Tanya Aldred on a glaring failure to combat institutional racism
Jonathan Liew on a bad day for India
Read Ali Martin's report
Stumps: England lead by 42!
42nd over: England 120-0 (Burns 52, Hameed 60) Hameed, facing Siraj, gets away with another nick, this time making use of a handy gap in the slips. Are we approaching the time when we’re going to have to feel a bit sorry for Virat Kohli? The last ball of the day brings an appeal for LBW, but runs are given as Hameed plays a clip off the toes. And that’s stumps, with England in a ludicrously strong position. They lead by 42 already, thanks to their seamers, their catchers, and their openers, all of whom have been on their best behaviour. In the blink of an eye, England have gone from toothless to ruthless, and India from ferocious to feeble. Thanks for your company and correspondence, and we’ll see you tomorrow for more of this carnage – or a stirring Indian comeback.
Fifty to Burns!
41st over: England 114-0 (Burns 52, Hameed 54) Burns clips Bumrah through midwicket to reach his first fifty of this series. He’s been as ungainly as ever, but admirably calm and crisp, and he’s bounced back from a shocker at Lord’s. England’s first innings has now lasted longer than India’s.
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40th over: England 110-0 (Burns 48, Hameed 54) Shami has an appeal for LBW against Burns – on the right line, as it angles in, but too high. Hameed continues to play straight and late. The crowd launch into a rough-and-ready rendition of Sweet Caroline. They’ve reached the stage of the day where they’re more interested in their own activities than anything else.
39th over: England 108-0 (Burns 47, Hameed 53) The gentlemen of the Western Terrace are in full flow too, trying to provoke Mohammed Siraj, who looks equal to anything they can throw at him. Shades of Tony Greig in India in 1976-77, charming the crowd by playing along with their jibes.
Hameed’s fifty, by the way, is the first in this series by an Englishman who is not a Yorkshireman. Joe Root has three (including two hundreds), Jonny Bairstow one.
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38th over: England 107-0 (Burns 47, Hameed 52) Headingley, which was getting a bit sleepy, has woken up now, so Hameed’s big moment has led to an outbreak of singing, as it should.
37th over: England 105-0 (Burns 46, Hameed 51) It was Rohit at second slip who couldn’t hold the catch, off Bumrah. This is Hameed’s third half-century in his fifth Test: what a glorious moment.
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Fifty for Hameed!!
A nick, a missed chance, a four – and fifty for Haseeb Hameed. Headingley gives him the huge cheer he deserves, not just for this innings, but for making it back from five years in the wilderness.
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36th over: England 100-0 (Burns 46, Hameed 46) Hameed brings up the hundred – and of course the hundred partnership – in style with a late cut for four off Shami. That’s the shot of the day. The day should be over by now, but the over rate has been awful as usual, so play will continue until 6.30, when India might prefer it if the ground swallowed them up right now.
35th over: England 95-0 (Burns 45, Hameed 42) Back comes Bumrah, as requested by that spectator with a sign. Hameed clips him for a couple but mostly concentrates on playing textbook forward-defensives. If he can get another 30 or so here, he’s on the plane to Australia – assuming the tour goes ahead.
34th over: England 93-0 (Burns 45, Hameed 40) Burns cuts Shami for four, then chops him for two more.
“So,” says Justin Horton, “when did England last overtake another side’s first-innings score with all ten wickets still intact?” I’m glad you asked that, Justin, because Michael Holding has just given the answer: in 2010, at Melbourne. Australia were bowled out for 98, whereupon Strauss and Cook added 159. Jimmy Anderson was playing then, too.
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33rd over: England 87-0 (Burns 39, Hameed 40) With no Jadeja, Kohli turns back to Ishant, who goes for just a single. The sun is shining, and England need to make hay here.
32nd over: England 86-0 (Burns 38, Hameed 40) Shami replaces Siraj and Hameed finally gets off 32, playing a cut for four. It should have been a single, but Jadeja misfielded it, most uncharacteristically, not long after being called the best outfielder in the world by Shane Warne. Jadeja seems to hurt himself in the process and goes off for treatment. Hameed then adds a controlled edge for four more, so England lead by eight. Place your bets now on what they will have by the end of this innings.
31st over: England 78-0 (Burns 38, Hameed 32) Jadeja to Burns: nothing doing here either. Kohli no longer has anyone at bat-pad, so Burns can pat the ball away without a care in the world. “Time for some Boom-boom Bumrah magic,” says a sign. Any old magic would do.
30th over: England 78-0 (Burns 38, Hameed 32) Siraj to Hameed: nothing happening bar a tasty bouncer. Hameed goes for the hook and misses, perhaps beaten for pace.
“Importanter?” says Damian Clarke. “Got to admire that kid. I’m reminded of this classic.”
29th over: England 78-0 (Burns 38, Hameed 32) The last 21 runs off the bat have all come from Burns, but Jadeja keeps him quiet with a maiden.
28th over: England 78-0 (Burns 38, Hameed 32) Siraj, who is nothing if not persistent, makes another bid to get the ball changed, and this time he succeeds. And Burns responds by pulling him for six! Over the head of the man at deep square. With that, England have their highest opening partnership of the summer, beating 72 by Burns and Sibley against New Zealand at Edgbaston. Next ball Burns pulls again, for a single, so the scores are level. Does that mean we get a Super Over?
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27th over: England 71-0 (Burns 31, Hameed 32) Jadeja, who’s been bowling too straight for Shane Warne’s liking, suddenly goes wider to Burns and beats him with some lavish turn out of the rough. Beats Pant too, as the ball races away for four byes.
26th over: England 66-0 (Burns 30, Hameed 32) Siraj produces a ripper to Burns, angled in and jagging away. But there’s still no nick, and the next ball is a freebie on the pads, so Burns clips it for a comfortable three. That one was also a no-ball – it never rains but it pours. Siraj tries to get the ball changed, a move that brings little sympathy from umpire Kettleborough. A small boy holds up a sign saying, “Education is important, but cricket is importanter.” Kid, cricket is education.
25th over: England 62-0 (Burns 27, Hameed 32) Kohli gives Jadeja a silly point for Hameed, who then goes back when he should be forward and inside-edges into his pad. A maiden from Jadeja, but all India’s little victories so far have been merely moral – they badly need something more concrete.
24th over: England 62-0 (Burns 27, Hameed 32) Ishant’s bad day at the office continues as he misfields at mid-off and lets Burns pick up a cheap four off Siraj. Kohli throws his head back in disgust.
Drinks: England still in dreamland
Mid-24th over: England 58-0 (Burns 23, Hameed 32) The bowlers’ footmarks need some attention from the man with the tamper, so the umpires call for drinks. England’s progress has been slow but steady. Kohli, wondering what the hell is going off out there, calls a huddle.
23rd over: England 58-0 (Burns 23, Hameed 32) Warne gets his wish as Ravi Jadeja comes on. Burns greets him with a sweep which fizzes away for four through midwicket, and then gives him the charge, though it only brings a single. Somewhere in Leeds, Ravichandran Ashwin holds his head in his hands and lets out a silent scream.
22nd over: England 53-0 (Burns 18, Hameed 32) Just a single off Ishant, but he still seems out of sorts. Shane Warne is calling for a bit of spin. “Change the pace of the game.”
“Tim,” says Kim Thonger, “I feel I must take credit for this start by England. I put a crisp fiver on them being 0 for 3 by the end of the first over. I call this procedure reverse jinx and claim my MBE.”
England's openers put on 50!!
21st over: England 52-0 (Burns 17, Hameed 32) Siraj continues and Hameed plays another of those crisp cuts of his, for four, to bring up the fifty partnership. The decision to drop poor old Dom Sibley is paying off so far.
“If you’re looking for a titbit,” says my colleague Emma John, “I can tell you that today’s Headingley trumpeter is none other than Joe Auckland, of Alex Horne’s excellent band The Horne Section.” Nice one. I hope he’s played a Stones tune in honour of Charlie Watts, drummer, dandy and cricket lover.
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20th over: England 48-0 (Burns 17, Hameed 28) Ishant is attacking the pads, which seems unwise as Burns tucks for two, but it then yields an appeal as Pant takes the ball down the leg side. England are only 30 behind. Come on India!
“Hearing about the hirsute nature of the Grace brothers,” says Tom van der Gucht, “brought memories of Keith Flett and the Beard Liberstion Front. I don’t think I’ve spotted any of his entries in the OBO for a while now. Perhaps the onset of the hipsters and their beardy ways made his quest obsolete.”
19th over: England 46-0 (Burns 15, Hameed 28) Here is Siraj, at last. He’s on the spot, and mostly full of length, but causes no alarms.
18th over: England 45-0 (Burns 14, Hameed 28) Bumrah gets a breather but rather than a first spell for Siraj, Kohli opts to give a second to Ishant. Hameed can’t believe his luck. He cuts Ishant crisply for four, just as he did in the first over. And then does it again! This ball is so wide that he has to reach for it, but he middles it past gully. This is now England’s highest opening partnership of the series.
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17th over: England 37-0 (Burns 14, Hameed 20) Burns’s turn to play and miss, at Shami. The ball is going past the bat regularly now that the Indian seamers are bowling a fuller length. When in Yorkshire, do as the Yorkies do.
16th over: England 37-0 (Burns 14, Hameed 20) Bumrah is still on, perhaps because he’s barely conceded a run and Kohli does see defence as the main form of attack (apart from sledging). He beats Hameed with some seam movement on fourth or fifth stump. Then he tries a slower ball, which Hameed manages to adjust to, abandoning the big drive he had in mind and settling for a dead bat.
“Given the bad blood in this series so far,” says Alastair Horne, “I hope India can push the boundaries of sledging against our tail-enders by taking a leaf from Freddie Flintoff and calling out ‘Mind the window, Overton’.” An erudite joke: what else do you expect from OBO readers?
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15th over: England 37-0 (Burns 14, Hameed 20) Another quick single from Hameed. “The tempo has been excellent so far,” says another Lancastrian opener, Mike Atherton. A third, David Lloyd, is off air at the moment. Hass, whatever happens with the rest of your Test career, you can be sure you’ll end up in the commentary box.
14th over: England 36-0 (Burns 14, Hameed 19) Bumrah tries a bouncer and Burns takes it on the body, in an eloquent tribute to the late Brian Close.
13th over: England 36-0 (Burns 14, Hameed 19) Burns flirts with danger again by setting off for a single that isn’t there. Hameed sends him back and Burns is grateful to find that the ball has gone to Pujara, no Tim David in the field. Burns, undaunted, pushes fore two, then he does take a quick single, and Hameed clips for four. These two have already racked up the highest partnership today, beating 35, by Rohit and Rahane.
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12th over: England 29-0 (Burns 11, Hameed 15) Bumrah to Hameed, just a row of dots, so let’s return to the vital subject of long hair. “I think that WG Grace opened the batting on debut with his brother EM (in Test match #4),” says Simon Thomas. Simon, we’ll take your word for it. “Obviously no pictures of that day but from other photos both were heroically hairy.” Game on! It’s Burns and Hameed v the Grace Brothers. Didn’t they open a department store later on?
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11th over: England 29-0 (Burns 11, Hameed 15) Burns finally finds the boundary with a handsome shot off Shami, a push-drive eased past point. Then he clips to leg, which is flirting with danger as Kohli has a man there now at backward square.
10th over: England 25-0 (Burns 7, Hameed 15) Bumrah continues to Burns. With his catapult action, he’s the bowler you’d want to be if you were a kid playing cricket in the park, but the magic doesn’t seem to be there for him today. Get Siraj on!
“Test match lines and Test match lengths have put England in a very strong position.” says Gary Naylor on Twitter. “Now for a bit of Test match batting. Sometimes cricket needs to stop innovating and start consolidating.” Ha.
9th over: England 24-0 (Burns 6, Hameed 15) Burns plays his first shot for more than a single, a punch past mid-on for three off Shami – who then beats Hameed all ends up, turning him round with a near-perfect out-seamer. It feels as if the breakthrough is just around the corner. To be sure of it, Kohli may want to bring on Mohammed Siraj, who may still be seething after not being crowned player of the match at Lord’s.
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8th over: England 21-0 (Burns 3, Hameed 15) Bumrah was changing ends. He begins his second spell with a maiden to the hirsute Hameed.
“Let’s get to the big questions today,” says Guy Hornsby on Twitter. “Is this the longest-haired opening pair England have had in decades? I know there was Wayne Larkins in the 80s and Amiss and Brearley had the dos of the 70s, but surely nothing as shaggy as this pair? Statsguru is no help.” Ha. I’d say this pair were definitely shaggier than any of that lot, even Ned Larkins. England cricketers of the 70s mostly wore the styles of the 60s. Cricket in those days wasn’t very with it.
Tea: England's openers are still there!
7th over: England 21-0 (Burns 3, Hameed 15) Kohli does do something, replacing Bumrah after only three overs (perhaps to change ends) and sending for Mohammed Shami. It almost does the trick as Shami jags one away from Burns to produce the first play-and-miss of the innings. But Burns tightens up and that’s tea. England have had the session of their dreams: they trail by just 57. See you in 20 minutes.
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6th over: England 21-0 (Burns 3, Hameed 15) Hameed leaves one from Bumrah that goes right over his off stump. That may have been good judgment, leaving on length. The openers survive and Kohli already needs to do something here.
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5th over: England 21-0 (Burns 3, Hameed 15) Ishant is settling down now but Hameed is still looking sharp. He plays a dab into the covers and takes a nice quick single of the kind that England have not been too keen on lately. He likes that feeling so much, he does it again. Five overs gone and the ball hasn’t beaten the bat yet.
4th over: England 18-0 (Burns 2, Hameed 13) Burns tucks Bumrah for a single, and so does Hameed. On WinViz, England’s chances of winning are 82 per cent, India’s 15, which makes you wonder if its algorithm fully grasps the nature of English pessimism.
3rd over: England 16-0 (Burns 1, Hameed 12) Ishant continues, mostly too wide, and when he tries the inswinger Hameed is ready for it, clipping smoothly for a couple. Hameed already has one more run than India managed for their last five wickets.
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2nd over: England 14-0 (Burns 1, Hameed 10) Hameed seems to have decided that attack is the best form of defence, which, if the Indian innings is anything to go by, may well be right. He drives Jasprit Bumrah’s first ball for four, a touch uppishly through the gully, and then shovels a single to mid-on to reach double figures for the first time in a Test for nearly five years. It would be lovely to see him settle down. This has been a weird series for batsmen: only three of them are averaging 30 – Rohit with 42, Rahul with 48, and Root with a frankly ridiculous 128.
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1st over: England 9-0 (Burns 1, Hameed 5) So here they are, England’s 22nd different opening pair since Andrew Strauss retired in 2012. The first ball, from Ishant Sharma, is a gift on the pads, and Rory Burns tucks it away for a single. It turns out to be a double gift, as it was a no-ball too. Haseeb Hameed, who was horribly nervous in the first innings at Lord’s, starts with a nice decisive leave. Then Ishant carries on handing out the presents by bowling another no-ball, followed by a wide. Hameed, heartened, plays a cracking cut for four. But by the end of a long over Ishant is finding his feet, nipping one back to hurry Hameed into a Harrow drive. England are only 70 away from a first-innings lead.
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Here’s Brian Withington, sounding mystified. “From where I was watching, the Headingley pitch seemed to be behaving quite reasonably. Decent bounce and nothing too excessive. Modest occasional swing and a bit of seam. If that had been England batting (as at Lord’s). I think we’d be having a national meltdown. There’s still time of course …”
Virat Kohli finally won a Test toss in England, and will now be wishing he hadn’t. He opted to bat, whereupon it all went horribly wrong. Jimmy Anderson, using the first new ball well for once, destroyed the top order, Kohli included. Ollie Robinson dealt with the midriff, and Craig Overton and Sam Curran lopped off the tail. England have done to India what Australia did to them in the last Test at Headingley. The only trouble is, Australia managed to grab defeat from the jaws of a straightforward victory. And England are capable of matching any batting collapse. But, for at least a few minutes, they can bask in this: they were excellent, and India were awful. Now England just need their openers to get through the first two overs.
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India all out! For 78!! (Siraj c Root b Overton 3)
A fine catch by Joe Root at first slip, and that is that.
40th over: India 78-9 (Ishant 8, Siraj 3) Ishant has one decent stroke in him, the back-foot force, and he plays it now to pick up three off Curran. After their heroics at Lord’s, the Indian tailenders have remembered how they’re supposed to play.
39th over: India 74-9 (Ishant 5, Siraj 2) India have their best over for some time, simply by not losing a wicket. Ishant, facing Overton, gets four off the edge, and a bonus run, also off the edge, as Jonny Bairstow tips it over the bar at second slip.
Ha, thanks Daniel and afternoon everyone. Anything is possible, as India are hell-bent on showing us.
38th over: India 69-9 (Ishant 0, Siraj 0) Decent little mini-sesh that, but a two off the final delivery deprives us of consecutive double wicket-maidens – has that ever happened before? – and if you know where the hyphen(s) go there, you’re my hero. It’s not often you want the working day to continue, but sadly for me and luckily for you, my watch is done, so here’s Tim de Lisle to narrate you through England’s upcoming disintegration.
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REVIEW REJECTED!
Siraj absolutely smashed that.
ENGLAND REVIEW!
At the last second, with a smile – I think Root knows this isn’t out, but with three goes left it makes some sort of sense to have a bash.
38th over: India 67-9 (Ishant 0, Siraj 0) This is another superb hat-trick ball – you don’t see those often and we’ve seen two in two overs – full and straight. It hits the pads but after the bat I think...
REVIEW REJECTED!
Amazing what happens when you jut bowl good balls at bad batters.
INDIA REVIEW!
Of course they do. Good luck lads.
WICKET! Bumrah lbw b Curran 0 (India 67-9)
Now it’s Curran on a hatty! England are rampant! This one nips in off a length, Bumrah can’t get bat around pad, and that too looks dead.
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38th over: India 67-7 (Jadeja 4, Ishant 0) India have lost three wickets in five balls for no runs...
REVIEW REJECTED!
India are going to lose this match on day one if England merely bat badly.
INDIA REVIEW!
This is a matter of principle, not rationale.
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WICKET! Jadeja lbw b Curran 4 (India 67-8)
This looked very adjacent on first viewing, full, missing the ball and clipping the inside of the front pad, right at the ankle. I’m sure there’ll be a review, but it’s a hopeful one...
37th over: India 67-7 (Jadeja 4, Ishant 0) Here comes the hat-trick ball and it’s a nasty one, full, straightening and straight ... but Ishant does just enough, jabbing the bat underneath it. Overton has to settle for the double-wicket maiden.
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WICKET! Shami c Burns b Overton 0 (India 67-7)
IT’S TWO IN TWO! Ball on a length, just outside off, and it’s far too good for the first of India’s four 11s, attracting the edge like an industrial magnet before plopping to three. Overton is on a hatty!
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WICKET! Robit c Robinson b Overton 19 (India 67-6)
No all ten for Buttler, but this is a colossal development in the match! Overton bangs one in and Rohit’s instinct takes over, commanding him to fetch a pull form outside off. But he can’t ride the bounce nor can he get all of it, spooning a dolly to mid on. India are in all sorts!
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37th over: India 67-5 (Rohit 19, Jadeja 4) Overton opens his ninth over with three dots but Rohit, who’s batted 104 balls for 19 is starting to lose patience.
“Peaty is so far ahead of the competition that the targets he sets are times that only he can achieve,” emails Lee Smith. “He is extending the boundaries of what is possible of his sport. Plus we all know the answer is Brian Jacks.”
I’m just too young for Superstars, but my old fella regaled me with tales such that I knew it was a matter of time before Jacks came up.
36th over: India 67-5 (Rohit 19, Jadeja 4) Curran replaces Robinson and starts over the wicket to Jadeja, who flicks him to long leg for one. Rohit then twizzles a no ball to square leg and four dots follow; I daresay we’ll be seeing Anderson soon.
I really enjoy discussing or comparing the merits of sportsmen and women across different fields as it often results in more people being aware of less popular sports,” emails Neil Mackie, “which brings me on to Rachel Atherton. She has been world champion in downhill mountain bike five times, overall DH world cup winner six times and has won 37 DH world cup races. She also won 14 consecutive world cup races between 2015 and 2017, dominance that underplayed what was happening, when other world class riders accepted they were only fighting for second place, with Rachel so far ahead. The lack of attention for such an exciting and interesting sport played to the wider public not knowing about her but they really should.”
Downhill mountain biking, I’m terrified even reading the words.
35th over: India 64-5 (Rohit 18, Jadeja 3) Nasser is back to castigating India’s bottom four, also saying that Pant isn’t a six in England and perhaps Kohli should’ve picked Ashwin, who’d then bat at eight. But it’s Jadeja facing, and he runs a single past gully, then after Rohit flicks one more to deep square, he takes another to cover. Three off the over – by the standards, an absolute deluge.
“Far be it from me to denigrate Mr Peaty’s achievements and so on,” says Tom Farrell, “but even within the world of swimming, breaststroke is hardly the pinnacle. No serious Australian or American swimmer would be guided towards breaststroke, which is probably why until this year every gold medal since the war won by a British male swimmer was in breaststroke. I think we might have to accept the rest of the world aren’t that bothered....”
I didn’t know about that, but now you mention it I do conceive of breaststroke as what my mum does so as not to ruin her hairdo.
34th over: India 61-5 (Rohit 17, Jadeja 1) I’ll say it again: I love the way Robinson has bowled since his first spell, challenging the outside edge in the knowledge that bowled and lb are difficult for him on this track. His first ball raps Jadeja’s pad after the batsman misses a flick but pitched outside leg, his second just misses that outside edge, and his third straightens then takes bat just before pad. England have got one here, they really have, though Jadeja gets away when he presses the final delivery into the off side.
33rd over: India 60-5 (Rohit 17, Jadeja 0) Overton is growing into this, and after four dots, he goes wide then moves it away from Rohit who, slightly square, has to play at it from around his right shoulder. He edges ... and the ball drops just shy of Bairstow at two. That’s another maiden, and Overton now has four from seven.
“Greatest ever sportsman?” asks Patrick Nagle. “Easy. Phil Carter (sadly died two years ago). Played for a West Mids hockey club. Got into the first team when he was 15. Left the first team when he was past 50. Hugely competitive on the pitch. Though never a dickhead (the only one I have ever seen who has played at a high level). After dropping from the 1st team, was happy to go down all the teams to the bottom. And he could drink anyone under the table. He would also turn out for the club rugby and cricket teams whenever possible. Often on the same day as a hockey game.
This from a rival club: ‘Phil was a fine player and was well known to many of our guys who played first team hockey against him from the 1980s onwards. He represented all that is good about club hockey; fiercely competitive on the field and very sociable and hospitable off it. He was very proud to play for Old Hales and he was clearly lending his experience to the younger players in the lower sides over the latter seasons. Phil was simply a top bloke and what an epitaph that is. It is such a shame that he was taken so early in his life.’
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32nd over: India 60-5 (Rohit 17, Jadeja 0) Rohit hooks Robinson for one, rolling wrists to prevent the ball from ballooning – the only run off the over. England have started very well after lunch, which sets up the inevitable disintegration all the better.
Tom Knight would like to wish you all a happy Ben Stokes Day.
Stokes' innings set to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.@gregjames
— Grubby Pony (@PonyGrubby) August 28, 2019
@felixwhite
@jimmy9@itsmattchin pic.twitter.com/IiXFgxwRcd
31st over: India 59-5 (Rohit 16, Jadeja 0) Anderson v Jadeja sounds extremely tasty, and I’m sure it won’t be long before it’s bestowed upon us. On which point, Anderson not playing T20 is probably good for this contest, because the antipathy isn’t ruined by the IPL and nonsense like lasting friendship. Back in the middle, Rohit feathers a single behind, the only run from Overton’s over.
30th over: India 58-5 (Rohit 15, Jadeja 0) Looking at that wicket again, it was too wide to drive – given the circumstances, Pant might’ve let it go, though given the tightness of the bowling and the way he plays, I can see why he went at it. However, it needed a cut not a drive, and that’s why he’s now hutchwards bound. Anyhow, seven is the record for wicket-keeper catches in an innings, and the match record is 11, held by ... Rishabh Pant. On the plus side for India, this situation is made for a nails competitor like Jadeja, so England still have work to do – if they can break this partnership quickly, it’ll take a lot of effort, even by their august standards, to avoid winning. Wicket maiden for Robinson.
WICKET! Pant c Buttler b Robinson 2 (India 58-5)
Five from five for Buttler! I really like how Robinson has come back after an ok first spell, adjusting his length a little to make the pitch work for him, and he shapes one away from Pant, who can’t help but follow it in search of a cover-drive, sending a chunky edge behind!
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29th over: India 58-4 (Rohit 15, Pant 2) After two more dots, Rohit edges behind on the leg side and Pant sets off, so Buttler removes glove and shies for the non-striker’s. But Pant knows himself, so is ready to turn, and his drive, across the flight of the ball, nudges it away from the stump. Maiden.
“I would counter that Peaty isn’t competing against the greatest ever to do it because he is the greatest ever to do it,” agrees Jonathan Bennett, “a fact that surely makes him greater than Andy Murray. If we’re talking all-time British best, however, I would personally have to go for Grant Holt and Stephen Redgrave. In that order.”
Yes, I get that, but I’m not certain that being the greatest 100m breaststroker ever is a greater achievement than winning grand slam finals against Federer, djokovic and Nadal.
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28th over: India 58-4 (Rohit 15, Pant 2) Robinson found his groove in that spell before lunch, I think, and his first ball draws a false stroke from Pant, who misses with a drive, is beaten again by one which moves away, and wears a nip-backer on the back thigh. England appeal – led by Root, who’s back out there – but it was high so the umpire says no. Still, that was a very nifty over, and a second straight maiden.
“Wouldn’t you say it’s a little harsh to downgrade Peaty’s credentials because he isn’t ‘competing against the greatest ever to do it’,” says Matt Turland, “when you consider that he is the greatest ever to do it? Unless you’re proposing he races a ghost version of himself like Mario Kart. Which I’d be up for watching.”
I wonder how lightning would work in the water. But no, I don’t think it’s harsh – all protagonists need antagonists, and whichever of Federer and Djokovic we say is the greatest, they’re competing against each other, plus Murray, Nadal and Wawrinka. Also, we’re talking about the absolute zenith here, so need to differentiate somehow, and one way I do that is looking at who you beat.
27th over: India 58-4 (Rohit 15, Pant 2) It’s not Anderson but Overton, and Pant turns his first ball away for one, then sees out five dots.
26th over: India 57-4 (Rohit 14, Pant 1) pant flicks the final ball of Robinson’s pre-lunch go-around to long leg and he wants a second run, but Rohit tells him to behave.
PSA: “I’m emailing with regards the OBOccasionals, a motley group of cricketers that first got together via the OBO back in 2013 for a tour to Estonia, and have since played in various places together over the years,” says Joe Neate. “You can read some of our exploits here. The reason I’m mailing is that we are planning a trip to Limassol in Cyprus in October this year, the weekend of the 16th/17th, and we still have a few slots left open if anyone wants to join us. We welcome cricketers of all experience / confidence, and have a wide range of abilities across the existing group. It’s about having fun, making new friendsad celebrating the awesomeness of cricket as opposed to being overly competitive. If any of the readers are available and willing to travel, or indeed happen to be based in Cyprus and fancy joining for a weekend of cricket, please get in touch!
My email address is joe.neate@gmail.com, happy for you to share publicly or just ask people to get in contact with you and you can pass their details on. Hoping you can help, and obviously the invite extends to you too if you fancy it!”
Sounds great, I must say.
Here come the teams, India starting this sesh with Rohit and Pant at the wicket and I’m sure Anderson will be involved too; this is going to be warm.
“I think the case for Adam Peaty is a strong one,” says James Taylor. “These things are often measured in how much better they are than their contemporaries which is why Bradman is still regarded as the greatest ever. Peaty hasn’t been beaten for seven years and is so far ahead of his nearest rivals they don’t stand a chance against him. Don’t think there’s another British sportsperson who can claim that. I’d also rule out the cyclists because of the technology advantage they’ve enjoyed. Sentimentally I’d go for Murray though.”
I guess we’re attached to sports which more of us watch, and perhaps have more variety. So Peaty is amazing at this one thing, but he doesn’t have a toolkit in the way that, say Murray does, nor is he competing against the greatest ever to do it.
“Fascinating morning’s cricket,” tweets Tom King. “From the ground, the pitch looks to have much more bounce than was expected. Curran in particular has been unlucky not to nick someone off.”
Yes, it does look a bit lively, and I can’t wait to see what Bumrah makes of it because natural variation + skid = hilarity.
26th over: India 56-4 (Rohit 14) And that, with one ball remaining in the 26th over, is lunch and the end of a perfect morning session for England. kohli will doubtless regret opting to bat, partly because of the conditions and partly because why not put a dicky batting order under pressure? But you’ve still gotta get it did, and led by the outrageous Jimmy Anderson, England found something when they really needed it (though I’m sure India’s bowlers are looking forward to getting ball in hand, likewise all lovers of comedy). I’ll be back in 30, when we’ll do some emails then get on with what promises to be another jazzer of an afternoon.
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WICKET! Rahane c Buttler b Robinson 18 (India 56-4)
England are having a morning! Robinson bowls back of a length, it straightens, kisses Rahane’s edge, and off he goes! That’s a huge breakthrough because England were looking toothless with Anderson resting, while Rahane was ensconcing nicely.
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26th over: India 56-3 (Rohit 15, Rahane 18) Here comes Robinson for what will be the final over of the sesh and it’s not an especially threatening one, Rohit just about pulling for one then Rahane turning behind adroitly for two.
25th over: India 53-3 (Rohit 14, Rahane 16) With all the focus on Anderson – and rightly so – it’s easy to forget that Rohit has stuck in there this morning, looking relatively untroubled for his 14. He’ll fancy himself to free those prodigious arms and hands as the bowlers tire, but for now, Overton ploughs through five more dots, beating Rahane with a beauty that slants in then moves away off the seam. In commentary, Athers wonders if he’s got the devil you need to succeed in Test cricket, saying he’s got accuracy but not enough movement and pace – bowlers need at least tow of three, he reckons – then Rahane flicks him around the corner for four, raising India’s fifty. This is developing into an excellent partnership.
24th over: India 49-3 (Rohit 14, Rahane 12) In commentary, they’re talking about great Headingley innings – it’s the 20th anniversary of Butcher’s 173* later this week. Nasser was the other end for that but says KP’s 149 against South Africa is the best he’s seen on the ground, so Athers reminds him about Gooch’s 154* and Stokes’ 135 which is to say you can make a case that England’s three best knocks of the modern era have all come in Leeds. Anyhoo, Robinson returns and Rohit drives him for two, then after three dots contacts the pad; there’s an appeal, but I’m pretty sure there was an edge there even if it wasn’t too high, which it was.
23rd over: India 47-3 (Rohit 12, Rahane 12) Overton goes fuller and Rahane edges ... but it drops just short of Root, who runs off the pitch wringing his hands after taking a whack on the thumb fielding it. That was a proper edge, but a well-played one, with soft, low hands, and Rahane, more confident than previously after a crucial knock at Lord’s, is building something here. A second straight maiden for Overton.
22nd over: India 47-3 (Rohit 12, Rahane 12) Curran continues and when his second ball strays short and leg side Rahane doesn’t miss out, flipping around the corner for four. A no ball follows, and India are inching into this now.
“We can spare ourselves the debate on this,” says Goeffrey Smith. “CB Fry captained England at cricket and represented his country at football too (getting an FA Cup runners-up medal for Southampton). He also equaled the world long jump record while halfway through a cigar. A regular player for the Barbarians at rugby too. And then there’s this (from his Wikipedia page).
‘Fry’s party trick was to leap from a stationary position on the floor backwards onto a mantelpiece; he would face the mantelpiece, crouch down, take a leap upwards, turn in the air, and bow to the gallery with his feet planted on the shelf. Persuasion would occasionally get him to perform this turn at country houses, much to the interest of the guests.’ Don’t see much of that in the modern game.”
It’s gone, hasn’t it. But if we’re doing tiiiime ago, there’s also Max Woosnam, of whom Wikipedia says: “Among his achievements were winning an Olympic gold and silver in tennis at the 1920 Summer Olympics, winning the doubles at Wimbledon, compiling a 147 break in Snooker, making a century at Lord’s Cricket Ground, captaining the British Davis Cup team, captaining Manchester City F.C. finishing ultimately runners-up for the Football League Championship in 1920–21, and captaining the England national football team.”
But for our purposes, shall we keep it to post-war?
21st over: India 40-3 (Rohit 12, Rahane 7) Yup, here’s Overton, and again Athers notes his puzzlement at the selection, saying as a bowling all-rounder, Overton should be challenging Curran while, as a strike bowler, Mahmood should be the replacement for Wood. Anyhow, he begins with a maiden.
“Greatest British sportsman ever,” says John Cox. “I don’t see that our criteria need to extend much further than ‘being Steve Redgrave’. More seriously though, being obviously the best in the world at a widely-contested sport for a significant period of time is a baseline. That rules out a number of those you mentioned.”
Who doesn’t it rule out? More people have run at sports day or thrown a dart at a dartboard than have got into the ring, but I imagine you’re binning Thompson and Taylor, not Lewis?
20th over: India 40-3 (Rohit 12, Rahane 7) My guess is this is Curran’s last over, unless Overton wants the other end, and just as I type that, Athers asks Nasser why Moeen came on before him. The answer, we’re told, is that Rahane can struggle against off spin and when a pitch is soft, there’s grip available. But I’m sure Root will want Overton in the match, especially as the pressure has reduced somewhat – though this is another decent over, just one from it that comes when Rohit turns to deep square – and its final delivery is good, leaving Rahane who fails to impart an edge, but not by much.
19th over: India 39-3 (Rohit 11, Rahane 7) The batsmen don’t look settled, but they look more comfortable than at any other time this morning and take Moeen for three singles. If I’m Joe Root, I’m giving Overton a go before lunch, but I’m also thinking that I’d love to have Saqib on the pitch with me.
18th over: India 36-3 (Rohit 9, Rahane 6) I’m really enjoying this spell form Curran, and he finds some swing and movement to force Rahane into a false shot, the ball flicking from bat to pad. There’s not short leg, so the bowler chases down the track to paddle it towards the stumps with his hand, hoping for a run out, but nothing doing. Still, that’s vintage S-Cuzz, and though Rahane turns his next delivery away for four, a bouncer then induces a hook and a miss, that’s nearly an edge.
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17th over: India 32-3 (Rohit 9, Rahane 2) Overton remains at slip though Jimmy takes a rest, Moeen twirling through a tight opener that yields a single off its final delivery, Rahane nudging to cover.
“Whilst watching the Lions a few weeks ago and discussing the Olympics,” says Karl Gibbons, “my friend had some seriously impressive stats on British swimmer, Adam Peatty and he claimed he was the greatest British sportsman ever. Now, I think that is absolute poppycock….however, what say you about Jimmy being given that accolade?”
Funnily enough i was just thinking about that myself, and he’s up there – likewise Denise Lewis, Jess Ennis, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Andy Murray, Lennox Lewis, Daley Thompson and Phil Taylor. I’m sure there are others too – my knowledge of cycling isn’t sufficient for me to select a name – but of the top of my head that’s a shortlist. What are our criteria?
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16th over: India 31-3 (Rohit 9, Rahane 1) One of the things I love most about Anderson is his commitment to youthfulness – learning new things, retaining the sense of wonder, refusing to acknowledge there’ll be an end. As per Neil Withers, I’m going to reference him next time I unexpectedly return home at 4am, having forgotten to check my phone. Anyhow, Rahane gets off the mark with a single to square leg, the only run off the over.
15th over: India 30-3 (Rohit 9, Rahane 0) Anderson begins his eighth over - how many more can he manage, another eight or so, maybe? – and his third ball cracks Rohit on the back thigh, looping up to slip. There’s an appeal, but it looked high to me and England contemplate a review then decide against it. Maiden.
“‘You get the best cricket when the ball is in the ascendancy’” tweets Mischa Watson, quoting me back to myself. “Weird how pundits don’t ever say this about the ball spinning loads on the first day.”
I don’t know – this isn’t a green top and I don’t think the ball’s doing loads, it’s doing just enough, and it’s also worth noting that all three wickets have been taken by a genius.
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14th over: India 30-3 (Rohit 9, Rahane 0) Curran sends down another threatening maiden – this pitch seems to suit him, adding a bit of bounce to his skid and allowing him to bowl full enough to find some swing.
“All a bit hectic in the bunker today as one of the scanning machines has thrown a wobbly,” says Charles Sheldrick. “Anyway, cricket, the important stuff … Do we take it that as the bits and pieces player has been given a bowl before him, Overton is playing as a specialist batsman?”
That’s tad harsh – S-Cuzz is a lot better than Capel, Ealham, Austin, Irani and the rest. I’d have left him out of this one to play Mahmood, but he’s due something, is bowling well so far, and needs the ball when it’s new. I thought his first spell on the first day at Lord’s was way too long, but if he’s in the team already, it probably makes sense for him to have a go first change.
13th over: India 30-3 (Rohit 9, Rahane 0) 6-3-6-3, aged 39 – just an absolute freak of absolute nature, and of course he continues after the break. I wonder if it’s mentally taxing to be this good – how do you assimilate such wonder into the mundanity of being human, how do you handle being the person that everyone wants to be, doing the stuff that everyone wants to do? You see that all-time great bowler, doing astonishing things for unfathomable time? hat’s you, that is. I don’t know, I really don’t, and here’s another maiden (featuring four leg byes when his third delivery clips Rohit’s pad).
12th over: India 26-3 (Rohit 9, Rahane 0) Curran overpitches and Sharma does much about, staying on the crease to present the face, the ball hurrying away for four through long off. That’s off the third ball of the over, and when two dots follow England need a third, to get Rahane on strike. But though S-Cuzz sends down a decent nut, swinging away late, Rohit does well to turn to fine leg for a single. That’s drinks, and Anderson has earned a cold one.
11th over: India 21-3 (Rohit 4, Rahane 0) Er, as I was saying, Virat really fancies this, but like I really fancied Natalie Imbruglia – from a distance. It’s 629 Test wickets for Anderson now, which by my reckoning means he’ll soon be appointed at the UK’s trade envoy to God. That’s wicket maiden number two of the morning.
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WICKET! Kohli c Buttler b Anderson 7 (India 21-3)
SKTLAHHJGOL@£&! JIMMY ANDERSON JIMMY ANDERSON JIMMY ANDERSON KIMMY ANDERSON JIMMY ANDERSON! He has bowled beautifully this morning; he has bowled perfectly this morning, and this time he pitched just a tad shorter, inciting the drive, and when it nips away Kohli can only edge behind! The celebration is every bit as manic as you’d hope, and India are rocking!
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11th over: India 21-2 (Rohit 4 Kohli 7) Anderson continues and you can see that Virat fancies this, authoritative and aggressive in defence; he runs two leg byes after missing with a leg-side flick.
“On the subject of Sir Jimmy,” says Neil Withers, “my wife loves to remind me, every year, of how during the first year of our relationship (the early days in the 2008 summer), we were talking about him and I said something along the lines of how he was inconsistent, a bit untrustworthy etc. Of course, that was the end of the good Jimmy/bad Jimmy years and the start of the consistently awesome Jimmy years.
I like to think that my off-hand dismissive comments – or at least my acceptance of the annual reminders – have been instrumental in the following 13 years of success in both our relationship and the big man’s bowling.”
My wife and I have also been together since around then, and in that time she’s brooked at least 0 conversations about the great man BUT EXCUSE ME WHILE I INTERRUPT MYSELF!
10th over: India 19-2 (Rohit 4 Kohli 7) Curran, who must know he’s doing well to still be getting picked, comes into the attack, and that looks a decent change – it’s not quite happening for Robinson, and his swing might be suited to this track. He begins well, sending down a maiden that forces Rohit to play everyball.
“It’s a bit previous to be unworried about the qualities of the India tail,” says John Starbuck, “given what happened in the last match. A hostage to fortune, there, and I wouldn’t like to be a bookie.”
They’re not good batsmen – I don’t think it’s controversial to say that, and it was discussed in commentary earlier on. Maybe they contribute again, but if they do it’ll reflect the poverty of the bowling, just as it did last Monday morning.
9th over: India 19-2 (Rohit 4 Kohli 7) Anderson’s length has been so good this morning, and he has one nip into Rohit that passes through the gate, somehow missing off stump, before a bit of extra bounce introduces ball to box. This is terrific, intense stuff – as Athers likes to say, you get the best cricket when the ball is in the ascendancy and that’s the case here, five dots followed by a shove to point that earns a single.
8th over: India 18-2 (Rohit 3 Kohli 7) Rohit shoves a full one to mid off and they run one, then when Robinson strays straight, Kohli does enough to glance around the corner for four. England will know he’s due a score and the pitch looks decent enough, so seeing him off early is probably the key to this match (yes, and not getting rolled for 63).
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7th over: India 12-2 (Rohit 2 Kohli 3) Kohli presses forward and glides towards the long off fence, but Moeen scurries after it, saving the boundary on the slide, and they run three; a single follows from the final ball of the over.
“This is all very exciting, isn’t it?” asks Andrew Cosgrove. “Do you think Virat is wondering whether he should have bowled yet?”
He probably did, but I imagine he’s got other things on his mind now he’s in the middle.
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6th over: India 8-2 (Rohit 1, Kohli 0) Three dots then four leg byes – Robinson isn’t quite there yet, and his height means this might not be his track; for similar reasons it might not be Overton’s either. Still, though, he’s keeping the batsmen quiet, the only druns from the over four leg byes.
“My god, we are spoilt to see Jimmy Anderson play cricket,” tweets Guy Hornsby. “628 wickets now in Test cricket. A master craftsman. By my calculations, including Root, he has 328 more than the rest of the attack. And Moeen is 192 of them. Is that the highest proportion of any bowler ever?”
I guess I’d look at Murali at some point or other and Walsh when he was near the end, but either way, it’s very hard to fully grasp how good Anderson is because what he’s doing is so far removed from anything we’ve seen before.
5th over: India 4-2 (Rohit 1, Kohli 0) That was such a good ball, not just on its own merits but as the exclamation mark at the end of a run of inswingers. It brings Kohli to the middle and he’ll have to focus on batting in the knowledge that he probably picked the wrong option at the toss – don’t forget that India’s tail of Siraj, Ishant, Shami and Bumrah leaves them with few reliable batsmen after this partnership. Wicket maiden for the boy Anderson, who might just have a future at this level.
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WICKET! Pujara c Buttler b Anderson 1 (India 4-2)
He is just so, so so good. It’s absolutely ridiculous, disgusting and obscene, so much so that you don’t even need me to type the words. But for posterity, a full one leaves the batsman late, he follows it because what else can anyone do, and off he pops.
4th over: India 4-1 (Rohit 1, Pujara 1) We’re shown a shot of the Headingley pavilion, which looks remarkably like a Rubix snake, then after a no ball, Pujara gets off the mark with a bunt into the off side. Robinson’s final delivery is full, right where you want it to be, cracks Rohit on the pad and there’s an appeal ... but it’s too high. In which case, how does Robinson get an lbw on this track?
“Is ‘injuries’ (per Ian Forth’s 1989 reminiscence) an exceptionally polite way of saying that half the England squad had signed up for a rebel tour of South Africa?” wonders Dave Adams.
On which point, how on earth does Lord’s still have a stand named after Gubby Allen?
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3rd over: India 2-1 (Rohit 1, Pujara 0) Talking of ears, is there a reason why they don’t stop growing but everything else does? Anyhow, Anderson slings down a beauty that’s straight and good, but the bounce means that when it beats Pujara, it raps him high on the back thigh, a right sair yin but not out. Maiden, and this is a very good start from England.
2nd over: India 2-1 (Rohit 1, Pujara 0) It’ll be Robinson from the Kirkstall Lane End and he’ll fancy these conditions, but his natural length is a bit shorter than Anderson’s, so adjustment will be necessary. Following a no ball, his fourth delivery is about right, full and moving away, a trick he repeats with his final one, but in a significant triumph of the will, Rohit lets both go by.
“Have my old ears suddenly got sharper?” wonders Brian Withington, “or has Sky turned up the volume from the stump mic? Whatever could they be hoping we will hear?”
Everything, hopefully.
1st over: India 1-1 (Rohit 1, Pujara 0) Another inswinger, and Pujara gets forward to block. So far in this series, England have struggled to bin India’s openers for cheap, so an early breakthrough might set a different tone.
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WICKET! Rahul c Buttler b Anderson 0 (India 1-1)
The absolute height of Anderson! Inducker, inducker, inducker, then a fuller outswinger encouraging the drive, and Rahul can’t help himself. That’s how you get wickets at Headingley!
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1st over: India 1-0 (Rohit 1, Rahul 0) Rohit dabs Anderson’s loosener into the off side and they run one. Meantime, various legends in the crowd sing Jerusalem – again – then applaud themselves. It’s extremely moving and I’m choking up.
Jimmy has the ball...
The TMS overseas link is no longer hidden from us – if you go to the match page on the BBC website, you’ll find it there. If you give a man a fish he thinks you’re a weirdo, and all that.
Anthem time. Not sure how we survived so many years of Test cricket without this bit.
The players are out and here are our teams!
England: 1 Rory Burns, 2 Haseeb Hameed, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Ollie Robinson, 10 Craig Overton, 11 James Anderson.
India: 1 KL Rahul, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Mohammed Shami, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj.
Athers reckons Malan is a sensible pick as he’s grizzled and experienced, which is what England need now. We then see the former interviewing the latter and Malan reckons he tried too hard and wanted it too much when he got his first go in Tests. He wasn’t happy that Ed Smith said, in public, that he struggled with the moving ball so was better suited to touring and that set him back six months. However, he thinks he’s in better shape now than he was then, and though he hasn’t forced his way in – he’s just the sensible option when there aren’t many others knocking about – he won’t have expected this chance, so has nothing to lose.
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“I’d have had Liam Livingstone open,” emails Stephen Herzenberg. “More natural talent than Stokes as a batter. A bit of a case – nonchalant, arrogant — but would respond well to the responsibility of test cricket. And he can bowl. Livingstone, Bairstow, Malan, Root, Pope, Buttler, Ali, Overton/Curran S, Robinson, Mahmood, Anderson.”
It’s tricky to toss in a player who’s not played red-ball cricket in so long, and I think now that they’ve picked Hameed, they need to give him a go. I really want Pope in there, but by I also expected him to be further along than he is and he’s got no sort of form, so it’s tricky to toss him into this mess and expect results. Ultimately, there’s probably no right answer to this one.
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“There aren’t a lot of teams out there that would drop R Ashwin for an additional fast bowler,” tweets Mukund. “It looks like Kohli has misread the conditions a bit here.”
I’m not sure – my guess is Kohli thinks the cloud cover will make an extra quick more useful than an extra spinner, and has been happy with the balance of his side so far this series.
Warne reckons batting is the aggressive option, though Kohli must’ve been tempted to get after England by sticking them under pressure. Athers, meanwhile, says Overton deserves his chance but he might’ve brought Mahmood in for Wood, then thought about who to pick, Overton or Curran. Warne agrees, and that sounds reasonable to me too (they’ll doubtless be elated to learn).
“Good question” says Joe Root when asked what he’d have done. He’s not disappointed to be bowling, saying the pitch looks a bit tacky and that it gets better for batting, with Malan and Overton replacing Sibley and Wood. He plumped for Overton not Mahmood because of the conditions – I daresay his batting and slip catching were part of things – and I guess he reckons bounce will be more important than skid, perhaps not just now but in Australia. When England bat, Burns and Hameed will become England’s 22nd opening partnership since Strauss and Cook.
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India win the toss and bat!
Virat wants runs on the board and doesn’t see much grass on the pitch. His team are unchanged because he wants the extra seamer in English conditions, expecting Ravi Jadeja to play a more significant role with the ball.
“Isn’t aggression overrated and unnecessarily deified?” asks Krishnamoorthy V? “Determination to win is ok, but do you have to display such toxic behaviour? If sports persons are role models, I shudder to think about the impact on the kids watching. A calm Bjorn Borg any day over a raging McEnroe.”
It’s a matter of taste, I guess. I enjoy the needle, love McEnroe, and “as a father myself” I don’t rely on sportsfolk to raise my daughter or show her how to behave. There’s a line, of course, but provided it’s not crossed we can enjoy all of what we have – Borg and McEnroe.
Nasser notes that at Headingley, the pitch tends to get better for batting, and the average length of wicket-taking deliveries is much fuller than elsewhere. He says it’s a bowling morning, but if the sun comes out, he’d bat. It’s got the length of a commercial break to achieve that.
Email! “Going back to 1989,” says Ian Forth, “there were injuries which resulted in England (6th test vs Australia) fielding a bowling attack of Small, Igglesden, Pringle, Capel and Cook.”
Goodness me, that was a long summer. Six Tests! I remember running home from school to see Taylor’s ton on day one in the Headingley gloaming and it didn’t get much better thereafter. Capel was the first of the new Bothams – he wasn’t the last.
The one that always sticks with me is Headingley 93, mainly because I was there, and international sport is nothing if not about ME. England’s attack then was McCague, Ilott, Caddick and Bicknell – with spells from Gooch and Thorpe – so who was getting picked if that lot were unavailable?
Athers is talking us through the way that India decimated England at Lord’s. From Bumrah’s 10-ball over to India, to the words exchanged in the Long Room, that resulted in the barrage of bouncers on the final morning, India – and Kohli in particular – absolutely rinsed them. What he does so brilliantly is play on the edge without losing his composure, maintaining a rolling boil with effortless cool. England need to respond to that, but ultimately, you can have all the mouth in the world, but if you can’t back it up it doesn’t really matter.
Ah, Warney has arrived, and already he’s inserted a “bloody” into his monologue. He’s loving India’s intensity, and wants England to do the same. Problem is, that’s hard to achieve when you’re 1-2.
The actual cricket, then: India are better than England, we know that, but it’s been a while since they’ve been better in English conditions. It’s not that long ago we were talking about England’s second-string attack being among their best ever, and I can’t stop laughing when I wonder who they’d have picked in the 90s, were they missing the equivalents of Stokes, Woakes, Broad, Stone, Wood and Archer. Even so, though, the principal differences have been top-order batting and mentality - every time India have needed something, someone has delivered. That’s the mark of a great team, and though I don’t think India are quite that yet, if they carry on as they are, it won’t be long. In the meantime, though, they’ll continue doing what they’re doing while England need to find something different. This is going to be a serious row.
Preamble
Morning everyone. It’s already been a brilliant summer of cricket, and we’re set for more of the same over the next five days, then again over two more sets of five days. But we can’t begin this Test – this Headingley Test – pontificating about our excitement, unless that feeling is available to everyone, and that is palpably not the case.
Azeem Rafiq will not be watching what we’ll be watching. As a boy, he would get up at 4am to make sure he didn’t miss anything, and his dedication to and talent the game earned him a contract with Yorkshire. There, he was racially abused as a matter of course, and since raising the alarm has seen his pain diminished yet not the report that his allegations prompted.
“Let’s be brutally honest,” he told the OBO’s Tanya Aldred earlier in the week. “However much I fight this, am I ever going to get an opportunity within the game? Probably not. Am I ever going to get a job within the game? Probably not. These are real-life consequences.”
Everything – all the joy, all the beauty, all the needle, all the love – that we see over the next few days must be filtered through that prism. The point of this series is to find out which of England and India is the better team, but the point of cricket and the point of sport is to make the world a better place. So let’s undertake to make that happen by being better ourselves, and undertake to read, watch or listen to one relevant thing over the course of this match, then recommend it to one other person. For a truly brilliant summer of cricket, we need more than decent bat and ball behaviour.
Play: 11am BST
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