in the village!” says Ian Copestake. “Hamish Kuzminski may well have had a game of cricket at Ginnheim. An actual concrete wicket exists there in a field, confusing all the locals.”
83rd over: Pakistan 223-5 (Shan 88, Shadab 27) This is excellent from both batsmen, who are using the pace of the ball to find gaps or drop and run. Accordingly, I’m now wondering if we might see Stokes given a chance to see if he can personality a wicket. Anyhow, after two singles, Shadab tips and runs ... and Pope is onto it, shying for the striker’s ... but he misses and Masood made his ground anyway. I’m sure Root will give his guns a couple more each, but he won’t be wanting to let this drift and the partnership is now 49.
82nd over: Pakistan 220-5 (Shan 87, Shadab 23) I’ve been thinking. I know, that sounds like a brag, but consider, please, the hairlines of England’s pacemen, and wonder if there’s a moral rectitude in bowling as well as they do, which is why they’ve been so rewarded. No wonder Ben Stokes appears to have, er, rewarded himself. Back in the middle, Anderson is on the money immediately, ceding just a single, but the batsmen look more confident than at any point in the morning session.
81st over: Pakistan 219-5 (Shan 87, Shadab 22) Broad will begin from the Anderson end, and Shdab splices his second delivery to midwicket and they run one. From around, Broad then strays straight to Masood, who turns him to deep square for four; Athers notes that he’s played him well from that angle. On which point, this is already a brilliant innings.
“When Lancashire play at Southport it rarely rains and is often blazingly hot,” says Mark Francombe. “Wasim used to love playing there. Rumour has it that, back in the 1980s, Lancs proposed to move their home there permanently but the Sandgrounders passed on the offer.”
80th over: Pakistan 214-5 (Shan 83, Shadab 21) Final over with the old orb, and six come from it. England have gifted Pakistan 23 free runs here, but let’s see what happens next.
79th over: Pakistan 208-5 (Shan 82, Shadab 16) Two singles off Bess’ latest over, and I’m wondering who it is he looks like – I think it’s an annoying child in a TV show of some sort, but can’t quite place it. Maybe England think that going slow will mean the batsmen struggle to pick up the new ball.
“I went back exactly five years to re-read the OBO of the 8-15. In those days there was genius-level insight in the preamble: ‘a calamitous and frankly hilarious collapse is possible, and even likely’. Lo and behold, by 11.14am it was ‘OH MY EFFING DAYS! WHAT A START!’ Hardly Neville Cardus or John Arlott, but spine-tingling stuff all the same.”
78th over: Pakistan 206-5 (Shan 81, Shadab 15) Root actually does invite himself back – maybe he said thank you for having me when he left the square – and this is a better over, two singles and a leg-bye from it, but I’m not sure why England have given away momentum here when they’ve got five quicks.
77th over: Pakistan 203-5 (Shan 80, Shadab 14) It’s Bess at the other end, and any joy he enjoys will be double-edged for England – Pakistan have two leggies, and are bowling last. Meantime, this is sloppy form England, Shadab adding four more with another sweep, when Bess strays leg side, and four singles make this an expensive over.
“Feeling a little starved of love over here in the Frankfurt area, says Hamish Kuzminski, “as I haven’t been able to locate today’s TMS Overseas Link-a-doodle (sad face). Might you or another reader be able to shed some light on my predicament?
76th over: Pakistan 195-5 (Shan 78, Shadab 8) On the other hand, Root bowling himself might allow Pakistan off the hook, and Shadab takes his first delivery for three, carving behind square on the off side for three. A single follows, then Shadab smacks a sweep to the fence; I’m not sure Root will be inviting himself back.
“As the greatest Bob nearly said,” emails Richard Hirst, ‘Don’t need a commentator to know which way the ball swings’.
And here’s the answer to the pre-lunch teaser: Joe Root has invited himself to bowl, presumably seeking the bounce and turn that Bess found.
Anyway, the boys are baized, so here we go again.
Chances are, if you’re here, RGD Willis has given you a lot of pleasure. As such, if you’re in the UK and text “Bob” to 70004, you’ll donate a tenner to prostate cancer.
On Sky, they’re remembering Bob Willis. Here’s my tribute to the great man (and the greatest Bob of them all).
Related: The Spin | The freewheelin' Bob Willis: tribute to a cricketing iconoclast
“For some reason today’s earworm is courtesy of TLC,” says Kevin Massey, “and could be applied to several in the England batting line-up.
Don’t go chasing wide-ones
“Thanks,” begins Kelvin Cusack. “I’m now watching Kennet Anderson goal compilations on the YouTube. No doubt this will progress to Martin Dahlin diving header compilations...”
You’re welcome Kelvin. Have an earworm to accompany it. Broleen, Dahleeen, Broleen, Dahleeeeeen...
75th over: Pakistan 187-5 (Shan 77, Shadab 1) Root has a brainwave, bringing on his spinner for what looks like being the final over before lunch. How does he think of these things?! Masood, who’s been batting five and half hours now, cuts a brace – which, for anyone who’s had orthodontics, is something of a reversal – then is beaten by bounce and turn. if we’re seeing that on day 2, who knows what’ll be going on on day 4. Anyway, that’s a session, and what a good one it’s been for England, three wickets taken and only 48 runs scored. See you presently.
“Wasim Akram is the best commentator on fast bowling ever,” reckons Gary Naylor. “He is generous too, bringing out the best in others. That’s particularly laudable, as there’s not much Waz doesn’t know about getting the ball to the other end. I’d love to hear him talking to Jofra.”
74th over: Pakistan 185-5 (Shan 75, Shadab 1) Archer hasn’t been as good this morning as he was yesterday morning, but the thing with him is that it sometimes takes him a bit of time to get going – which is why the Mitchell Johnson-style four-over burst isn’t a viable way of keeping him fit and fresh. Perhaps in a few years, but not yet. Two singles off the over, the first of which gets Shadab away.
73rd over: Pakistan 183-5 (Shan 74, Shadab 0) Masood edges four, and Joe Root has a question to answer. Does he bowl these two through to lunch – probably – but then after that, does he start the session with the main men, then take the new ball and give it them, or does he give it Woakes and Archer, or does he begin the session with Woakes and Archer?
72nd over: Pakistan 179-5 (Shan 70, Shadab 0) This is now a huge innings for Masood – what he’s already done will assure him he can bat in England and against England’s attack, but what he needs to do from here is set the tone of the game. If he can double his score, his team are right in it; if he goes in the next bit, they’ll probably lose it. In the meantime, he adds a three through point, the only runs of the over.
“Loving the OBO - as always, i’ts hugely entertaining,” says Jophn Vegancatering. “I am extremely impressed with Shan Masood - I believe every test team needs a Boycott, Cook, Sibley, Masood or the like. Maybe the art of opening the batting is making a return?”
71st over: Pakistan 176-65 (Shan 67, Shadab 0) The sun is out now and Woakes greets Shabad with a beauty that flies past the outside edge, then another squares him up and rinses past his resigned prod. Woakes spreads hands, Aussie rules umpire, Kennet Andersson-style, to show him by how far he missed it. Just when Pakistan thought things were improving, it turns out they’re not in fact improving. Wicket maiden.
Did Rizwan relax? Woakes goes wider and pins his man who attempts an airy drive without moving his feet; Buttler does the rest.
70th over: Pakistan 172-4 (Shan 67, Rizwan 9) Good from Pakistan, a two to Masood followed by a single and then another to Rizwan. England will be having just a little think.
“As anybody who listened in their Geography O-level will know,” says Mark Framcombe, “this kind of rain (i.e. rain falling as the weather system hits rising ground) is called orographic precipitation.”
69th over: Pakistan 172-4 (Shan 64, Rizwan 8) A rare dolly from Woakes, on Masood’s tootsies, and he doesn’t miss out, clipping for four behind square on the leg side. He needed that. Woakes responds well though, rapping Masood’s pad with his fourth delivery, but the ball was probably going down. This is good from the batsmen, who look to have seen away the worst of it ... perhaps.
68th over: Pakistan 167-4 (Shan 59, Rizwan 8) A run! After five dots, Masood pulls archer for a single.
“I have been pondering this question of batting partnerships,” emails Andrew Cosgrove. “It’s an interesting one. The only one I can really come up with is Greenidge and Haynes. I suppose there is Worrell/Weekes/Walcott, but were they a partnership so much as an association? By which I mean, they were in the team together, but were they famed for batting together? Maybe you could consider Williamson and Taylor, or maybe that’s just because my partner and I have watched quite a bit of the Black Caps over recent years, for various reasons, and particularly in the world cup last year, we seemed be watching W&T together almost all the time. Would Adams and Lara count? I’m drawing a blank with England pairs.”
67th over: Pakistan 166-4 (Shan 58, Rizwan 8) England’s fielders are making sure Rizwan knows he’s stuck out there, and that’s another maiden; out of the 18 overs we’ve seen this morning, Pakistan have failed to score off 10 of them.
66th over: Pakistan 166-4 (Shan 58, Rizwan 8) Masood puls for one, then Rizwan clouts down into the off side and they run three.
“150 with four down in these conditions is hardly being ‘in all sorts’. “A tad excitable today, Dan,” says Carole.
65th over: Pakistan 162-4 (Shan 57, Rizwan 5) These two have done well to stick in there, and Ian Ward says “it will get better”, but actually, why will it? Not long after lunch, the new ball will be due, and there’ll be two freshish bowlers to enjoy it. Maiden.
64th over: Pakistan 162-4 (Shan 57, Rizwan 5) Here’s Jofra! One loosener, and then eek, one bang on the seam that’s still not that sharp, but bounces over Rizwan’s bat. There’s plenty out there for the bowlers, and already I can’t wait to see Pakistan’s. Two off the over, the second of them scrambled as Pope wangs at the stumps. Talking of whom, I was lying in bed last night thinking about watching him bat – insert gag here, extra points for use of “by the barest of margins” – and wondered who else so obviously has it, even when they fail or they’re out of form. There aren’t many.
63rd over: Pakistan 160-4 (Shan 56, Rizwan 4) Root has gone for the dry approach – he’s not crowding the batsmen with catchers, but making it hard for them to get down the other end. I’d expect to see Archer replace Anderson next over too, which will intensify the necessity to get off strike. One off the over.
“Five years ago today, says Tim Joyce. “04W24W0W04100000W40000110W020000401000W000000000101000011W0011200010040040000W1W30000000000000400000000000001004W.”
“As a cricketer living in Aigburth,” tweets Jamie Bowman, “my theory has always been that weather simply gathers speed over the Irish Sea and blows over Liverpool before dumping it in Manchester.”
62nd over: Pakistan 159-4 (Shan 55, Rizwan 4) Anderson gets one more, and following a dot, Shan absolutely clatters him through cover for four. Anderson is coming at him from around, but he needs to be straighter than that to cause problems. I think he might manage it. Drinks.
“This is probably well well known and I’m exposing my cultural ignorance here,” says Oliver Bevan, “but I’m curious as to why some of the Pakistani players are referred to by their first name and others by their surname? ie Shan Masood refereed to as Shan and Mohammad Rizwan referred to as Rizwan.”
61st over: Pakistan 154-4 (Shan 50, Rizwan 4) Here comes Woakes, and immediately Masood chucks arms at his loosener, except it’s not a loosener at all, full of length and swinging away from the bat. But then, after three more dots, two twos to Rizwan, getting him off the mark and the score moving after 41 balls without.
Bloody hell, we love our isobars here. I don’t even know where to begin, so here’s a selection:
60th over: Pakistan 150-4 (Shan 50, Rizwan 0) Six maidens in a row. As I said, I’d definitely have started with these two.
While I remember, during day 2 of the first West Indies Test, we were compiling an OBO playlist, with particular focus on Dom Sibley – or Sibley Dom Dom as I now know him. Please accept my earnest apologies for failing to note this, then.
59th over: Pakistan 150-4 (Shan 50, Rizwan 0) England have been so, so good this morning. Not devastating, but devastatingly competent.
That was a good ball, jagging back at the batsman, but he did just enough to impart an edge.
Rizwan reviews!
58th over: Pakistan 150-4 (Shan 50, Shadab 0) What’s ludicrous about this carry-on is that Woakes and Archer will be on in a bit, and when they need a little sit-down, Broad and Anderson will be back. It’s a bit different from the days of Bicknell, McCague, Ilott, Caddick, Gooch and Thorpe (yes, I was at Headingley in 1993, yes I did miss one of just three wickets to fall on day 1 because I sneaking a 14-year-old’s snout and pint)>
“It’s also the case that we tend to think of bowling pairs as the most successful,” says John Starbuck with regard to an earlier discussion, “whereas it’s rare to do the same these days about batsmen, unless they are a really good opening pair. Cricket has also been defined as the supreme team game (cannot recall the source) because you need a full set of fielders to make it work properly, some of whom may never even touch the ball.”
Related: Kevin Pietersen: 'You had to be careful not to let Warne get to you' – extract
57th over: Pakistan 150-4 (Shan 50, Rizwan 0) “I was always taught at school that with the prevailing winds coming from the west,” says Jerry Knight, |the clouds pick up moisture from the Atlantic and as they are pushed up by the Pennines, they cool causing raindrops to form.”
THESE BOYS! THESE ABSOLUTE BOYS! The dryness works, Shafiq following one that straightens off a length and magnetises his bat into guiding a catch to Stokes at two. Pakistan are in all sorts now.
57th over: Pakistan 150-3 (Shan 50, Shafiq 7) For those interested, John Higgins, the Broad of the baize, has just despatched a 147. Meanwhile, the Broad of the ball has just sent down four more dots...
“Was DK Morrison better than Steve Elworthy?” asks Darrien Bold. “I remember him as a real disappointment, whose spell with the Red Rose saw him dropped on the morning of 1996 B&H Final. Good decision for me Clive, not in the same class as Digger Martin, Chapple or Ian Austin, whose 4-21 off 9.3 overs clinched the trophy.”
56th over: Pakistan 150-3 (Shan 50, Shafiq 7) Anderson flows in again, then relocates sweat from brow to ball, in the course of disbursing another maiden.
“Weird isn’t it,” says @9cricketpod on Twitter. “The Manc weather predominantly comes from Liverpool but Wythenshawe is certainly wetter than Wavertree, West Derby and Wallessey – is it the Pennine proximity that prompts the precipitation on the city of the Bee?”
55th over: Pakistan 150-3 (Shan 50, Shafiq 7) Branderson have been god this morning – funny that. I find it extremely taxing to get my swede around what these absolute freaks of nature have done, are doing and will do – together. Emotionally, it’s very hard to process without the old eyeballs enjoying a sweat. Maiden.
“If Lancashire had played more matches at Liverpool instead of Old Trafford,” reckons Gary Naylor, “that team would have won two or three pennants – as history has shown. Manchester and cricket were not made for each other.”
54th over: Pakistan 150-3 (Shan 50, Shafiq 7) One of the many things I love about Anderson and Broad is how well and how quickly they squanty down the best way to bowl on a particular pitch – something that only a master can manage, because only a master has so many variations at their disposal. As such, Anderson spirits one off the seam and past Shafiq’s outside edge, then he shoves and runs to get down the other end.
“Interesting review there,” says Anthony Hulse, “as they just discussed on the TV it was far from clear whether there was an inside edge or not. It does make me think that there is something missing in the DRS protocol, which is the on-field umpire giving the reason for a decision, particularly with LBW. In this instance, if the on-field decision was “he’s not hit it, but I think it’s too high”, then in the absence of clear evidence for an inside edge the on-field call on that part of the decision should stand, and then ball tracking can potentially overturn the actual reason for the decision. In Rugby the TV official and the on-field official discuss decisions that get referred and then come to a joint decision, and it feels like overall decision-making in cricket would be better if there was a role for the on-field umpire in a review where the TV evidence is not conclusive, rather than just handing it all over to the guy in the truck.”
53rd over: Pakistan 149-3 (Shan 50, Shafiq 6) Athers points out that Anderson is looking for movement off the seam, rather than through the air, evidenced by fingers further apart than usual. Maiden from Broad.
“Good morning, Daniel,” says James Debens. “One of my favourite nicknames in cricket is ‘Fast Eddie’ Hemmings, after the Paul Newman character in The Hustler (OTTOMH, 1961) and The Color (sic) of Money (OTTOMH, 1986). Which other nicknames are in circulation? RA Smith is The Judge; O. Pope is The Attack Hamster, for instance.”
Related: Robin Smith: ‘I drank vodka from the bottle. There were no half measures’
52nd over: Pakistan 149-3 (Shan 50, Shafiq 6) Shafiq gets off the mark with two to fine leg, then glides four through cover point. He’s away.
“Cycling has the same ‘individual within a team’ vibe going,” says Gary Naylor, “and the superhuman stuff. “Neither sport has a great record when it comes to players retiring, that unique dynamic not available elsewhere in life. Some get a little lost when it’s taken away. And worse.”
51st over: Pakistan 143-3 (Shan 50, Shafiq 0) I’ve got a confession to make: I didn’t think that took the edge, I thought the bat brushed the pad, but I bottled it after being convinced by the umpire. However, Mikey thinks that’s what happened, and has he ever been wrong about anything? Well then. Anyhow, Shan turns two through midwicket, then brings up a good, solid fifty with a cut for two more to point; well batted sir.
“Babar is the best batsman I’ve seen from his country; same with Smith and Williamson,” says Digvijay Yadav. “Not sure that’s the case with Kohli and Root. “Also, am I correct in that when Wasim was at Lancs, Patrick Patterson was the second overseas pro one of the years?”
Shan got an edge on that, but still: England are right into this.
51st over: Pakistan 139-3 (Shan 46, Shafiq 0) I have lost count of how many times Jimmy Anderson has made a moron out of me. Not difficult, granted BUT EXCUSE ME WHILE I INTERRUPT MYSELF! Broad raps Masood on the pad and though the umpire says not out, England review! Phew!
AND THERE IT IS! THE FIRST OVER IS CRUCIAL! Anderson has been great from ball one this morning, and he tempts Babar to slash at one full of length, which sends the ball directly to Root at one. It turns out that Jimmy Anderson is quite good at cricket.
50th over: Pakistan 139-2 (Shan 46, Babar 69) Anderson bins his own end for the Brian Statham and is on the money right away, some away movement beating Babar’s outside edge.
But he’s tossed it to Jimmy-James Anderson! Whatever next!
Our players are with us, and Stuart Broad has the globule.
“A friend of mine often says that one of the problems with cricket is the extent to which one person can carry a team,” says Joe Alder. “It means it doesn’t have the cooperative, greater-than-the-sum-of-their-parts achievements you get in, say, football (Leicester) or rugby (Japan). People like Azam, Kohli, Smith make it seem like this really is the case (at least with batting).
I think actually though this is one of the things that make cricket so great. No other sport allows for quite such superhuman acts of technique and will. Maybe it’s the mix of individual and team dynamics?
What is the OBO’s collective wisdom on this matter?”
“Talking of batting freaks,” emails Ben Nichols, “Keith Daniels of Cranham Cricket Club hit a century last week. This is notable because he has now hit a century in seven different decades. Not bad!”
That is fantastic, I love stuff like that.
“Babar Batfreak!” says Matthew Jones. “That made me laugh. Are we allowed nicknames in 2020 though? I hope so.”
I think we can manage.
The 1990 Nat West final was a particular brute – poor old Northants lost the toss, it’s September so Lanky stick them in, and five DeFreitas wickets later, they’re 39-5.
Wasim is on Sky talking about Lanky in the 80s and 90s. What a team they were; in one-day stuff especially, but but for the Manchester rain, they would’ve won the Britannic in 1987, actually the year before Wasim arrived. But the hitting they had lower down the order was spectacular – nearly every bowler could blacksmith it miles, whether Watkinson, Austin, Foley, DeFreitas, Hayhurst, Chapple, Martin, Allott – even Flat Jack. Marvellous.
“There seem to be a few batting freaks around at the moment,” emails Ian Copestake. “(Well, Smith) but unlike the parenthesised one Babar actually appears to be supremely watchable and not a batting car crash drawing spectators to view in fascination and horror at how something so tick-filled can produce runs. Enjoy!”
What I love about Babar – and Smith, and Kohli – is that he seems unaffected by pressure or hype. He knows what’s expected of him because he expects it of himself because how can he not, so just turns up and gets it did.
“Be interesting to see who Root goes with first up,” tweets Manvir Singh. “Woakes looked the most likely vs Babar and is probably England’s best bowler in England when the ball gets old.”
As per the below, I’m almost certain it’ll be the alte kackers, but I’d probably go with Broad and Archer.
I guess another possibility for England is to bowl dry. But my sense is that they’ll go after attacking lines from the off, because if they let these two just bat, things will get very difficult indeed – even before we recall that they’re a batsman light, and respond badly to scoreboard pressure.
I wonder whether England will go at the batsmen this morning. We’ve got to assume that Joe Root will start with Anderson and Broad, but after that, I’d not be surprised to see Archer send down his special brand of teeth-seekers, nor to see Stokes bully his carcass into the same. Whoever wins this session will be set up for the series, which is to say that, in my educated opinion, “the first hour is crucial”.
The feeling of watching someone be good at something is an intense one, and underpins the enduring popularity of elite sport. But the feeling of watching someone be really good at something – someone making that something into an expression of their personality, an extension of their self, an elevation of their soul – underpins the enduring popularity of being alive, its own kind of morality that is somehow both calming and exhilarating, moving and amusing, mortifying and affirming.
To watch Babar Azam bat is to experience all this and more, and how England handle that could well decide this Test match and this series. If they can dismiss him this morning, they will be set; if they cannot, they will find themselves in major trouble.
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