Ali Martin’s report is in, so that’s enough from me. Thanks for reading and messaging in. That was great fun.
Updated
Zak Crawley speaks to Sky about Ben Duckett’s knock: “I don’t think people maybe quite realise how special a knock that was. For a left-hander it was probably harder than the right-hander with that rough and Jadeja.”
On a slight change in approach by England: “The conversations have tweaked a little bit about being a little bit more clinical and winning more games … There’s certain times in the last few years maybe where we’ve thrown away winning positions and that’s what we’re trying to tweak a little bit now and be a fraction more clinical.”
Many thanks to Tommie E for finding the answer to Colum Fordham’s question (see over 81).
Rishabh Pant is the 12th man to hit two hundreds in a Test and be on the losing side. Here’s the full list if you’re interested.
Ben Duckett is named Player of the Match after scores of 62 and 149. His last knock before this Test was a 46-ball 84 in a T20 against West Indies. At the age of 30, you’d say he’s at his peak, thriving across all forms.
This team plays some pretty staggering cricket.
They’ve ended up doing it with sublime ease. I was ready for a last-over nipper. It’s England’s second-highest successful chase in Test cricket, done against a side that racked up 471 in the first innings. India had four centurions, with Pant doing it twice. And somehow they go to Edgbaston 1-0 down.
England win the first Test by five wickets!
Oh, this is a surprise. It’s Jadeja to continue, not Bumrah. Smith sweeps away for four before launching over deep midwicket for six! And then, with the final ball of the over, he swats another to close the match. A ridiculous victory by this ridiculous England team.
Updated
The players take drinks. It’ll surely be Bumrah to bowl when we resume. Even he can’t save India now … right?
Fifty for Joe Root!
81st over: England 355-5 (Root 53, Smith 26) Siraj returns with the second new ball. He’s a fighter but knows he’s well up against it. Root punches immediately for one to bring up 350 for England and Smith rotates the strike, too. Root gets a thick, flying edge to evade the cordon and bring up his half-century.
Colum Fordham writes in:
Impressed by the cool, collected demeanour of Jamie Smith who is providing great support to Joe Root as England appear - repeat appear - to be guiding England home. On the stats front, how many teams have lost a test match with a player making a century in both innings? Pant must consider himself a tad unlucky.
A great question that I’ll look into once this wraps up – regardless of the result. England need 16 to win.
Updated
80th over: England 349-5 (Root 48, Smith 25) Jadeja, probably bowling his final over of the match, limits the damage to a Root single. England need 22 to win.
79th over: England 348-5 (Root 47, Smith 25) Root cuts Thakur for one and Smith will look to give it a wallop, cut down what’s left before the new ball arrives. He jumps to the offside but has to make do with a single after shaping up for something bigger. Root whips away for one and is frustrated with not finding the boundary. A lovely guide to the third-man rope – all touch, little power – gives Smith four.
England need 23 to win.
78th over: England 341-5 (Root 45, Smith 20) Jadeja does his job: bowling a maiden to Smith. England need 30 to win.
77th over: England 341-5 (Root 45, Smith 20) Am I missing something here? India don’t really have the runs to wait for the second new ball and reintroduce Bumrah then. Thakur is persisted with and Smith and Root easily guide the singles. Smith inside-edges for two after coming down the pitch. England need 30 to win.
Updated
76th over: England 333-5 (Root 44, Smith 14) Jadeja tosses one up and Root leans in … an edge beats the two slips and runs away for four. England move to the Gooch score. England need 38 to win.
75th over: England 328-5 (Root 40, Smith 13) It’s Thakur who gets the ball from the other end. It’s all about getting to that second new ball for India now, but they could end up being out of it by then. Root and Smith tick over. England need 43 to win.
74th over: England 324-5 (Root 37, Smith 12) Smith, looking more and more at ease, thumps Jadeja through the covers to bring it under 50. England need 47 to win.
Guy Hornsby sends this in:
Evening Taha, from the M62 to Liverpool with my family to catch Dua Lipa at Anfield (there’s a joke somewhere about the best use of that stadium). Following here and on TMS trying to play it cool but my nerves are pretty chewed up already, ever since Brook went first ball. But I’ll always feel safe with Chris Woakes still to come. Not only is he the lad every mum wants their daughter to bring home (and rightly so, he’s a dream) but he’s the man you want in the hutch in a chase. I believe!
73rd over: England 319-5 (Root 36, Smith 8) Smith gets in on the act, punching Krishna beautifully through cover-point off the back foot for four. He’s got a responsible role to play but he’s thrilling to watch when the levers get pumping. England need 52 to win.
72nd over: England 313-5 (Root 35, Smith 3) Jadeja runs through his six in quick time.
Andy Bradshaw asks: “Should we be worried about how many empty seats we can see?” Administrators should always be asking themselves why there are empty seats at a ground. It’s a Tuesday – maybe the final day should’ve simply been free entry?
England need 58 to win.
71st over: England 312-5 (Root 35, Smith 2) Root drives for four through the covers off Krishna, a release that was needed.
England need 59 to win.
70th over: England 308-5 (Root 31, Smith 2) Jadeja has some serious rhythm as he twirls past Smith’s outside edge.
England need 63 to win. Twenty-six overs remain.
69th over: England 306-5 (Root 30, Smith 1) Smith takes a single to close Krishna’s over and get off the mark. The second new ball, 11 overs away, is likely to still have a say. India will surely have to bring Bumrah back before then, though.
England need 65 to win.
68th over: England 302-5 (Root 27, Smith 0) Jamie Smith joins the circus. England need 69 to win.
WICKET! Stokes c Gill b Jadeja 33 (England 302-5)
The reverse-swat eventually goes wrong for Stokes. He launches again but gets the edge, and the ball bops up for an easy grab at short third, Gill the jubilant taker. The contest remains alive.
Updated
67th over: England 300-4 (Root 26, Stokes 32) Prasidh Krishna replaces Bumrah and Stokes sees a release: he moves down the pitch and slaps the ball through the covers for four. An outside edge follows but it beats the wide gap between Pant and Nair at slip. Four more, every boundary now so precious.
England need 71 to win.
66th over: England 291-4 (Root 26, Stokes 23) Stokes, reverse-sweeping again, gloves Jadeja and the ball lobs up … but somehow lands safe by the close fielders. Root benefits from a misfield by Karun Nair behind point, a bobble confounding him, the ball running away for four. Just as India were beginning to build some real pressure.
England need 80 to win.
65th over: England 286-4 (Root 22, Stokes 22) Bumrah tempts Stokes with a wide delivery and it nearly works: the bat is thrown at it, but there’s no contact. A clipped single keeps Stokes on strike for the next over.
Paul Griffin is questioning reality: “I suppose one way of looking at this is that it is an astonishingly disciplined, gutsy, gnarly performance by England, against unbelievably talented opponents. I am going with an alternative: that this merely confirms we are living in a simulation. This doesn’t happen in real life.”
England need 85 to win.
64th over: England 285-4 (Root 22, Stokes 21) Stokes continues to reverse-sweep away against Jadeja, who speeds though his over.
England need 86 to win.
Updated
63rd over: England 284-4 (Root 22, Stokes 20) Stokes steals a single before Bumrah gets one to stay maybe a touch low to Root – the defence remains intact, though.
England need 87 to win.
62nd over: England 283-4 (Root 22, Stokes 19) Jadeja goes back to around the wicket and Root greets him with a reverse-sweep behind square for four. But then a huge lbw shout from India after the ball goes straight on – it’s a no from the umpire but Gill reviews. That looked plumb in real time. But it’s projected to go over the stumps. India have lost all their reviews.
The next ball is a stunner from Jadeja, biting off the surface to turn past the outside edge. Root sprints for three with the next delivery after a slip by Thakur at mid-on – Jadeja is fuming with the fielder. Even with a misfield, you’d expect just two there.
England need 88 to win.
61st over: England 275-4 (Root 15, Stokes 18) Bumrah, refreshed after the break, takes the ball, two slips waiting for Stokes to err. The left-hander shows off his forward defence as Bumrah goes down in his follow-through. A maiden.
Here’s Andrew Goudie on how good life is Down Under (regarding ticket prices): “I recently bought tickets for the Perth test in November for about £20 per day. Feels like a bargain.”
60th over: England 275-4 (Root 15, Stokes 18) Jadeja settles in as Root and Stokes exchange singles, with the lights on at Headingley. England need 96 to win.
59th over: England 273-4 (Root 14, Stokes 17) Stokes begins with a sweet straight drive but Thakur gets a hand on it. The England captain throws the bat at a wide one and sees a bottom-edge run away to the ropes. The target goes under 100.
Play resumes
The sun is out at Headingley as are the players. Let’s get back to it – India need six wickets, England 102 runs.
Updated
Lovely from Matthew Hill: “Perhaps it’s time for Jos B to write Duckett on his bat.” Context here, if you require it.
It’s looking a bit clearer at Headingley … from my screen. Can’t be long before we’re back at it.
Kirsty Cheetham writes in, following my flippant query over the empty seats at Headingley. Ticket prices in England are ludicrous.
I think a combination of rain and 20 quid a ticket even after tea are the reason. I’ve ummed and ahhed all day about coming.
Paid full price for day one which I don’t think is a fair price really, so for some reason baulk at the twenty quid for today, which is obviously bonkers, this is outstanding.
Anyway, got here, brought with me weather and wickets so sorry everyone .I did watch every ball of Stokes last epic at Headingley, all be it on telly.
Anyhow, on to the crucial last session.
In case you’re wondering … Joe Root averages 42.45 in the fourth innings of Test matches. Stokes averages 37.96 with three hundreds: all against Australia.
Andy Flintoff (not that one) writes in:
It is frustrating that there are unplanned weather breaks today, but I suppose one of the advantages of playing this match this close to the solstice is that sunset not being till beyond 9.30pm tonight means they could play on until all the overs are bowled, unless a result is not possible. And Headingley’s pitch is oriented north-south, so the sun won’t be in the batter’s eyes as it gets lower.
I’ve just bought myself a bag of popcorn to ensure we’re in for some real drama.
Ian Sargeant writes in:
30 second power cut in the office. The whole floor plunged into darkness - except for those few souls watching the cricket on their phones
“Nobody panic” came the cry swiftly followed by “we haven’t lost a wicket.................”
Love it.
Rain means tea
It’s all gloomy again at Headingley and after Stokes takes two off Thakur, the covers are called on. Probably time for tea. Hopefully, we’re back on soon.
Updated
58th over: England 266-4 (Root 13, Stokes 11) A few umbrellas going up at Headingley as Jadeja twirls away, Stokes sticking to his beloved reverse-sweep: it brings him two at the end of the over.
57th over: England 263-4 (Root 12, Stokes 9) Shardul Thakur has found some extra yards. He gets Stokes to edge away for four and four dots follow.
Arul Kanhere still isn’t convinced: “While I agree Shardul has somehow conjured up two wickets and kept the game alive, those were nothing deliveries really. India need a bowler who can hold up one end while batting as it is the tail is non existent.” I would love to see India find some room for Kuldeep Yadav.
56th over: England 259-4 (Stokes 5, Root 12) Jadeja gets the ball to spit out the rough and Stokes has a mare trying to keep it out with a reverse-sweep, the ball popping up for a grab at short leg. It appears it came off his arm. Gill reviews for India, the captain sensing this is his side’s moment – but the ball was nowhere near the bat or gloves. Stokes, even with his history, looks nervous. He misses another reverse sweep, the ball leaping off the surface to evade the stumps.
How are there empty seats at Headingley right now? Quit your jobs, people of Leeds, and get down there.
55th over: England 256-4 (Root 11, Stokes 3) It’s up to the two veterans.
… and Stokes clips it through the on-side for three. Thakur, the man whose position has been questioned for the last five days, has split the game open. Test cricket, baby.
Thakur is on a hat-trick …
WICKET! Brook c Pant b Thakur 0 (England 253-4)
Oh my. Harry Brook comes down the pitch and flicks his first ball down the leg side and into the mitts of the diving Rishabh Pant. Ben Stokes emerges in the fourth innings at Headingley.
Updated
WICKET! Duckett c sub Reddy b Thakur 149 (England 253-3)
Thakur, out of nowhere! Duckett drives but can’t keep it on the carpet, finding the hands of short extra cover. Ben Duckett deserves his standing ovation, but someone else will have to complete the job.
Updated
54th over: England 253-2 (Root 11, Duckett 149) Better from Jadeja, finally finding the rough and leaving Duckett shotless, the deliveries too explosive to reverse. And just as I type, out comes the trademark, with Duckett sweeping a fuller ball fine to the boundary. We still have 42 overs left in the day. England need 118 runs.
53rd over: England 248-2 (Root 11, Duckett 144) Here’s Shardul Thakur, who has had a very difficult Test match. He’s probably playing for his place here. Thakur’s tidy but hovering at 79mph, and Duckett finds a single with ease.
The players are grabbing a drink – looks like we’re having a change of ball, too.
52nd over: England 246-2 (Root 11, Duckett 143) Jadeja replaces Bumrah and Duckett, as you’d expect, gets the reverse out … smashing the final ball of the over all the way for six! Outrageous.
Krishnamoorthy v asks the question: “A tie? Anyone?” Ben Stokes isn’t for draws but I’m not aware of his views on the tie.
51st over: England 238-2 (Root 10, Duckett 136) Krishna overpitches and Duckett, deep in his crease, throws everything at it, the ball sprinting to the extra cover rope. An edgy pull from the left-hander travels fine and for four more. Dean (see over 47) reports that he’s got his remote back …
50th over: England 229-2 (Root 10, Duckett 127) Root watches Bumrah fizz them past his off stump, the batter unwilling to walk into the trap that got him in the first innings.
49th over: England 228-2 (Root 10, Duckett 126) We’re not going off just yet as Krishna continues, Root tucking away for one. Duckett rotates the strike too as a bit of sun pokes out; this day continues to confound. Root is struggling to time his pull shot as he tries to adjust to the surface. England need 143 to win.
48th over: England 224-2 (Root 7, Duckett 125) This feels weird: with Krishna’s tail up, England suddenly look more comfortable against Bumrah. Root finds four behind point while Duckett pulls away for his boundary. Yuck, the rain’s back.
47th over: England 215-2 (Root 2, Duckett 121) Krishna bowls a corker, finding the gap between Root’s pad and bat but not the stumps. Root then misses out on a pull, running through for a leg bye – there’s nearly a runout chance as Duckett desires two, but he’s forced back to the striker’s end. Krishna, oozing confidence, beats Duckett's outside edge to close the over. He’s very much in this Test match now.
Dean writes in, his remote surely chucked out of the window: “I’ve switched from your marvellous OBO to Sky twice in the past 45 mins and seen a wicket both times. The remote had been hidden.”
46th over: England 213-2 (Root 2, Duckett 120) This is the battle. Bumrah returns with India finally tasting joy, and he’s up against Root. England’s No 4 takes a single off the second ball and Duckett guides with a horizontal bat for his own single.
Matt Dony writes in: “I mean, heroically getting ahead of myself, but there’s no reason for concern over a few wickets falling. If England are going to pull this off, it would almost feel wrong for Stokes to not be involved at the business end…”
Updated
45th over: England 211-2 (Root 1, Duckett 119) Duckett doesn’t want to stop – he cuts hard to finish the over with a boundary.
WICKET! Pope b Krishna 8 (England 206-2)
This really is brilliant from England, unwilling to relent after Crawley’s dismissal. Duckett pulls away Krishna for four and nicks a single off the next delivery. Oh, never mind me: Krishna still has a touch of magic and he bowls Pope with a nip-backer, a little bit of bat on it before the rattle.
Updated
44th over: England 201-1 (Pope 8, Duckett 111) Duckett is middling his reverse-sweeps, beginning another Jadeja over with a boundary. Pope closes it with a slashing cut for four more. England move past 200, with 170 left to win.
43rd over: England 192-1 (Pope 4, Dukcett 106) Krishna brings danger and a bit of looseness, too; Ollie Pope is up and away with a clip off the pads for four. The over closes with a wide one outside off and Pope resists – for now.
Andrew Goudie has you sorted: “I’m not sure that anyone’s sent in the TMS link today. I thought about sending it at about 10.31 this morning, but I was sure somebody else would do it.”
WICKET! Crawley c Rahul b Krishna 65 (England 188-1)
Finally. Crawley greets Krishna with a pull for four but departs next ball. The beanpole quick got a bit of swing away from the batter as well as the outside edge, with Rahul gobbling up in the cordon. A monster opening stand comes to a close.
Updated
42nd over: England 184-0 (Crawley 61, Duckett 106) It’s Ravindra Jadeja on from the other end, with Crawley tucking away into the legside for one. Duckett gets the cheeky reverse out, even when Jadeja goes a little short. Jadeja is going over the wicket to the right-hander, trying to get the ball to explode out of the rough. Crawley remains calm, pushing into off for a single. Gautam Gambhir yawns from the changing room. Are you not entertained?
41st over: England 181-0 (Crawley 59, Duckett 105) A reminder: England need 190 more to pull off a stupendous win. Duckett blocks Siraj to close the over.
Play about to resume
The covers are going off! The dream of a thrilling finish remains intact. Forget a restart time, the players are already beginning to make their way out.
Updated
Uuuuurgh. You wait an age for these moments: day five, all four results still on offer, two proper sides going at it. And then it rains. Let us pray it goes away quickly.
Anyroad up, my watch is over, thanks for your company and comments; here’s Taha Hashim to call England home.
“I’m not having ‘Back to the Future’ bruited about as a thing no one hates,” says Bill. “I hate it. It’s weird - it has incest and cultural appropriation (Chuck Berry needed a white teenager from the future to write his best song for him?) – and it doesn’t make sense (why do his siblings disappear gradually from the photo rather than disappear completely?? They either exist in that timeline or they don’t). I have massive problems with it and much to my friends annoyance I share these frequently. I’m getting upset just thinking about it.”
The way I see it, the appropriation is a gag – of course Chuck doesn’t need rock n’ roll invented for him, that’s the joke. As for the adult themes – there’s alcoholism and voyeurism as well as incest – somehow, the whole works, and in any event, adult themes didn’t do Game of Thrones any harm.
It doesn’t look – steel yourself before I drop the dreaded term – “set in” – but we’ve done well to avoid rain until now. It doesn’t look the sort of shower to end play, and with 190 runs required and 10 second-innings wickets intact, England would fancy themselves to chase this in 20 overs if necessary, and what a finish that’d be; there are, in theory, 55 left in the day.
Rain stops play
41st over: England 181-0 (Crawley 59, Duckett 105) Target 371 Two singles, then Duckett takes a colossal yahoo and misses; Siraj takes the opportunity to share with him some sentiments, problem being he’s 104 not out, so. Two singles follow, and, absolute sake, it’s now raining so heavily the players are sent off. Hopefully it’s just a passing shower…
Since his recall in 2022, Duckett has the most runs made by any opener – as you’d expect given how much England play – only Joe only Root has scored more in any position – and, of those who’ve played 10 innings or more, his average is behind only Jaiswal and Nissanka. His strike-rate almost 10 ahead of the next best, Crawley.
Updated
Ben Duckett makes his sixth Test century!
40th over: England 177-0 (Crawley 57, Duckett 103) Target 371 The cosmos appears to be conspiring against India. First, Jadeja finally finds some turn … and the ball leaps away down the leg side, then scuttles to the fence for four. And if that wasn’t enough, Duckett then unveils sweep no 985, a reverse for four that raises a brilliant hundred! It’s been a fantastic knock and, added to the 62 he made first dig, makes him the prime candidate for POTM honours.
39th over: England 168-0 (Crawley 57, Duckett 98) Target 371 Siraj returns for a go at Bumrah’s end, running down the hill. Duckett spanks two to point, then goes for a pull, top-edges, and Jaiswal’s running in, he gets there … then, diving forward, allows the ball to pass between his hands, his third drop of the match, poor lad. If Siraj was ticking before, he’s absolutely and profoundly shaking now, oof madone.
“Alice Cooper?” asks Andy Hockley. “I bet you don’t put this in the OBO.”
38th over: England 165-0 (Crawley 57, Duckett 95) Target 371 There’s something of KL Rahul’s knock yesterday in this of Duckett today, sensible, commanding batting without being overly defensive. And have a look! With Jadeja replacing Siraj, he greets the loosener with seep no 387, a reverse for four, does similar but with greater power shortly afterwards, and though he’s shocked by a ball that leaps into his grille, he’s able to get the next delivery away for a single, in as much control as you can ever be on thispitch.
37th over: England 156-0 (Crawley 57, Duckett 86) Target 371 Having made sure not to give it away this morning, Crawley is growing into the afternoon, and when Bumrah overpitches, he clouts through midwicket and to the fence. Four dots follow, then a two when Crawley turns to deep square, and that might be end of spell. England are easing to this, at least until the inevitable collapse.
“With regards to your trees as inanimate objects musings,” begins Alex Lee, “I’ve just finished The Overstory by Richards Powers - highly recommend - and I think several of the characters would not be pleased with this. Much like test cricket, a matter of seeing on different timescale.”
I’m glad someone’s pulled me up on this. I didn’t have time to find a better word than “inanimate”, nor to talk about the way trees communicate, so thanks, I agree. I love trees.
Ah, and thanks to Bill Hargreaves, who sends in the TMS overseas link.
36th over: England 150-0 (Crawley 51, Duckett 86) Target 371 A single to Duckett, then Crawley clips off the pads to mid-on, they run one, and that’s his fifty, a really well-controlled innings – given the match-state but also given the pressure he’s under to make a score. Duckett then drives to extra, where the ball takes a skip, thereby defeating Krishna’s drive – you can imagine Siraj’s mirth – as the rain intensifies. It looks pretty grimy out there, and you’d imagine India quite fancy getting off – the ball, which they had to work so hard to change, will be getting wet and soft, they could rest their two main bowlers, and halt England’s momentum. Meantime, though, a pair of singles, then Duckett edges to where first slip isn’t, Rahul standing at one-and-a-half as Gill opts to spread his men out … and that’s four. Siraj is ticking something fierce here….
35th over: England 138-0 (Crawley 49, Duckett 77) Target 371 Stride down the ground from Duckett, and a glorious drive which sends Bumrah’s first ball through mid on and to the fence. Gosh, and when Crawley is donated a leg-stump half-volley, he doesn’t miss out, clumping four more to deep square though, in a way, the follow-up is almost as impressive, two deliveries let pass. Bumrah is two overs into his spell, he’s just conceded nine from his over, and this match is slipping away from India.
It’s later in the day than usual but is anyone able to help out with the TMS link?
Updated
34th over: England 129-0 (Crawley 45, Duckett 72) Target 371 England knock Siraj about, again taking care against the frontliners because they know there’s a drop-off after that. Oooh, but there’s one that stays low, and it kisses Pant on the inside knee; he sets off running towards square leg, looking to shake off the soreness. Well old mate, if it’s any consolation, it won’t be as sore as losing a match in which you scored two centuries. But there’s a way to go before that happens, Siraj underlining the point with another unrewarded jaffa, moving away from the powerless Crawley. This is Proper Test-Match Batting from England, who appear to have found a balance. Someone needs to get on the Bazball 2.0 t-shirts.
33rd over: England 127-0 (Crawley 44, Duckett 71) Target 371 Crawley opens the face and eases one away, then Duckett helps himself to two twos, the second pursued and hurled back the still-athletic Jadeja. That’s two Bumrah overs gone…
“Quick poll among some mates about things no one hates,” says Andrew Pechey, “and we came up with:
Weekends
Cold beer on hot days (even the non-drinkers were on board)
Eye of the Tiger
Alice Cooper
Ghostbusters
Trees.”
Trees make sense, but can we allow the inanimate? I feel we need a human quality to it though, on the other hand, no one like a smartarse:
32nd over: England 119-0 (Crawley 43, Duckett 65) Target 371 It’s Siraj from the other end – Gill is, understandably, turning to his best bowlers – and Crawley misses his first ball, an inswinger, looking to drive … then his second, moving away. Siraj has bowled really well today, but so far , fortune is favouring England. Twice in this match, India have had their foot on England’s throat, and twice they failed to apply the necessary stomp; it’s going to hurt them, badly, if they lose this; the way things are going, they could even take a hiding. One off the over, a single to Crawley.
31st over: England 119-0 (Crawley 42, Duckett 65) Target 371 Bumrah has the ball, Duckett to face, and he taps into the off-side then gets down the other end. This new globule is swinging a little, certainly more than its predecessor, and after three dots it dips in, goes again off the pitch, and hammers Crawley on the pad. There’s an appeal as the batters run a leg bye, but Bumrah knows it was going down, and that’s another over of his in the books. England will feel that if they can see off this spell, by the time he returns, they’ll have put a decent dent in this chase.
There’s been drizzle during the break, and perhaps that’ll wake the pitch up for India. Lights are on, clouds are low, and this is their chance to save themselves.
“How about Back to the Future?” offers John Dalby for things no one hates. “Likeable leads, great script and editing, iconic car, utterly rewatchable. In fact, that’s what I’m going to do during the inevitable rain delay.”
The first film is almost perfect; the sequel is the first I saw in the cinema that properly knocked my spots off.
I do, though, remember by mum being extremely unhappy with Christopher Lloyd’s performance on Wogan.
Updated
Lunchtime email: “If this has been covered in the OBO just ignore me,” begins Shaun, “but if not, I make this 1417 runs right now (quick calculation, maths not my thing so could be out there) but anyway, any idea of the record number of runs from two sides’ totals in a Test?”
The most is 1981, achieved when England met South Africa at Durban in 1939, but that was timeless. The most in a five-dayer is 1968, achieved when England met Pakistan at Rawalpindi in 2022. Here’s the list of the top few.
Go well, Syd old mate.
Are England favourites now? You have to think so. Of course, Bumrah has magic balls in him, but the back-up seamers are meh, the pitch isn’t offering loads, the batters are set, and there’s absolutely loads behind them. Sensible behaviour from here, and the hosts should win.
Lunchtime email: “In my secondary school in the late 80s,” writes Tom Paternoster-Howe, “there was a girl called Candice who hated American Pie. This came up because it was played a lot on the radio around the 30th anniversary of Buddy Holly’s death, and I remember being surprised that anyone could hate such a lovely song. Admittedly this was 36 years ago, and she may have changed her mind in the interim, but there certainly used to be someone who hated it.”
Can we find Candice to check in on her? I hope it’s not still raining in her heart.
30th over: England 117-0 (Crawley 42, Duckett 64) Target 371 Now Siraj returns, Duckett flicks a single to square leg, and that is lunch. What a session for England, who need 254 more to win.
“It’s not quite something that everyone likes,” says Josh Robinson, but when Nick Parish mentioned the relief at hearing something everyone knew, I couldn’t help think of the (possibly apocryphal) heckle at a recent Dylan performance: ‘Oi, mate, do you know any Bob Dylan songs?’”
It’s a mad thing that, being at a Bob gig, listening your absolute hardest, having no idea what you’re hearing, then suddenly a lightbulb: “Tangled Up In Blue, I love Tangled Up In Blue!”
Otherwise, a point of order: we’re not even looking for something everyone likes, just something no one hates.
29th over: England 116-0 (Crawley 42, Duckett 63) Target 371 Crowd singing his name, Bumrah snaps in again and Duckett plays his first two balls confidently, then wears the third on the pad. The bowler appeals but you could see it was going down and there’s no review, then Duckett drives three to mid-off, Siraj chasing, sliding and returning. So Bumrah goes again, Crawley drives … it’s in the air, low … Bumrah stretches down with his weaker left hand … and the ball hits his wrist then drops. Agony for India and, to grind it in, swing takes the final delivery of the over well away from Pant’s dive, adding four byes to the total. This is falling apart for the tourists, who, should they lose this one, will have a full week to stew before the second Test.
Updated
28th over: England 109-0 (Crawley 42, Duckett 60) Target 371 Finally, the ball refuses to pass through the ring, so India take a different one and immediately reckons Butch, you can hear the difference, off pitch and bat. Duckett takes a single to long on then, off the final delivery, Crawley gets down on one knee to sweep, only to mistime an effort into himself … and again, England get away with it. Everything has gone in their favour this morning.
Updated
27th over: England 108-0 (Crawley 42, Duckett 59) Target 371 Bumrah returns and Duckett slaps his loosener to deep backward point for one, then Siraj noises up the crowd, looking for something, anything. But this pair are batting with confidence now, Crawley seeing off five dots and, um, er … as the Bazballers playing for lunch?
“I was musing on your slightly disapproving take on Duckett’s sometimes ill-advised braggadocio,” emails John Swan. “I agree that his post-play interviews sometimes make me cram my fist into my mouth (I want to say, you do know the guys who are bowling at you tomorrow will hear this? And also they are very good?) but I wonder if that’s more an English discomfort with or distrust of a supreme self-confidence? How would he fit into, say, an Aussie or South African dressing room, for example?”
Oh, I don’t mind it at all. It’s good to see players being themselves and offered an environment in which that’s encouraged. I’d have liked the interviewer to ask that he take us through them so we could debate whether each sweep was discrete, but otherwise, all good. I really like him as a cricketer and a personality; Ias below, though, I’d just like him to make the most of his starts.
26th over: England 107-0 (Crawley 42, Duckett 58) Target 371 A tighter over, Jadeja rushing through – each ball and between balls – for the cost of a single to Duckett, again via reverse. But was it a different variety of than the previous one? Or just the same thing with a different name, à la Shane Warne?
25th over: England 106-0 (Crawley 42, Duckett 57) Target 371 A no ball gets the over moving for England, then offered width, Crawley – confidence growing – clouts a square drive to the fence. Krishna, though, responds well, banging one in short, and beating the attempted pull, then Crawley goes again, yelps as it gets unexpectedly big on him … and the ball drops between the men at midwicket and deep square. They run two, then an edge adds two more, and it’s all going for the hosts at present. Ten off the over, and Gill must surely risk giving Bumrah another dart before the interval.
“I agree with you about American Pie,” emails Nick Parish. “Don McLean was headlining at a festival we went to last summer, which surprised me because I didn’t realise he was still … well let’s just say I didn’t realise he was still performing. Anyway his set was mostly dreadful, but the closing number of American Pie was absolutely epic and the crowd went wild, partly because for most of us it was a relief to finally hear a song we recognised. But it is a fantastic song, and even better played live and in full.”
There’s actually a doc on the tune – how many that have ever been written could justify that? – which I really enjoyed, Madonna’s cover less so.
24th over: England 96-0 (Crawley 33, Duckett 56) Target 371 Ah, it’s Jadeja replacing Thakur – I’m not sure we’ll be seeing him at Edgbaston – and in comms DK remembers Duckett bragging about the 57 varieties of sweep he has. Nasser doesn’t know what he’s talking about but I heard that interview and also mind him saying it. Four singles from the over, one of them a reverse from the master, and with 275 runs to get, you’d back England from here were this an ODI.
23rd over: England 92-0 (Crawley 31, Duckett 54) Target 371 A single to Crawley then a brace to Duckett, before Krishna finds a bit of extra bounce, beating the outside edge. Then, just as he thinks he’s getting away with a relatively miserly over, Duckett twizzles him to midwicket for two more. Surely Gill must try Jadeja, or give Bumrah another wave before lunch.
“I’d put forward Keanu Reeves,” says Ben Heywood as we continue our quest to find something no one hates. “Search the internet (which has been around for a while). There’s literally not bad word said about the guy since his career began in (gulp) the late 80s. I’m with you on Fleetwood Mac, by the way.”
22nd over: England 87-0 (Crawley 31, Duckett 50) Target 371 Duckett turns to deep square for the single that raises his fifty, but can he go on? Thirteen half-centuries and five centuries isn’t a great conversion rate, even if we accept that his role in the team isn’t to bat long, but he’s at it today. And Crawley, who’s been unusually quiet, feeds off him, drilling a drive through cover before taking a single. India are in trouble.
Updated
21st over: England 81-0 (Crawley 26, Duckett 49) Target 371 Duckett is batting very nicely and again, offered width, he doesn’t miss out, slamming through extra and remaining in pos. Then, after he again tries a ramp, this time into his own chest – a right sair yin – he responds to a bouncer by rolling wrists over a pull, adding fo mo, before a single completes an over which adds nine to the total. India need something badly – especially given how deep England bat.
20th over: England 72-0 (Crawley 26, Duckett 40) Target 371 I don’t think it’ll be long before we see Jadeja, because England are managing India here, a single taken from each of Thakur’s first three balls; another comes from the fifth and, for the second time in three weeks, a finish that promised mayhem is instead delivering relative serenity. What can Gill and his men do about it?
“Forgot Solkar taking the shine of the ball for India,” emails Niall Morrissey. “Didn’t Gavaskar occasionally open the bowling, also attracting the attention of the umpire for his follow-through? I was convinced at one stage that Kapil was bound to take an all-10, not on his merits alone, but based on a complete absence of wicket-takers at the other end.”
Yup, he totally changed the game in India; what an era the era of all-rounders was – him, Imran, Botham and Hadlee all competing. Incredible, imagine this now:
19th over: England 68-0 (Crawley 24, Duckett 38) Target 371 Given my Fleetwood Mac hypothesis has been, figuratively and literally hurled out of the window, with what can we replace it? What is there, in the world, that no one hates? Sweet and sour chicken? Don McLean’s American Pie? I’ve also yet to find anyone with anything bad to say about the music of Black Sherif, for my money the best singer in the world at present. Back in the middle, Crawley edges to deep fine for one, then Duckett – the more aggressive of the two openers today – hauls a pull for four, and England are moving.
18th over: England 63-0 (Crawley 23, Duckett 34) Target 371 Thakur replaces Siraj, who bowled well, and England will surely look to put pressure back on the bowlers now. Crawley takes a single, then Duckett is offered one to force around the corner and doesn’t miss out, adding four before bumping one to midwicket. England have played really sensibly this morning, seeing off the front-liners, and this is their reward. Drinks.
“Averages aren’t everything,” writes tom Russell on Bumrah’s place in the pantheon, “but there are only 16 bowlers with tTest averages below 20, half of whom played before 1900, with only five playing after the Second World War. Those five are Bumrah, Frank Tyson, and then three modern players who have all played fewer than 20 tests (Boland, Jamieson and Patel).”
And his average in India, not exactly renowned a fast bowler’s paradise, is 17.19.
Updated
17th over: England 56-0 (Crawley 21, Duckett 29) Target 371 Krishna is now showing why India picked him, his first delivery hauling Duckett forward then beating his push. Gosh, but his next ball bounces a lot less, bounces again in front of Pant, and scuttles to the fence for four byes; India do not need that. Krishna, though, responds well, again drawing Duckett forward before the ball leaves him. And the batter must be feeling antsy, because he tries a scoop seeking to get the score moving, misses, then retreats in his crease to clobber through cover for four.
16th over: England 48-0 (Crawley 21, Duckett 25) Target 371 They actually ran a leg bye on the appeal, then Duckett adds another single and stuart Broad is presented with a birthday cake – the kind of thing you find in offices “in the usual place”. Must do better. TMS would never.
REVIEW! NOT OUT!
Yup, the ball was missing leg – with Crawley so far down, Gill might’ve opted to leave that one.
16th over: England 47-0 (Crawley 21, Duckett 24) Target 371 Siraj continues and his third delivery catches Crawley on the shuffle – across and down – then on the pad. There’s an appeal, which Umpire Gaffaney refuses … and Gill sends it upstairs. I think it was going over and wide…
“I was brought up with Solkar and Abid Ali taking the shine off the ball for the spinners,” begins Richard Woods, “and even post-Kapil Dev, it still feels slightly bizarre to think of an Indian as the foremost pace bowler of his generation. For me, overall he is right up there with Waqar Younis as a top example of a destructive paceman who uses his brain as much as his weapon to get batters out.”
Funny you say that – here’s an essay on Kapil and the development of Indian fast bowling, by, er, me.
Updated
15th over: England 46-0 (Crawley 21, Duckett 24) Target 371 England have won the first battle: Bumrah goes off, no wickets lost, and Krishna comes on. Will England target him? This morning, Krishna asked Broad for tips on how to bowl at Headingley, with the England team watching; Broad reckons short steps to keep the run-up solid given the wind, then hit the pitch hard. Crawley has a look before finagling a single to square leg then, offered width, Duckett throws hands, edging high between slip and gully for four. India will be feeling a little concerned.
14th over: England 41-0 (Crawley 20, Duckett 20) Target 371 A single to Crawley, then Duckett drives uppishly … but past the dive of Krishna at min-on for four. There’s then a brief pause while the ball is passed through the ring – India aren’t getting it changed this early – and that they’re trying to at this early stage suggests they’re not happy with it, good news for England.
“In terms of where Bumrah is in the pantheon,” begins Martin Jones, “the best comparator I can think of is Malcolm Marshall: idiosyncratic run up, slingy action, all the variations at high pace, the accuracy, all those fivefers…”
I was thinking of Marshall too – and Wasim Akram, because of how hard it must be to watch the ball out of the hand because of all the drama with the arms.
13th over: England 36-0 (Crawley 19, Duckett 16) Target 371 Duckett’s defended well so far this morning and he again presents the full face as Bumrah targets the channel. Maiden.
“The Reynolds Girls beg to differ,” says Mark Hooper. “(your words gave me this instant earworm so I’m passing it on as revenge).”
Oh wow, it’s a minute since I’ve heard that.
I’m not sure why, but in my mind I always associate that song with this one:
Maybe they were on the same Now!
12th over: England 36-0 (Crawley 19, Duckett 16) Target 371 Siraj goes around to Duckett, who flicks to fine leg for one, then Siraj sends down a wobble-seam nip-backer that beats Crawley’s airy drive – ctrl c, ctrl v – and misses the off-bail by fractions. Great ball, though, and if it hit a crack, there should be more of the same to follow; if not, India will be slightly concerned that three belters have yielded no wickets. Siraj is bowling well here and the final ball of the over is another beauty, again jagging in off the seam, cutting Crawley in half, and rapping the knee-roll. Tahere’s a strangulated appeal, but that was a little high.
11th over: England 35-0 (Crawley 19, Duckett 15) Target 371 What level of bowler do we think Bumrah is? He’s obviously the best there is now, but looking with a wider lens, where does he enter the pantheon? There are obviously bowlers who’ve taken more wickets, but if we’re evaluating them at their best, then what? Meantime, Crawley drives nicely to deep backward point, Jadeja chasing down to save one as they run three. A single follows, and England have six, maybe 12 balls left to negotiate before the biggest threat to them is sent for a graze.
“So Pant is cap 29,” begins Sean Hennigan, watching at 3am in Santa Monica. “Bumrah is cap 290 ... yet all match Pant has been wearing Bumrah’s 290 cap (paired with his own 291 shirt). I thought maybe he was just holding it for him while he bowls as umpires do but as far as i can tell he’s been wearing it all match. Any ideas? Enquiring minds want to know.”
10th over: England 31-0 (Crawley 16, Duckett 14) Target 371 A no ball to begin Siraj’s second over of the morning, then Crawley drives to point for two. Save those two Bumrah jaffas, this has been a pretty sedate start so, as I type, Crawley takes an “It’s just the way I play” huge hoik across the line and splatters fresh air out of the ground, then flicks a single to mid-on.
“‘This should be one of the better working days’ concludes your preamble,” – thus begins Brian Withington. “‘You get paid for this, mate?!’, I enquire incredulously which incidentally was my opening gambit to the guy at the mountain ringed Queenstown airport after a breathtaking flight from Sydney on a glorious summer’s day. He just smiled at my impertinence.”
9th over: England 27-0 (Crawley 13, Duckett 14) Target 371 Again, coming around but from pretty close to the stumps, Bumrah slants in another than rips away off the seam, Duckett again left mystified. What an absolute champion this freak of nature is, and a handsome so-and-so to boot; maiden.
“There are very definitely people who hate Fleetwood Mac out there,” advises Dean Vaughan. “My friend Matthew once threw his stereo out of the window of his flat because his girlfriend was listening to Tango in the Night.”
What a lad. He must be such a muso, him.
Updated
8th over: England 27-0 (Crawley 13, Duckett 14) Target 371 Crawley, who could really use a contribution today, edges one to square leg, the atmosphere crackling – but in the middle, the relatively small crowd allowing us to enjoy the patter of the fielders. Four dots follow, then Duckett plays down into the off side and England end the over with a single.
I\m not going to shame the millions of you who are keen to let me know how much they despise Fleetwood Mac or post-Peter Green Fleetwood Mac, but know that you are seen.
Updated
7th over: England 25-0 (Crawley 12, Duckett 13) Target 371 Bumrah comes around from the off and Duckett defends solidly. In comms, Athers notes that save their late-order collapses, India would be out of sight; I think it’s worth noting that in both inningseseses, Josh Tongue has devoured the tail like Fergus Henderson. The sample size is small, but it’s one on which to keep an eye. Meantime, Duckett drives through cover for four, then to end the over, Bumrah sends down a 90mph off-break that swings in then nips away, a devastating piece of sorcery that leaves the batter flummoxed. You and us both, old mate.
Ben Duckett takes guard, Jasprit Bumrah has the ball. This is going to be great.
“You claim that nobody hates Fleetwood Mac,” says Bob O’Hara, “but they’re pretty famous for hating each other in the mid-70s.”
And yet at the same time they were also pretty famous for loving each other.
Here come our teams. Bring it on!
Updated
“A fantastic final day in store,” reckons Krishnamoorthy V. “While all the attention shall be on Bumrah (rightly so), I have a feeling that it is Ravindra Jadeja who is going to be the matchwinner, should India win this match. A Root century is going to be inevitable whether England wins it or loses it.”
Jadeja’s record in England isn’t that good, but agree that he’ll probably have to have a good day. Even if he’s not the matchwinner, Gill is probably relying on him to hold down an end, and i can totally see him nabbing a key wicket or two, though I’d be surprised if he’s the key man.
“Since I live not far from Leeds,” says John Starbuck, “I always check those weather prospects in each day’s Guardian. I see the forecast is 15-20C and 85% rain. There’s also a bit of a breeze about but the skies are pretty grey, which will probably make catching rather difficult, especially at such a poor sight ground as Headingley.”
That last point is a really important one, because the catching in this match hasn’t been great, and India need 10 wickets. That’ll be hard enough, never mind if drops leave them needing 12 0r 13.
Talking of Fleetwood Mac, a hypothesis: they are the only thing in the world that no one in the world hates.
Say what you want about Bazball, but that we’re even having a conversation about England winning this tells us the extent to which they’ve changed the game. I was mainly joking when I talked about Bazball being a way of life, but committing to attacking options is a serious piece of advice that’s worth remembering on a daily. In the words of Fleetwood Mac, play the way you’re feeling.
I said earlier that Bumrah getting it done feels like the likeliest outcome, but I do quite fancy England. The way they play, they’ve enough time to get the runs without taking risks, and India’s back-up quicks will not frighten them. If we assume Bumrah will be bowling spells of four or five overs, that’s not that many to survive while making hay the rest of the time.
Email! “The Beeb is even more pessimistic,” laments Graham O’Reilly. “Showers till 4pm. Boo!”
My festival experiences tell me that is the last place to look. I think we’re going to be OK.
They say that at Headingley, you look up, not down, but that’s not foolproof. Though it’s overcast, it’s also blustery, which suggests there’ll not be much swing about. However the earlier clement weather should mean the pitch is crumbly, offering uneven bounce. Athers reckons that’s best exploited by a hit-the-deck bowler like Prasidh Krishna, rather than skiddier ones like Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, and I understand the theory. But it’s hard to see anyone other than Bumrah – and Ravindra Jadeja – making the difference today. I’m not sure we’ll see Kuldeep Yadav sitting at the side in the next match.
There’s another huge contest going on today: Met Office v Weather Underground.
Underground Ultras for ever.
Updated
Preamble
Good morning everyone, and in the truest sense of the phrase too – not just a greeting but a statement of fact. Everything is possible and nothing is probable, save hours of intense joy at a time in human history when we need as much of it as we can get … if the rain allows it.
After what was surely a long night of the soul, Shubman Gill will be feeling something. After the elation of scoring a century in his first Test in charge, India failed to force home a position of strength after tea yesterday, taking too long to score too few such that should they lose today – scoring 835 runs across their two inningseseses – his decision-making will inevitably be criticised. No one will judge his tenure on the strength of this first match, but momentum is important, and going one down – after playing well, with four away Tests still to come – the pressure will feel enormous.
And what of Ben Stokes? It might just be that, over the last few days, we’ve witnessed the birth of Bazball 2.0, England retaining their aggressive intent but tempering it with the curious concept of context. A year ago, we’d never have seen their quicks bowling to fields featuring no slips, just as we’d absolutely have seen the openers thrashing at this target from the off. But ultimately, for all the inspiration and affirmation of the Testvangelist way of life, there’s nothing either inspirational or affirming about losing all the bloody time. England gave the game a kick up the arse, the game has since given them one back, and both should be the better for it.
Gosh, that’s a lot of words without mentioning Jasprit Bumrah, isn’t it? Because much as sport taunts us into complicating it with thoughts of narrartive and meaning, things can simultaneously be very simple, and there’s a decent chance the best bowler in the world is just too good to be denied. This should be one of the better working days.
Play: 11am BST
