Okay doke, time for me to bid adieu. Ali Martin’s report will be along any moment. Thanks for your company, join us again tomorrow for day two. Goodnight!
In case you missed it… today’s Spin by Daniel Gallan on a hidden and cricketing corner of London town:
Simon Burnton was out and about at Edgbaston today:
FAO Michael White (78th over) “The University of Kent British Cartoon Archive has a complete archive of Punch magazine from 1841 through to 2002. Not online though, but Michael could try them.”
Thanks Patrick Fullick!
https://www.kent.ac.uk/library/special-collections/british-cartoon-archive/punch-collection
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Stumps: India 310-5 (Gill 114, Jadeja 41)
That’s yer lot. Woakes can’t find a dramatic last over breakthrough for England but both sides will be happy with their work today. India probably nudge it with runs on the board and with Gill and Jadeja set, but, as they know all too well after Headingley the visitors need to be looking at 550-600 to bat England out of the game. And even then they don’t have Jasprit Bumrah to call upon with the ball. It’s all set up for an intriguing day two.
85th over: India 310-5 (Gill 114, Jadeja 41)
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84th over: India 308-5 (Gill 113, Jadeja 40) India accumulate four runs off Carse’s over but despite some gardenign Monty Don would be proud of the over is done with two minutes left on the clock. We will have one more from the Wizard to close out the day.
83rd over: India 304-5 (Gill 110, Jadeja 39) Just a single off Woakesy. That might be him done for the day. In another universe he picked up four or five wickets today and heads home with his cow’s lick proudly popped.
“I had a good giggle on the way home from work at Michael Vaughan’s assertion on TMS that the bowlers were having a chat with Umpire Dean Gaffney.” says Charlie Tinsley. “I can only assume Barry off EastEnders was at fine leg.”
Did you know, umpire Wellard* Kettleborough will become England’s most capped on-field Test umpire when he stands in the second Test between West Indies and Australia in Grenada from tomorrow? Now you do.
*Richard. But fine to join in.
82nd over: India 303-5 (Gill 109, Jadeja 39) Brydon Carse shares the new ball but sends down something of a scrappy over, full and too wide. Gill throws his hands at an exceedingly wide half volley and picks up four with a thick outside edge. Carse is hobbling a bit, he has a history of troublesome toes… which could be the name of a Crosby, Stills and Nash tune. But isn’t. Three hundred up for India. It sounds kind of mad, but I think this is an honours even sort of day.
81st over: India 296-5 (Gill 102, Jadeja 39) Jadeja edges Woakes between slip and gully! It was very catchable but bisected the England catchers perfectly.
80th over: India 291-5 (Gill 102, Jadeja 35) The new ball is taken. Here comes Chris Woakes.
Shubman Gill gets down on his haunches and sweeps Root for consecutive fours to go to his century! He enjoyed that one, a leap and a regal bow to the crowd. Warmly applauded at Edgbaston. It’s been a tightly structured innings, but, dare I say it, not one that has hurt England. Yet.
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79th over: India 283-5 (Gill 94, Jadeja 35) Bashir rattles though another over. Here’s Joseph Edward Root to whirl through an over of spin before the new ball is taken.
78th over: India 280-5 (Gill 92, Jadeja 34) Shot. Gill plays that short armed glide from close to his body and picks up four off Tongue. India’s captain into the nineties.
“Hi James, your reference to a Beckettian passage of play reminds me of a lovely article in Punch magazine around 1970 which was written as a review of the second Test at Lord’s as if it was a Beckett play. I wonder if there are any OBOers as old as me who can remember it? I’d love to find a copy, as I only have a hazy memory. It spoke of men dressed all in white wandering aimlessly around a field, while the real action took place in a box suspended above the field of play where older men reminisced about heroic deeds of the past.”
Oooft we’ve gone highbrow at the end of day one. Can anyone help Michael White out?
England and Ben Stokes must go on. They can’t go on. They will go on.
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77th over: India 275-5 (Gill 87, Jadeja 34) There’s a lengthy delay and no little booing as Gill gets treatment whilst lying prone on the outfield. Nowt wrong with Jadeja’s movement though, Bashir tosses one up and is clubbed wide of mid on for four. Shadows lengthening at Edgbaston, we’ll probably get five more overs in, a couple of which could be with the new Dukes.
76th over: India 270-5 (Gill 86, Jadeja 30) Jadeja stands tall on his tippytoes and punches Josh Tongue through the covers for four. One of the shots of the day. A single guided to point brings Gill on strike. The Indian captain looks to be struggling with a bit of a dicky lower back. A pull shot is hauled in by Duckett on the leg-side fence. We’re going to have a bit of a delay whilst the physio works some essential oils/voltarol into Shubman’s lumbar region.
75th over: India 262-5 (Gill 83, Jadeja 25) Bashir whistles through another over. England’s eyes are firmly on the new ball. Shubman’s Gill’s are on a Test match ton and being unbeaten overnight.
74th over: India 259-5 (Gill 82, Jadeja 23) Josh Tongue does indeed replace Stokes. Very sensible. The field is set back – are we going to see a bouncer barrage? Double bluff – Tongue is full and at the stumps but Gill is equal to it, holding the pose in his defence and leaving with considerably more success than Nitish Kumar Reddy…
Some plonker wrote this about the leave.
Hear that? Pitter patter of footsteps. Whoosh. Silence. Thud. Groan. The sound of leather not on willow. Cricket revolves around the tussle between bat and ball. But in order to make runs, batting in the longest format is as much about survival and occupation: of actively choosing not to hit the ball.According to CricViz, 16% of all deliveries in Test cricket are left, which makes the abjuration of a stroke comfortably the second most common “shot” in the format after the forward defensive. All that energy expended over nothing. A Beckettian passage of play that repeats sometimes over a hundred times a Test match. Day after day. Nothing happens. Somebody bowls. Somebody lets it go. It’s … absorbing?”
73rd over: India 258-5 (Gill 82, Jadeja 22) Jadeja takes a couple of strides down the wicket and deposits Bashir back over his bonce for four.
72nd over: India 252-5 (Gill 81, Jadeja 17) Harry Brook pulls off a diving stop at backward point to save a few runs for his side and his captain. Stokes has bowled five on the spin, might be time for some Josh Tongue, mind that red zone Benjamin!
71st over: India 247-5 (Gill 79, Jadeja 15) “I’m not sure India are in that bad a position” writes Paul Griffin. “They could easily get 350/400 and could unleash the best fast bowler in the w… what? Oh.”
70th over: India 246-5 (Gill 78, Jadeja 15) Stokes is around the wicket to Jadeja with two slips and a gully in place. Jadeja batting in his cable knit short sleeve jumper despite the positively tropical midlands weather. Two singles scampered.
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69th over: India 244-5 (Gill 77, Jadeja 14) Bashir replaces Carse and pins Jadeja on the pad… the bowler likes it a lot and starts skipping down the wicket but the umpire is unmoved. After a hurried meeting in the middle Stokes decides not to review it. ooooft. Clipping leg stump, another decision doesn’t go England’s way on umpire’s call. Bashir could do with a wicket like that, just for the optics if anything. All of his wickets so far in the series have been caught in the deep.
68th over: India 243-5 (Gill 77, Jadeja 13) Gill plays the ugliest shot of his innings in trying to smear a wide ball from Stokes through the off side. No one came out of that too well tbh. Drinks are taken with about an hour or so left in the day, the new ball is twelve overs away so England might get an over or two with that tonight if they get a wiggle on.
67th over: India 238-5 (Gill 76, Jadeja 9) Gill caresses a wide Carse delivery backward of point for four with Andrex soft hands. The bowler follows up with a speared in yorker. He goes full again and is picked off for a couple of singles. India rebuilding after Pant and Reddy fell in a flash.
66th over: India 232-5 (Gill 71, Jadeja 8) Stokes is a bit too loose and is duly punished – one short ball is pulled nonchalantly by Gill and another is smoked square on the cut by Jadeja. Two boundaries in the over and Stokes stomps off with his sunhat looking like the proverbial nettle chewing bulldog.
65th over: India 223-5 (Gill 66, Jadeja 4) Carse thunders through a maiden.
The Grade Cricketer boys are sat just along from the Guardian blob in the press box, they are in town for their live show in Birmingham tomorrow night, apparently some bloke called James Anderson will be joining them on stage. Me neither. Anywho – a little Antipodean birdie tells me there might be a few final tickets left if you are in town tomorrow and fancy a giggle…
64th over: India 223-5 (Gill 66, Jadeja 4) Stokes senses a moment and brings himself on for a bowl. No dice this over but you sense it is happening for England.
“Hello James, can you give a big build up to the rest of the Indian batting line up? Regards Matthew Doherty”
It’s a bit of fun.
63rd over: India 218-5 (Gill 64, Jadeja 2) Carse replaces Bashir and is around the wicket. Shot! Gill sends a high elbowed drive skimming through the covers for four. A lot rests on the Captain’s shoulders now as the set man.
“Hi Jim, I was just about to ask you if India had ever fielded a number six with a first class average of 25 when Nitish Kumar Reddy made my point rather more decisively than I could.”
Gary ‘Stick the boot in’ Naylor there.
61st over: India 212-5 (Gill 59, Jadeja 1) Ravindra Jadeja joins his captain in the middle with India spluttering and Edgbaston rocking.
WICKET! Nitish Kumar Reddy b Woakes 1 (India 211-5)
There are only two types of leave! Kumar Reddy shoulders arms and sees his off peg knocked back by a roaring Chris Woakes! England have another in the hutch and the game is tilting their way on day one.
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61st over: India 210-4 (Gill 58, Reddy 1) Nitish Kumar Reddy is the new batter. This guy can play and isn’t short of confidence. He gets off the mark with a clip to leg. England are chipping away at India’s batting card on day one.
WICKET! Rishabh Pant c Crawley b Shoaib Bashir 25 (India 208-4)
India gift another wicket to England! Pant chips Bashir to Crawley at long on and the lissom limbed opener takes a decent catch. That came from nowhere - Bashir wasn’t threatening at all and the visitors are in danger of letting a promising situation slip once again. The Hollies stand give Pant a vociferous send off. His Captain didn’t look best pleased with him either.
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60th over: India 208-3 (Gill 57, Pant 25) The Barmy Army start to work their way though their ‘repertoire’. Runs starting to flow more easily for India now, drives, flicks and glances off full balls. Six off the over.
59th over: India 203-3 (Gill 53, Pant 23) Bashir drops short and Pant, resembling a man beating a dusty carpet against a garden wall, hoicks behind square for four. That’s 200 up and ticking for India. They haven’t been able to get away from England as of yet but there are still nearly two hours left in the day.
58th over: India 196-3 (Gill 52, Pant 18) Woakes continues. He’s seemed to be on the edge of combustion all day after those two early and very marginal DRS decisions went against him. Some real Michael Douglas in ‘Falling Down’ energy (more film chat, seriously?) No More Mr Nice Guy.
*Three runs off the over.
57th over: India 193-3 (Gill 50, Pant 17) Jofra Archer is spotted running drinks on the boundary edge and gets a hearty cheer from the crowd. England could do with a bit of his stardust out there right about now. Bashir is plopped back over his head for four by an advancing Gill, that takes India’s captain to a pretty serene half century.
56th over: India 188-3 (Gill 46, Pant 16) Woakes stitches the dots to Gill before venturing too full and onto the pads, Gill doesn’t miss out, regally clipping through midwicket for four.
55th over: India 183-3 (Gill 42, Pant 15) Rishabh Pant is booed by some voracious souls in the Hollies as he blocks out a couple of dots to Bashir.
“I quite like Carse for Brody” says Nicholas Way. “Mayor Vaughn is tricky now B**ball is in its mature second iteration, but Duckett’s ‘whatever they score, we’ll chase’ has something of the right flavour.”
“One of the best things about Jaws is that the shark doesn’t actually make an appearance until about 80 minutes into the film.” Chimes in Simon McMahon. “The technical difficulties with Bruce - the mechanical shark - meant that Spielberg had to find other ways to build tension through inference, music and storytelling. Maybe India are doing the same with Bumrah?”
That made me smile… you son of a…
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Righto, the players are back out there. Chris Woakes has changed ends (‘and Umpire’ says a wag in the press box) can he winkle up a wicket for England? Shubman Gill on strike. The Wizard runs in from the Pavillion End and lands it on a handkerchief for a maiden first up after tea.
54th over: India 182-3 (Gill 42, Pant 14)
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53rd over: India 182-3 (Gill 42, Pant 14) Bashir is worked for two singles through cover and that is tea. India added 84 runs and England took one wicket in what was an absorbing and attritional session. Honours about even perhaps – BIG FINAL SESSION.
“Taking your Jaws spitballing to its grisly conclusion” says Barry Norman Will Ellen. “Surely Jasprit Bumrah plays the title role? A terrifying force of nature that has any sentient human in its vicinity quaking in their spiked boots… which makes India’s decision not to play him all the more inexplicable. Jaws without a big man eating monster isn’t quite as scary, no?”
They’re gonna need a bigger boat lotta runs.
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52nd over: India 180-3 (Gill 41, Pant 13) Gill flicks Stokes off his pads and scampers two runs. Stokes is right on the money for the rest of the over – but so is Shubman. India’s skipper holds the pose on a couple of Fort Knox defensive strokes as if to say ‘get past that’.
51st over: India 178-3 (Gill 39, Pant 13) Tick Tick Tick BOOM! Pant is tied down by Bashir until the final ball of the over which he dispatches for SIX over midwicket.
50th over: India 170-3 (Gill 38, Pant 6) Stokes with his dander up, hurtling in with sweat glistening and bobbing flaxen mane. Another testing over, England’s captain has looked dangerous in this spell, he’d dearly love another before tea.
49th over: India 167-3 (Gill 37, Pant 4) Bashir bowls a good over to Rishabh Pant, tying him down and keeping him honest. Five dots and then a single picked off the last ball.
“Hi James, it seems a shame to cite Stokes as the Quint equivalent without identifying which cricketers for the other roles. Can I start with Joe Root for Hooper (baby-faced, puppyish enthusiasm).
Not too sure about Chief Brody though, let alone Mayor Vaughn.”
Giles Clarke for the Mayor? Ahem. Rob Key? I’m just spitballing here.
48th over: India 166-3 (Gill 37, Pant 3) Close! Stokes gets one to jag off the seam and Pant pokes a half hearted bat at it. No edge this time.
Tom Hooper wades in on some Jaws fun.
“Afternoon Jim, I feel that Chris Woakes has the air of Hooper about him?”
Do you not think he’s a bit Chief Brody? Ollie Pope has a whiff of the Hooper’s? I’d like to see them all comparing scars and singing the odd salty sea shanty.
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47th over: India 164-3 (Gill 36, Pant 2) That wicket of Jaiswal takes Ben Stokes level with Andrew Flintoff on Test scalps. Freddie had a decent game here twenty years ago this summer… Bashir gets through a tidier over, targeting the front pad, just two singles off it.
Stokes v Pant round two coming up.
46th over: India 162-3 (Gill 35, Pant 1) The ground comes to life with that wicket and England buzz about in the field with the arrival of Headingley’s double-centurion Rishabh Pant. Jaiswal really dragged himself from the middle, he should have larupped that ball to the fence and he knows it.
Stokes to Pant is box office stuff. Four dots are cheered and jeered by the Edgbaston faithful. Pant hops about in his crease like a bloke in a beer garden who has just trodden on a spaniel’s tale. He gets off the mark off the final ball with a flick to the leg side. Don’t go anywhere!
WICKET! Yashasvi Jaiswal c Smith b Stokes 87 (India 161-3)
That is a gift for England! Jaiswal flays at a short and wide and, as he does occasionally, falls off shot a little whilst trying to flog it square. A meaty edge is swallowed by Jamie Smith behind the stumps and Stokes hares off in celebration. Not a great ball, an even worse shot and England don’t give a ffff fig.
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45th over: India 161-2 (Jaiswal 87, Gill 35) Bashir peels off another, India rack up erm three more runs.
44th over: India 158-2 (Jaiswal 85, Gill 34) Stokes replaces Tongue, that was not the most threatening spell from the Notts man, too many loose balls. Can England’s captain pull something out of the hat? This has been a soporific session so far, even the Hollies stand is a bit on the snoozy side.
43rd over: India 155-2 (Jaiswal 85, Gill 33) Bashir starting to leak runs, Gill dances down and pistol whips a four through mid off.
42nd over: India 149-2 (Jaiswal 84, Gill 28) Gill mishits a pull shot off Tongue that nearly carries to Ollie Pope off the top edge. England need to land one of these two big fish currently at the crease. Jaiswal currently scenting blood in the water with the pitch flat and the sun beating down. Yes, I watched Jaws last night (no further questions). Ben Stokes has a touch of Robert Shaw’s Quint about him though (no further questions).
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41st over: India 147-2 (Jaiswal 83, Gill 27) Gill skips out of his crease and plonks Bashir to deep midwicket for two. Jaiswal misses out by crunching a cut to the boundary rider on the off side for a single. Bashir does still send down a loose ball or two per over. This is an important game for him, he needs to prove that he can do it against the big boys.
40th over: India 142-2 (Jaiswal 82, Gill 24) Tongue hits the pitch hard just short of a good length. I got the early train out of Das Kapital with Wisden’s silken anchorman Yas Rana this morning and one of the many topics of conversation was the awkward length that Tongue bowls. With his angle of release to the right hander at around 11am the ball is always following you and perpetually seems to be speared in around box height. “Basically, he bowls at your knob”. Simple as that. Anyway, just a single to Gill off the over.
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Thanks Daniel and hello from sunny Brum. It’s been tight lines (vision dreams of passion) from England after lunch. Something’s gonna give?
Shoaib Bashir is on for a twirl post drinks with a slip and leg slip in place. He gives it some decent air from his oft mentioned high release point but Jaiswal and Gill are content to pick off the singles with the field spread.
39th over: India 141-2 (Jaiswal 82, Gill 23)
38th over: India 138-2 (Jaiswal 81, Gill 21) After Jaiswal takes a single, England again try to get the ball switched, to no avail, then continue with their tight lines. For now, India play along but, as I type, Jaiswal, back on strike after a single to Gill, eases a short one to deep third for four. And that is drinks, which means my watch is over; here’s Jim Wallace to coax you through the rest of the day’s play.
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37th over: India 132-2 (Jaiswal 76, Gill 20) The pitch looks to be flattening out , and India will know this is a chance for them to build something commanding. The going, though is tough –when Jaiswal misses with a glance around the corner, they run a leg bye, then Gill flicks to fine leg, adding two more.
“I had resolved that I was not going to write in today,” says Richard O’Hagan, “but your 2005 piece struck a real nerve as I was going through the same thing at the same time, albeit that I was a few months behind you. Reading between the lines I think everything has worked out for you at least as well as it has for me – I met my wife whilst I was going through the divorce process and against the odds have not only persuaded her to love cricket despite being American, but to actually train as a scorer. The only real point of difference is that I’m still a bloody lawyer and not a sportswriter.”
It’s never too late to save yourself.
36th over: India 129-2 (Jaiswal 76, Gill 18) Tongue replaces Carse and Jaiswal turns his loosener to deep square for a single; five dots follow, and that’s much better stuff from a bowler who was expensive this morning.
35th over: India 128-2 (Jaiswal 75, Gill 18) Woakes didn’t start this spell especially well but he’s back in groove now, sending down five dots before his final ball hits the pads. Again, there’s a rejected appeal, probably because there was an outside edge, and this time there’s no review. Maiden.
34th over: India 128-2 (Jaiswal 75, Gill 18) This time, Carse runs in with tongue protruding – his tongue, not Josh Tongue – and Gill defends to mid-off, then takes one to midwicket.
REVIEW! NOT OUT!
The only thing that could save Gill was an inside edge, and he got one.
34th over: India 127-2 (Jaiswal 75, Gill 17) Carse continues, banging one in, out the way of which, Jaiswal sways. A pull then earns him one after which the bowler thrusts out an arm while running in – presumably to distract Gill who, having none of it, pulls away. But he might be regretting it now because when Carse goes again, he raps the pad, low, celebrappeals, and when the umpire says no, Stokes goes upstairs at the last second. Was there an inside edge?
33rd over: India 126-2 (Jaiswal 74, Gill 17) Gill waves bat at a wide one and winds up edging past the slips for four … then, three ball later, does similar for four more.
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32nd over: India 118-2 (Jaiswal 74, Gill 9) Carse sends down a dot then goes over to Jaiswal who, offered a short, wide one, misses – you don’t see that happen too often. He then runs down to deep third for one before Gill pushes off the hip for another, and England are not threatening here. Then, at the end of the over, we see Carse grimacing – he looks in some discomfort but, I think, stays on for now.
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31st over: India 116-2 (Jaiswal 73, Gill 8) A single to Jaiswal, then Gill manufactures two twos. He’ll be desperate to make a score here because, as a less bombastic character than his predecessors it’ll help a lot if he can lead from the front while he learns the art of captaincy.
30th over: India 111-2 (Jaiswal 72, Gill 4) Carse stots his way through a decent but relatively unthreatening maiden.
“Can I talk about Angus Fraser here?” asks Thomas Atkins. “No, of course he wasn’t the best English bowler anyone’s seen, but having started watching cricket in the grim post-Botham era of the early 1990s, he was the only bowler for what felt like a decade who you could rely on to bowl decent pace on a consistent line and length, cause a batter problems and even take the odd wicket occasionally. Maybe I could name a lot of better bowlers from other eras, but nobody stood out like a beacon in the darkness like Gus Fraser did.”
Yup, agree with all of that – then Darren Gough took it on a step further, after which England got good.
29th over: India 111-2 (Jaiswal 72, Gill 4) Jaiswal shoves a single into the off-side, then Gill squirts one to fine leg, playing around the pad – Woakes thinks he nearly had him there. It’s been a sedate start to the session.
28th over: India 109-2 (Jaiswal 71, Gill 3) Gill takes one to square le and a further single follows while, in comms, Nasser references his double hundred in the 1997 Ashes – still one the best knocks I’ve seen from an Englishman and absolutely monumental at the time.
27th over: India 107-2 (Jaiswal 70, Gill 2) Woakes, the best bowler this morning, angles one in then has it move away, beating Gill; lovely delivery. A single soon follows, then Jaiswal takes two to point.
“I have a trivial question,” begins Mac Millings. “You liveblog a lot of the tennis, as well as the cricket. Do you have a particular preference, and if so, what are your reasons?”
It’s like asking me which is my favourite son.* There’s something special and unique about the OBO, but the early stages of a slam, when I’m watching four matches at once, is also great, and a proper epic final is something else. It’s a privilege to cover both.
*I don’t have sons
26th over: India 104-2 (Jaiswal 68, Gill 1) After two dots, Jaiswal sticks two to cover, then offered a wide half-volley, he stretches to carve four to third man. He’s so good at not missing out when served poor deliveries.
Carse has the ball, Jaiswal to face, and off we go.
Back come wa players.
Lunchtime email: “Do we just give up on complaining about the woeful over rate now, and just accept it?” wonders Adrian Riley. “I know all teams are bad, but England now seem the worst. They don’t even get near 90 overs these days, even with the extra half hour. I reckon they’ll do about 75 by 6pm.”
It’s quite hard to measure what’s acceptable when things happen in the game – this morning, for example, there was an open window, a moving steward and two attempts to change the ball which I think I neglected to mention. So it’s not simply a reflection of callous players, but it does feel annoying when the players disappear at 6.30 with the light still more than good enough.
Anyhow, I’m going to grab a break, and we’ll return in 30 or so to do some emails.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, though. What a player.
Lunchtime reading: 20 years ago, Edgbaston was full for the final day of the second Ashes Test – apart from one seat: mine. Here’s why.
25th over: India 98-2 (Jaiswal 62, Gill 1) Ahahaha, strike that – Ben Stokes, what a cliche. He brings on his spinner for one over before lunch, three singles eventuate, and that’s that for a terrific morning session.
24th over: India 93-2 (Jaiswal 60, Gill 0) Early days, but there’s a nice balance about this England attack – the bowlers are good but different and, in Stokes, they have a canny captain who feels the game.
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WICKET! Nair c Brook b Carse 31 (India 93-2)
Carse has that little bit of extra gas, doesn’t he? He bangs one in, gets more lift than Nair – and anyone – anticipated, the ball gets big on him and, in a bit of a tangle, he lobs a catch to second slip.
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24th over: India 93-1 (Jaiswal 59, Nair 30) Carse returns to try and make something happen, as he did at Headingley – I’m surprised Stokes gave Tongue so many overs – and his first two deliveries go for singles.
“Botham and Flintoff have rightly been mentioned,” says Brian Rafferty, “but can I give a shout-out for Bob Willis. His 5th day 8-43 v Australia at Headingly in 1981 is one of the best performances I have ever seen. England, made to follow on, pulled off something magical in that test. Okay, it’s known as The Botham Test, but Willis won it on day five.”
Sure, and Bob was excellent – though before my time. But in talking about best, we can’t reference individual spells and matches because being good requires more than that.
23rd over: India 93-1 (Jaiswal 59, Nair 30) Eeesh, another short one – I wondered if England might try something different – and Jaiswal goes again, this time looking to haul around the corner only to top-edge a pull; it falls just short of Woakes at fine leg. They run one, another single follows, and India are in charge here … words we might have written as many, many points during the first Test.
22nd over: India 91-1 (Jaiswal 58, Nair 29) Tongue continues and Nair adds one, then drops shorter – even shorter – and Jaiswal rolls wrists over it, hooking to the fence. Then, offered width, he leaps to crack a vicious cut to the fence, immediately raising his bat like a statue to celebrate an initially dicey but latterly devastating fifty. This boy is a superstar, and to prove the point, when Tongue goes over the wicket but again offers width, he carves a third consecutive four through third man! He’s so lithe, so creative, so daring and so brilliant.
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21st over: India 77-1 (Jaiswal 45, Nair 28) Three dots, a no ball, then a gloved single to Nair. Time for a change for England? Stokes has now bowled four overs, Tongue five.
“Love a good all-rounder chat,” says Pete Salmon. “Had a long one recently about the fact that Australia rarely produces them, Keith Miller, Richie Benaud and Gary Gilmour excepted. Is lack of all rounders part of Australia’s strength? Does correlation imply causation? Ended with us all agreeing that Cam Green is no good, because Australia.”
Adam Gilchrist should really be added to that list, and it’s worth noting that Border and both Waughs could bowl well enough to a fair few Test wickets. Otherwise, I wonder if Aussie conditions – true pitches – create and reward specialists.
20th over: India 75-1 (Jaiswal 45, Nair 27) Jaiswal pulls Tongue for two, then adds a single, and this is excellent work from this pair; Nair adds one more, and England could do with something.
19th over: India 71-1 (Jaiswal 42, Nair 26) Nair takes a single then, offered one outside off but with bounce, Jaiswal refuses to miss out, playing the kind of smash you’d expect to see at Wimbledon not Edgbaston. for four through cover. What a player he is; what a character he is too.
18th over: India 65-1 (Jaiswal 37, Nair 25) Tongue’s had a difficult morning so far but this is a tighter over, yielding two singles. I wonder if we might see Bashir shortly.
17th over: India 63-1 (Jaiswal 36, Nair 24) Stokes goes wider on the crease, so Jaiswal waits until the ball is right upon him, then caresses an on-drive straight back down the pitch. He’s a beautiful batter, and you can almost taste his attitude; I think he and Stokes exchange sentiments, then again at the end of the over which yields six.
16th over: India 57-1 (Jaiswal 31, Nair 23) Runs are coming quickly now, Jaiswal stomping forward to clout Tongue’s first delivery through cover for four, then presenting the full face to the next, overpitched and sent to the long-off boundary. He then holds the pose for at least 13 minutes, sees off three dots, and retreats in the crease to glance a third four of the over past gully. The partnership is 42 off 30.
15th over: India 45-1 (Jaiswal 19, Nair 23) Stokes replaces Woakes and when he’s too full first up, Jaiswal bumps him for three through cover. Oooh, and when he does similarly next ball, Nair flicks for through midwicket, then is beaten by a straighter one which leaves him. That’s a much better line and length.
“Regarding Dean Kinsella salivating (perhaps) over the joys of watching peak Botham, Flintoff and Stokes in the same England side, my first thought was, ‘how many would complain about bits and pieces players?” emails John Burton.
“I doubt anyone would argue that Julian and Boyce were ‘greats’, but in 1973, they batted 8 and 9 for West Indies, with Sobers at 6, plus Holder 10 and Gibbs 11. They emphasised their all-round credentials by performing better at Test level than for their English counties.
I suspect it’s remembered as a quieter period between Hall, Griffith et al and then the all-time greats lead by Marshall, Ambrose, Garner, Holding with so many others in their train – but 1973 at Lords was, iirc, England’s heaviest defeat up to that time, although I’m sure there’s a stronger example somewhere else.”
Ronnie Irani, Dermot Reeve, David Capel and Mark Ealham would’ve slotted in seamlessly.
14th over: India 38-1 (Jaiswal 16, Nair 19) Jaiswal takes a single to square leg, then Tongue, going a little wider on the crease, persuades one to bounce a little more, passing Nair’s edge.
“Multiple all-rounders,” begins Jeremy Nash, which my childish brain parsed as something far less exciting. “South Africa must have played a few Tests with Kallis, Klusener and Pollock in their line up. They were all pretty useful with both bat and ball.”
And, for a brief shining period, England had Stokes and Jack Leach.
13th over: India 37-1 (Jaiswal 15, Nair 19) Jaiswal takes one, then Nair, again offered width and fullness, shoves four more through cover. Woakes, though, responds nicely, going fuller again – that’s the length – and Nair, who, notes Broad, almost triggers forward rather than back and across, edges into the pad. Stokes can’t believe England haven’t had an lb this morning, and Nair adds two more from the final ball of the over; he’s got a start, and at the end of an engrossing first hour, that’s drinks.
12th over: India 30-1 (Jaiswal 14, Nair 13) Tongue replaces Carse, Jaiswal takes his loosener for one, then Nair times a half-volley to the fence for four … and the next ball, the exact same happens. England won’t want to give a jump start to a batter under pressure, but here we are.
“Sad to hear of Ned’s passing recently,” writes Mark Lloyd. “My stand-our memory of him is the Kingston test in 1990 where we flippin’ murdered ‘em (sic). I went on a sponsored hitchhike to Paris that weekend so didn’t follow the game closely until I got back on the Sunday. My hitchhiking partner, who sadly passed away last year, and I cycled from Cambridge out to the M11 whereupon we were immediately picked up by a doctor from Bury St Edmunds who was driving to Paris to visit his daughter! He bought us lunch and ferry tickets, and when he dropped us under the Eiffel Tower we found out we’d arrived even before the organisers. Our return trip was less fortuitous and we had to sleep in the ferry terminal in Calais. Anyway, on arriving back in Cambridge Lamb had just hit one of his customary tons against the Windies. It was scarcely imaginable that we might go on to win, but win we did. Dev spectacularly castled Haynes and King Viv in the second innings of course, and I watched Ned hit the winning runs with the feeling that someone was cruelly pulling my leg. The wheels came off later in the series of course but for a few days life was glorious!”
Yup, I absolutely loved that tour – the first time England had competed against West Indies in my lifetime.
11th over: India 21-1 (Jaiswal 13, Nair 5) Ahahaha, as if he wasn’t displeased enough, as Woakes runs in, Nair pulls away! Biggup to the batter if he did that on purpose. In comms, Broad advises that he’d not have been happy to have those two appeals rejected, also noting the near-celebrappeal. I don’t know – on the one hand, he should know, on the other, it was 100% the real thing.
REVIEW! NOT OUT!
Oh man, it’s umpire’s call on stumps – Hawkeye reckons it was only clipping the top of off. It’s a bit like seeing a Tellytubby with a flick knife, but Woakes is ticking now!
11th over: India 21-1 (Jaiswal 13, Nair 5) Carse nips off, perhaps to sort a problem with his boot, then Woakes, back of a length, raps the back thigh as Nair leaves on height; he gets away with it, just, then drives beautifully through cover for four. Ooh, but Woakes is properly into this, and when a fuller one dips in, again hitting the back pad with no shot offered, he introduces the now lesser-spotted celebrappeal, then gets as aggressive as a non-aggressive person will ever get to persuade Stokes to review. It looks good from here…
10th over: India 17-1 (Jaiswal 13, Nair 1) Four dots, then Jaiswal, tucked up, forces around the corner for one, and Nair, to his immense relief I’m sure, flicks to deep backward square. He’s off the mark.
9th over: India 15-1 (Jaiswal 12, Nair 0) Nair will feel under pressure, desperate to contribute after finally being offered a return to Test cricket. He looks nervous but sees out two dots, completing the wicket maiden.
WICKET! Rahul b Woakes 2 (India 15-1)
You can’t say it wasn’t coming. Woakes drops a little shorter, Rahul is late on his shot, and can only drag on.
Updated
9th over: India 15-0 (Jaiswal 12, Rahul 2) Woakes nips one back and Rahul sort of lets it go then tries to get his hip in the way, feart it’s hitting the stumps. So he goes again, contacts the back pad … England like it … until Brook, at two, advises there was an edge.
8th over: India 15-0 (Jaiswal 12, Rahul 2) Rahul nurdles to the side of mid-on and they take a single, the only run from the over.
7th over: India 14-0 (Jaiswal 12, Rahul 1) Woakes is bowling nicely now, shaping one away from Jaiswal who again manages not to impart an edge. Another maiden, and this is intensifying.
REVIEW! NOT OUT!
There may have been two sounds, but it was definitely pad first; the ball pitched in line, but was only clipping the leg-stump bail, so it’s umpire’s call.
7th over: India 14-0 (Jaiswal 12, Rahul 1) Woakes moves one in and nails Jaiswal on the pad; the appeal is again rejected, and this time England review.
Updated
6th over: India 14-0 (Jaiswal 12, Rahul 1) Jaiswal clatters a cut and must assume he’s getting four, but Pope, at backward point, flings himself right to stop it; brilliant work. Jaiswal, though, is not for being denied, waiting to get right over Carse’s fourth delivery, before thrashing it through cover for four. And of course he goes again, this time missing with his drive; I’m not sure the manner in which he’s batting is sustainable because that is, I think, the third time he’s been beaten outside off, and if he keeps doing it he’ll eventually nick off.
5th over: India 9-0 (Jaiswal 8, Rahul 1) Woakes knows a thing or 105,986 about bowling at Edgbaston and he sends down a second maiden in two overs.
“Completely shocked but not surprised about India’s selection, says Anand Kumar. “Gambhir’s poor strategic and tactical abilities to the fore. You have five players scoring centuries and end up strengthening the batting. I think Kuldeep will be this management’s Ashwin. Being overlooked for a few runs from someone else. Sadly, don’t think there is any way Gambhir is leaving soon.
Since the loss to NZ in the first Test at home, they have been addressing the wrong problem (playing on spin-friendly pitches elevating NZ’s spinners). That led to the obsession with the long batting line up.
Maybe a 5-0 whitewash might see GG get sacked? Given his clout, it might be Gill who might get the axe!”
This team just doesn’t feel very … India.
4th over: India 9-0 (Jaiswal 8, Rahul 1) A massive yahoo from Jaiswal, who tries hitting Carse’s first ball all the way back to Uttar Pradesh, getting nowhere near it. So of course he goes again, this time taking care not to dislocate his shoulders and earning four through point. Three dots follow, then Carse drops shorter, the delivery describing an excitable parabola as it jags back in, and Jaiswal can’t get a bat on it.
3rd over: India 5-0 (Jaiswal 4, Rahul 1) In comes Woakes with a leg slip – the tactic must be to bowl straight at Rahul, who showed admirable patience at Headingley. His first delivery is full and a little bit floaty, moving it away from the batter who tries turning it to leg, misses, and wears it on the pad. Woakes likes it, but when the umpire does not, he and Stokes decide it was going down … which it was. Maiden.
“What a day!” begins Showbizguru. “Perfect timing. England and the Lions both playing as I look forward to the festivities of my 70th birthday today. Although as it’s also our 30th wedding anniversary the current Mrs Showbizguru is less than enamoured of my plans to watch the cricket all afternoon in a cider bar in Bath before falling into a restaurant for a celebratory meal. Grand weather for it!”
Mazal tov to both of you. May well all be similarly blessed.
2nd over: India 5-0 (Jaiswal 4, Rahul 1) Carse takes the new meteorite from the other end, and I wonder how Rahul feels this morning. His second-innings knock at Headingley is a footnote rather than a highlight only because of stuff others did subsequent to it – it was an absolute gem. Anyroad, he takes the fifth ball of the over for one into the on side, then Carse goes around to the left-handed Jaiswal, who blocks back to him.
“Since you’ve already put a link to the TMS overseas page in the OBO,” writes Guillaume Clement, “I thought I’d add that most overseas viewers can watch the entire test’s Sky Sports coverage on the official ICC website. All you need to do is create a free ICC TV account.”
Updated
1st over: India 4-0 (Jaiswal 4, Rahul 0) Woakes begins just back of a length, swinging away, and Jaiswal lets it go by. Three further dots follow, then one on the pads allows for a flick around the corner for four, before he misses with a loose cut.
“Good morning Daniel. And all,” begins Dean Kinsella, channelling Widecombe Fair. “‘Flintoff bowling at his peak’. What beautiful images to have in my mind as this game begins. I was thinking the other day that these all-rounder champions always seem to come one at a time for national teams. Imagine if you had a Botham, a Flintoff and a Stokes all at the same time! Maybe there has been a team with something equivalent?”
Daffy DeFreitas and Chris Lewis, obviously.
There’s a window reflecting some sun, so Stokes is gesticulating at whoever’s behind it to shut it. It’s done, Jaiswal will face, and here we go.
Woakes, perhaps even more uncannily handsome now he’s silvering, has the ball.
Righto, it’s time.
Our players are out, and proceedings will begin with a moment of siilence to remember Wayne Larkins; it turns into a moment of applause when Ben Stokes begins clapping. Well batted, Ned.
And there’s more! “The TMS overseas link is here,” says Andrew Benton. “To get there, go to the BBC cricket page, click the live coverage button and it’s linked in the left box on that page. Always, every day there’s a Test match, easy to find.”
As Milo Minderbender said, “Everyone has a share.”
The OBO cooperative bids you a good morning, courtesy of Andrew Goudie. “Would you like today’s TMS overseas link?” he asks.
Enjoy!
Email! “Best bowling from an Englishman,” begins Shaun. “May I respectfully add Stuart Broad’s 8-15 v Australia? Lots of great spells over the years but this one will always stand out for me. Couldn’t believe what I was watching at the time.”
It surely can’t be only me who, when asked the time when it’s 8.15, will say it’s Stuart Broad, where previously I'd answer “it’s 8.15 and that’s the time that it’s always been.” As it goes, though, I wasn’t talking about spells – Broad has always been the best at those - rather the highest level I’ve seen an English bowler hit was Flintoff at his peak.
Part of me wonders if India are trying to not lose this Test, opting for a long batting line-up while sneaking in a rest for Bumrah, in order to go hard at Lord’s. Other hand, it may be they’re simply trying to address their lack of lower-order runs, which makes sense, it’s not unclear how they plan to take 20 wickets while leaving enough time to score more than England.
Aha, the Champo blog is up and away. Join Tanya for even more love and joy.
What do we think about England’s attack, then? I’m cautiously optimistic in that I think they’re all good bowlers, but for the side to hit a level, at least one of them and ideally two will have to develop into a champion. The batting, on the other hand, looks like it might be there or close to it.
India would also have bowled, and make three changes: in come Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar and Akash Deep; out go Sai Sudharson – harshly – Thardul Shakur – less so – and Jasprit Bumrah. They thought about playing Bumrah but feel there’ll be more for him in the pitch at Lord’s so leave out the world’s best bowler after a week off – I dunno, maybe it’s be, but are you serious? – and were tempted to pick Kuldeep, but in the end opted to strengthen the batting. Finally, he says “This year has been a year of chaos. A lot of teams who haven’t won a lot have won, so maybe that’ll change fortunes for us.”
Gosh, he doesn’t sound like he fancies his team all that much.
Updated
England did well in the last Test so, though you always consider everyone, they are unchanged. When “Bazball with brains” is put to Stokes as a way of describing, he laughs, saying him, Baz and brains are not three words you usually hear together.
England win the toss and bowl
Decent overhead conditions are cited as the reason.
It’s toss time…
I enjoyed reminiscing to myself when reading Ali’s piece, and agree Stokes has far exceeded Flintoff, partly because of his World Cup exploits but mainly because this thing of ours, nearly 150 years enriching humanity, is, on account of his contribution, changed for the better. And yet there’s a part of me saying but the best bowling I’ve ever seen from an Englishman? Flintoff’s.
Also going on:
Sky have Ian Ward interviewing Ben Duckett, who notes that with a newborn at home, you’re quickly back to reality after cricketing heroism. He also notes that at Headingley, the bat just felt great in his hands, and the team have changed as a group, setting a new way of making sure to win. We can see that in how they played Bumrah, and he notes his dismissal in the third Test in New Zealand, when he was out charging Tim Southeee as one of few regrets he has in cricket. Had England finished day four of the first match 10-2, they’d have had very little chance of a successful chase, but they were sensible, reaping their rewards later on.
India also have a choice to make with their bowlers. They’ll presumably leave out Shsrdul Thakur, but do they bolster the tail by replacing him with Washington Sundar, or attack with Kuldeep Yadav – goodness me, they’d have appreciated having him on day five at Headingley.
The sense from DK and SJ is that Jasprit Bumrah won’t be playing. Neither quite gets it – the teams have had a week off and India are trailing – and Broad doesn’t understand why they announced he’d play three of five, instead of taking each “week” as it comes. For my part, I thought they’d pick him here then leave him out at Lord’s, much as they’d want him there, then pick him for OT and see where the series is after four Tests. We shall see.
It looks a pretty pleasant day in Birmingham, which is a relief – I woke up, saw what London was doing, and feared for our plans. But here we are; this is going to be great.
Preamble
“It’s called a Test for a reason” is one of Test cricket’s most enduring cliches. Generally speaking, though, its deployment references the sporting aspect: what happens out there in the middle.
But the reality is somewhat different. Though the game remains testing, an extended examination of will and skill, for those with requisite ability and mentality the more significant test is abandoning friends, family and life for months at a time and year after year – while also being expected to perform.
As such, and though there were other operative factors, it is not entirely surprising that, on recent tours to India and Pakistan, England won the first Test of the series before losing the others. Similarly, in the most recent Ashes, Australia won the first two then lost the second two, and when South Africa last visited, they won the first before being clattered in the second and third.
Or, in other words, it’s hard not to fear for India. Of course there’s the playing aspect – a young team and a novice captain, coming to terms with the retirements of three champions, facing hosts who may just be maturing from something special into something serious. We know, though, that they can play – and they proved it at Headingley, a match it should have been impossible for them to lose. Yet lose it they did, meaning they arrive at Edgbaston trailing 1-0 with four matches still to go. It may not be a long way back, but it is a long way home.
Play: 11am BST
