Match report
Stumps
Right that’s all from us today. Many of us were surprised by Misbah’s decision to bowl having won the toss, but you feel that he has been vindicated by bowling England out for under 300. As for the hosts, several players made starts but none went on. Moeen and Ballance both batted well, but you get the feeling neither of them will have fully convinced their doubters.
Advantage Pakistan, instinct says. But the conditions are offering a bit to the bowlers and who knows how Broad, Anderson, Woakes and Finn will enjoy these conditions.
Cheers for reading, bye!
Updated
Wicket! Anderson lbw b Sohail 5; England 297 all out
Smacking into leg-stump halfway up. England are 297 all out at stumps.
Updated
Review
Sohail surely has his five-fer. Swung back into Anderson’s back pad and given out lbw.
85th over: England 288-9 (Finn 6, Anderson 5) Here we go, England are going to swing the bat now, surely. Anderson goes on the charge and top-edges a wild hoick to third man for four. The same shot two balls later brings him just a single though as a knackered-looking Sohail comes round to just about cut it off.
Updated
84th over: England 282-9 (Finn 5, Anderson 0) Sohail hits Finn in front but it’s going miles down the leg-side and even Sohail can’t plead his way towards a review from Misbah. The fifth ball of the over is a nice swinging yorker, albeit a slow one, and Finn crunches it sweetly through mid-on, all along the turf, for four. Six overs or 17 minutes left in the day.
83rd over: England 278-9 (Finn 1, Anderson 0) Moeen goes first ball and it would make sense for Alastair Cook to declare now, I reckon just to get four or five overs at Pakistan tonight. Anderson sees off the rest of the over thanks to his inability to lay bat on ball.
Wicket! Moeen c Sarfraz b Amir 63
Moeen has a big mow at a full, wide ball and nicks behind. A good knock from him.
Updated
82nd over: England 278-8 (Finn 1, Moeen 63) Sohail Khan, chasing a five-fer, shares the new ball and Finn in his sights. He begins with a no-ball, though – the fourth of the day for which he’s actually been called. He is so, so close to getting said five-fer with the third ball, but it’s just a touch too high. You have to feel for the guy, who is throwing everything into this.
The wind is proving a benefit and a curse: it looks to have quickly blown the rain over, but the main camera behind the bowler’s arm is wobbling all over the place.
Not out
There’s no bat but only just brushing the bails and as such it’s umpire’s call.
Review
Finn struck in front but given not out, probably on height.
81st over: England 277-8 (Finn 1, Moeen 63) Mohammad Amir, after one delivery with the old ball, decides he wants the new nut and strikes with it near enough immediately. It was an excellent catch from Azhar at slip, snaffling one that could easily have fired the fingertips off.
An appeal from the OBOccasionals
Hi Dan,
We’re still looking for a couple of players for the OBOccasional tour to Croatia at the end of September.
For those that don’t know, we’re a motley crew of players formed from the OBO readership who have played cricket in far-flung, exotic destinations such as Tallinn, Helsinki, and, umm, Brighton over the last few years.
We’re heading to the beautiful island of Vis for the final weekend in September to play cricket against a couple of teams, and we’d love to grab a couple more interested players to join us. Abilities vary widely across the team, but the main goal is to go on a great trip, have fun playing cricket and share some awesome stories together.
If anyone is even the slightest bit interested, please let me know! joe.neate@gmail.com or you can find the group on Facebook.
P.S. We’ve also got a charity tournament in Brighton for Extra Cover on Sunday 14th August coming up soon, if anyone is interested in that one too, please get in touch! We played in it last year, and it was a brilliant day out!
Wicket! Broad c Azhar b Amir 13
Broad goes very hard at one outside off stump and sends it flying above head-height towards third man. Sadly for him, though, Azhar Ali has his hands up and in the way at third slip in a flash, taking a very good catch.
Updated
80th over: England 275-7 (Broad 13, Moeen 62) One last over before the new ball is available. “Yes Yasir Shah, lovely bowling Yasir Shah!” shouts one team-mate in encouragement. That sounds a bit formal for a team-mate, don’t you think? It’s seriously windy out there now – the umpires are struggling to keep their hats on and the wind is making a lot of noise on the stump mics.
Updated
79th over: England 274-7 (Broad 11, Moeen 62) The loudest cheer of the day comes at Sami Aslam’s expense as he allows a Moeen cut to bobble feebly over his leg and away for four. If that boundary was born of ineptitude though, the one that follows is purely of Moeen’s talent’s making: a checked on-drive that sashays down to the straight boundary. The rain is getting heavier out there.
David Southworth writes: “I’m confused about something more fundamental in that review. While it showed there was no contact on the way through to his pad, it looked clear to me on the slow-mo that the ball rolled off his pad onto his glove, so he should have been out caught. But the third umpire didn’t seem to even look for that (no Hot Spot after that replay, he just confirmed no initial contact and moved on). Am I missing something, or is that a terrible decision?”
You know I thought it was just me that thought that. But no one else said anything, on Twitter as far as I could see, on the Pakistan side or on commentary. So I assumed my eyes are going, but perhaps not. It’d be good to see again.
78th over: England 263-7 (Broad 10, Moeen 53) Broad goes for the counterpunch, dragging Yasir high and wide of mid-on for four. He looked nervous there as it came out of nothing like the middle and there was a man running round from square, but it was safe enough in the end.
77th over: England 259-7 (Broad 6, Moeen 53) This is really nice from Rahat and he beats Moeen all ends up with the final ball of the over, angling it in and then getting it to straighten back past the left-hander’s outside edge off the pitch. A maiden from which the batsman looked less likely to score than a striker at Newcastle United.
76th over: England 259-7 (Broad 6, Moeen 53) Hearts in mouths for anyone who remembers England’s second innings at Lord’s when Moeen dances down towards Yasir and looks to hit over the top. On this occasion though he manages to lay bat on ball, chipping it over the bowler for a single.
75th over: England 256-7 (Broad 5, Moeen 51) Moeen celebrates his sort-of reprieve with a nice pull off the back foot, through midwicket and away for the four runs he needs to move to his sixth Test half-century, this one from 99 balls. From the final ball, Broad crunches through extra-cover for four to move to within 164 of his highest Test score, made against this same opposition.
Updated
74th over: England 247-7 (Broad 1, Moeen 46) I don’t think I explained that too well. Oxenford gave Moeen out caught and didn’t think he was lbw, therefore Moeen stays. Although as he thought Moeen had hit the ball, which he hadn’t, does that mean he should reevaluate his lbw decision? On second thoughts, this could be a tedious conversation. Three off the over, anyway.
Not out!
It doesn’t look like Moeen has hit this going for the sweep so it won’t be caught. However it’s umpire’s call on the lbw ... which is not out even though Bruce Oxenford signalled out. DRS is great isn’t it?
Wicket?
Moeen could be lbw or caught here off of Yasir. It was given out, although I’m not sure which for.
Updated
73rd over: England 244-7 (Broad 0, Moeen 44) Change of bowling as Rahat replaces Sohail. He wangs a bouncer high over Moeen’s head by a good couple of feet and is no-balled for his troubles. He won’t mind one jot as he takes a wicket with his third legitimate ball, signalling drinks. After that, Stuart Broad strides to the crease and is soon rattled on the shoulder when he takes his eye off a bouncer.
Nabeel Younas writes: “So let’s say England get to around 250 today. Is that a decent score? (Assuming they knock on a bit more tomorrow). The pitch seems to have a bit for the batters and the bowlers, and with swing available you’d expect success for Anderson and Woakes. So 300 could well be a solid enough first innings effort.”
Yep that’s true, although I imagine England will want a few more than 250. It’s why I said earlier that predictions are a mug’s game in this series.
Wicket! Woakes c Sarfraz b Rahat 9
Lovely, lovely bowling from Rahat. It’s across the right-hander from over the wicket and just straightens a touch, brushing the outside edge and carrying comfortably through to the keeper.
Updated
72nd over: England 242-6 (Woakes 9, Moeen 43) See what I mean about lovely runs from Moeen? Well, no, you don’t because you’re reading on here. But when Yasir gives him a half-volley just outside off-stump Mo drives sumptuously to the extra-cover fence. Pakistan crowd the bat for Woakes but he’s solid.
@DanLucas86 "Ballance does get out in some ugly ways". Most of England's batsmen do. Apart from Cook, they need to price up their wickets.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) August 3, 2016
71st over: England 237-6 (Woakes 9, Moeen 38) And that single means Woakes is on strike to Sohail now, with three men in the cordon behind him and point in a catching position too. Woakes ignores them all; twice extending the arms to unfurl the cover drive and picking up a couple of boundaries. Out goes point, out goes third slip.
Duncan Stackhouse has an idea: “Judging by his eminently sensible innings today, and the fact he is actually a batsman who can bowl, does anyone else think they should do away with Vince and put moeen in the top six? I mean, I’m actually pining for the return of the one and only Sledgehammer of Eternal Justice but I think England no longer like the cut of his jib.”
I think you’re right that he could do an equally effective job as Vince but I don’t think he – or indeed either of them – is a top six batsman. Moeen is lovely to watch and when his eye is in he scores lots of runs with some great shots. But you wouldn’t want him batting for your life based on just a smattering of solid innings, would you?
70th over: England 229-6 (Woakes 1, Moeen 38) Hello again, folks. Do feel free to get in touch. It’s dan.lucas@theguardian.com if you want to email or @DanLucas86 if tweeting is your thing. Back off the internet and in the world of this Test match, Chris Woakes is off the mark with a single from the last ball of Yasir’s over.
Updated
69th over: England 227-6 (Moeen 37, Woakes 0) Moeen, the senior batsman now, drives pleasantly for a couple off Sohail. That’s it from me for today. Dan Lucas will be with you until the end of this fascinating first day. Bye!
68th over: England 224-6 (Moeen Ali 34, Woakes 0) Ballance does get out in some ugly ways. He was so far across his stumps, trying to work to leg, but got a thin tickle and Sarfraz anticipated beautifully to scamper across and take the catch. Chris Woakes is the new batsman.
WICKET! England 224-6 (Ballance c Sarfraz b Yasir 70)
The ball after playing the best shot of his innings, a beautifully placed flick between midwicket and mid-on, Ballance falls to Yasir. He got too far across to the off side, exposing his stumps again, and tickled the ball down the leg side to the keeper Sarfraz.
Updated
67th over: England 220-5 (Ballance 66, Moeen 34) Moeen, trying to leave Sohail, deflects the ball this far wide of the stumps and away for four. That was so close. The next ball was a million miles wide of the stumps; Moeen couldn’t resist a cross-batted flash that met only with fresh Birmingham air.
66th over: England 216-5 (Ballance 66, Moeen 30) Yasir has moved around the wicket to the left-handers, to test out the rough. There is no sign of the ball doing anything nasty in that over, which yields two singles.
65th over: England 214-5 (Ballance 65, Moeen 29) Sohail Khan returns to the attack. His second ball is very wide and Moeen waves the most beautiful back-foot drive through the covers for four. Later in the over Ballance, again trying to turn to leg, unwittingly loops the ball just short of the bowler Sohail.
64th over: England 208-5 (Ballance 64, Moeen 24) Moeen finally uses his feet to Yasir, but only to drive a low-risk single to deep mid-on. He has batted with almost exaggerated strokelessness for much of this innings. Another single brings up an important and patient fifty partnership from 24 overs.
63rd over: England 205-5 (Ballance 63, Moeen 22) When Rahat overpitches, Ballance strongarms the ball expertly down the ground for four. A flick off the legs brings two more and makes this his highest score since that West Indies tour 16 months ago.
62nd over: England 199-5 (Ballance 57, Moeen 22) A maiden from Yasir to Moeen Ali. Moeen is playing very sedately, with just the one boundary from 71 deliveries. That reflects his determination to take this chance to construct a proper innings. He’s a fascinating player, who for all his attacking flair can also serenely bat time when the mood takes him.
61st over: England 199-5 (Ballance 57, Moeen 22) “Afternoon Rob,” says Guy Hornsby. “This is undoubtedly [Boycott]Proper Crickit[/Boycott] right here. I feel a tad nervous given my last email to Dan coincided with a wicket, but I think it’s fair to say these two do have the ability to play England into a much better position, but the question is, as always, will they? Moeen can graft, but he’s never had much of a chance in the lower middle order. Ballance likewise. What we need here is batting time and playing the inevitable bad balls, a sort of reverse-Vince, if you will, or a proto Cook. But please, not a Giddins.”
60th over: England 198-5 (Ballance 57, Moeen 21) That’s a nice stroke from Ballance, who reaches a long way outside off stump to drive Yasir through the covers for four. His last Test century, since you asked, was in the Caribbean in April 2015. He’s playing really well now.
59th over: England 194-5 (Ballance 53, Moeen 21) England don’t have that much batting to come - Woakes, Broad, Anderson and Finn - so the next two partnerships are very important. Their position still feels precarious. Ballance tries to work Rahat to leg and gets a leading-edge through the covers for three. It’s a quiet passage of play, with each team apparently waiting for the other to blink.
Updated
58th over: England 190-5 (Ballance 50, Moeen 20) One from Yasir’s over, which I’ve forgotten already.
57th over: England 189-5 (Ballance 50, Moeen 19) Rahat decides to bounce Ballance, who ducks outside the line comfortably. There’s a big difference between an 84mph bouncer and 92mph. The over ends with a belated shout for LBW that is turned down. It was a better shout than it first looked but it hit him outside the line.
56th over: England 189-5 (Ballance 50, Moeen 19) A single off Yasir Shah takes Ballance to fifty, his first since the first day of last year’s Ashes. For all his technical limitations, he will always have a chance because of his mental strength.
Updated
55th over: England 188-5 (Ballance 49, Moeen 19) Hello folks. A long and important session - there are still 36 overs remaining - begins with Rahat Ali bowling to Moeen Ali. The second ball is short, wide and wafted to the cover boundary for Moeen’s first boundary. With the match situation and the temporary promotion to No7, this is a rare chance for Moeen to build a proper Test-match innings.
Tea
A session that started briskly and nicely for England took a bit of a wobble when Vince and Bairstow went in short succession. These two have slowed things down to a crawl but, most importantly at tea on day one with their side five down, they look reasonably solid. That knife-edge we mentioned earlier? This game is still very much on it.
Rob Smyth will take you through the first hour or so after tea. Go well with him.
54th over: England 184-5 (Ballance 49, Moeen 15) There is probably going to be the last over before tea. There is the briefest moment of excitement for Yasir when the ball brushes Moeen’s pad, but it was missing and came off the edge anyway, I think. A single means Ballance will face one last ball before tea and he clumps that straight to mid-on for no run.
53rd over: England 183-5 (Ballance 49, Moeen 14) Mike Atherton, I think, has just let out a huge yawn in the back of the commentary box. He follows this by asking incredulously about Southampton and chuckling affably. Moeen clips out to the deep mid-on boundary for two, keeping Ballance off strike again. He edges the final ball down to third man for a single to ensure he won’t have it in the next over either.
52nd over: England 180-5 (Ballance 49, Moeen 11) Azhar, I think, is the man at short leg and he wears a Moeen clip just inches above his – let’s not beat around the bush here – penis. On the bounce though, so we can’t blame him for missing a catch. It looks like it hurt him though.
51st over: England 179-5 (Ballance 49, Moeen 10) Did any of you watch Friends? Stop lying, yes you did. Well watching Moeen dead-bat Amir is like watching that episode where Chandler isn’t allowed to be sarcastic to anyone. A single gives Ballance the strike from the last ball and he just gets away with driving at one slanted across him. That missed the edge by a couple of inches at most.
50th over: England 178-5 (Ballance 49, Moeen 9) Just a single from Yasir’s 12th, worked down to long-on by Moeen. Yasir has loaded his field on Ballance’s preferred leg-side, which is an excellent pressure-building move. That said, I do think Ballance has quite outstanding temperament.
Overheard in the newsroom "I really want to have sex now"
— Jonathan Haynes (@JonathanHaynes) August 3, 2016
49th over: England 177-5 (Ballance 49, Moeen 8) Gary Ballance moves to his first Test 50 since his effort in the first Ashes Test at Cardiff last July with a plays out a maiden to ruin what I was going to write in this entry.
48th over: England 177-5 (Ballance 49, Moeen 8) Another over, another quiet accumulation of singles.
47th over: England 174-5 (Ballance 47, Moeen 7) Amir, bowling at what looks like a decent pace, finds Ballance’s edge but it shoots along the ground to wide third man for a single.
“I notice that the Surrey wicketkeeper Ben Foakes got some runs yesterday,” writes Peter Salmon. “Surely it’s time to start working towards Stokes, Foakes and Woakes at 6, 7 and 8?” Absolutely. From what I’ve seen of Foakes he’s a fine player and one of the better keepers in the country. At 23 he’s definitely worth considering for sooner rather than later.
46th over: England 173-5 (Ballance 46, Moeen 7) Moeen goes back and looks to dismissively whip a short one through mid-on. He can only pick out the fielder though.
45th over: England 172-5 (Ballance 45, Moeen 7) Mohammad Amir comes on to give the excellent Sohail a well-earned rest. Mo times him nicely through extra-cover for a couple – 50% of the runs scored in the over.
Darren Kilfara is a brave man emailing this in: “How many times in a summer do I have to read on this site that test cricket is the best game or form of man-to-man combat, etc., in human history? I love test cricket as much as anyone, but the insistence with which many posters feel compelled to repeat this believe has a “methinks the lady doth protest too much” air about it. I’m just sayin’...”
As the cliche on cliches goes, Darren, it’s a cliche because it’s true.
44th over: England 168-5 (Ballance 44, Moeen 4) “Ooh!” go the fielders as Ballance turns one past Azhar Ali at short leg. In truth the ball was nowhere near the fielder, but then one of Shane Warne’s greatest tricks was convincing the batsman he had nearly got him even when he had no clue how to dismiss him.
“I must have missed the episode of the Wire where they stopped for tea,” writes Paul Fields. Wasn’t it part of McNulty’s fake Englishman ruse with the women who had been brought over as prostitutes?
Updated
43rd over: England 165-5 (Ballance 43, Moeen 2) This is a long old spell from Sohail: a change of ends aside, he has been bowling since the lunch break – well over an hour. He comes round the wicket to Ballance, who flicks him with lovely timing through midwicket for four. If memory serves Sohail bowled an eight-over spell this morning and this over makes it another.
This is interesting. It suggests England are playing for movement that just isn’t there.
SOHAIL KHAN
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) August 3, 2016
Delivery type (& wickets)
76 No movement (3)
3 Seaming in (0)
5 Seaming away (1)
3 Inswingers (0)
6 Outswingers (0)#ENGvPAK
42nd over: England 161-5 (Ballance 39, Moeen 2) This is the best kind of Test match, isn’t it? Like an American TV drama at its best where you genuinely have no idea who’s going to make it out alive. Guy Hornsby warms to the idea:
“Afternoon Dan. Isn’t Test cricket the finest form of struggle between man and man there is (without pistols involved)? It’s a team game, but there’s so many battles within battles: bowler v batsman, teammate v teammate, umpire v bowler… it’s like a Shakespearean tragedy crossed with the Wire, only dressed in white and willow instead of cold steel. I’ll be damned if I can think of another team sport like this… I throw down the gauntlet to the OBO! This day could end anywhere from 190 all out and Pakistan 90-0 to England closing on 300-6. And oh balls, perhaps the former’s looking more likely now. Damn you, CRICKET.”
I’ll be honest, I wrote my bit about the TV dramas before I’d fully read your email and got to the bit about The Wire. Great OBO-addled minds and all that.
41st over: England 160-5 (Ballance 38, Moeen 2) Remember when we made note of Sohail’s terrible record before the start of play? Well after two balls of this over he has four for 55 and a Test bowling average that has come down from 245 to 60 in less than four hours. Moeen is the new man – it seems odd he’s under pressure after hitting a match-winning 150 just a few Tests ago and yet it feels right, doesn’t it?
Wicket! Bairstow c Sarfraz b Sohail 12
This is poor from JB. It’s short and slow enough, but too straight for the cut and he feathers a top-edge through to the keeper.
Updated
40th over: England 158-4 (Ballance 38, Bairstow 12) After England had pushed the run-rate up to nearly 4.5 in the 30 minutes after lunch, Pakistan have done well to pull it back down below four. Bairstow perhaps has it in mind not to let the bowler’s exert any pressure when he steps down the track and clumps Yasir back over his head for four.
39th over: England 153-4 (Ballance 38, Bairstow 7) Thanks Tom, feeling much better for that. Speaking of relief, Sohail is getting away with a fair few no-balls out there and is shuffling his mark around to try and eradicate the front-foot issue. Five from the over – a pair of singles and then Bairstow misses out somewhat, not quite timing a cut from a short wide ball and thus not quite finding the rope. That’s drinks.
38th over: England 148-4 (Ballance 37, Bairstow 3) Afternoon everyone – Tom Davies briefly filling in while Dan has a comfort break. (You’ll have to put up with me for half the day tomorrow.) Anyway, Yasir continues from the City End – Bairstow looks to get on the front foot from the off, and takes a single with a drive out to wide extra-cover before Ballance bunts a full toss to mid-off for one. Bairstow drives off the back foot for another single, and it’s all a bit variable – and not in a particularly good way - from the spinner here. And now back to Dan again.
Updated
37th over: England 145-4 (Ballance 36, Bairstow 1) Sohail is having a few issues with his run-up out there, changing his delivery point every ball in a desperate attempt not to overstep. Vince gets a couple with a whip to mid-on but the cricketing gods – or at least Vince’s technique outside off – decide he will remain without a Test 50 for one more innings at least.
Wicket! Vince c Younus b Sohail 39
Younis has his fingers underneath it just before the ball touches grass. That’s an excellent catch.
Updated
Wicket?
Vince has nicked to second slip. The umpires think it hasn’t carried but we’ll check.
36th over: England 142-3 (Ballance 36, Vince 37) It’s time for Ballance to get a look at Yasir and vice-versa. We’ll call that one a draw, being as it is a maiden.
35th over: England 142-3 (Ballance 36, Vince 37) Sohail is very excited about an lbw appeal for one that pitched outside leg-stump and remained outside leg-stump on its way to hitting Ballance on the back of the leg. Sohail is alone in his enthusiasm and looks faintly ridiculous.
34th over: England 138-3 (Ballance 34, Vince 37) Given the way Vince is leaving Yasir outside off I’d say he’s reading him out the hand pretty well: two balls in a row that would have bowled him had they gone straight on or been googlies are confidently left alone. Another second maiden on the bounce.
33rd over: England 138-3 (Ballance 34, Vince 37) It’s just a change of ends for Sohail. England have added 38 runs in just half an hour since lunch, which is pleasing from their perspective. He didn’t look too threatening to the left-hander before but here, from the Pavilion end and with the breeze carrying the ball towards the slips, he has Ballance looking a bit more awkward. One ball takes the shoulder of the bat but drops short and another beats his defensive prod.
32nd over: England 138-3 (Ballance 34, Vince 37) England looked pretty comfortable against the seamers, so here’s Yasir to turn his arm over for a bit. He starts with a too-short pile of dross, which Vince absolutely murders on the pull through midwicket for four, and ends with an overpitched ball outside off that the Hampshire man sends racing through cover for the same.
Updated
31st over: England 130-3 (Ballance 34, Vince 29) On Sky, Atherton and Hussain are talking about how Gary Ballance is now making his trigger movement earlier. They’re using it to demonstrate how much more secure he is defence, but the Yorkshireman shows its other benefit by getting across his stumps to Rahat early and whipping a full one off leg-stump down to fine-leg. That’s the 50 partnership from 74 balls and he adds four more last ball with a lovely punch back past the bowler for the same.
“If only Dickie Bird was still umpiring,” adds Iain Gray as it begins.
30th over: England 122-3 (Ballance 26, Vince 29) A lovely shot for four from Vince is nothing new, but one through the on-side is a rarity that’s really worth applauding: he follows a clip for two with a lovely crisp drive through mid-on to the fence for his first boundary of the session. At the over’s midpoint, England are rattling on at exactly four, which – if this morning is anything to go by – means they’ll probably lose a wicket soon. Ooh close, he edges low through the slips for four more last ball.
@DanLucas86 "...the groundstaff are hovering in a way that would make Tippi Hedren nervous." She's just happy that Umar Gul isn't playing.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) August 3, 2016
I’d give that a HONK, but I’m going to get a load of puns emailed in to me now, aren’t I?
29th over: England 112-3 (Ballance 26, Vince 19) There’s a little bit of rain about and the groundstaff are hovering in a way that would make Tippi Hedren nervous. This over has a neat similarity to the last, with a Vince single being followed by a slashed cut for four – this time top-edged over the slips – by Ballance.
John Starbuck poses an unexpected question: “I know umpires don’t have to tell an appealing side why a claim for a wicket is denied, just make the decision, but many do give some indication as in ‘going down leg side’ for an LBW refusal. This not only informs all the fielding side but also tells the spectators what’s going on. Some umpires are more into this than others, but who is the best?”
I can’t honestly say I’ve thought about it, let me get back to you*.
*It might have to be Rob who gets back to you.
28th over: England 107-3 (Ballance 22, Vince 18) Sohail, who showcased an absolutely lovely action in the morning session, bowling at a fairly moderate pace but getting great carry and a nice bit of movement, finds Vince’s edge but it doesn’t carry to slip. They take a single and that puts Ballance on strike: Sohail’s line to the leftie isn’t much cop, though – too wide and Ballance slashes him behind point for four.
@DanLucas86 given that Pak looked collectively shaky on two pretty flat decks, wld 300 be a good score here? still YJB + Mo + Woakes to come
— bleurgh (@steamed___hams) August 3, 2016
Predictions are a mug’s game in this series.
27th over: England 101-3 (Ballance 18, Vince 17) There we go. Rahat’s line to the right-hander is a touch leg-side, which is surprising given Vince’s obvious weakness outside off. He gets a single to long-leg. Ooh and then a yorker to Ballance absolutely smashes into his pad in line with leg, but it’s given not out and there’s no review. Perhaps sliding down leg but that was a lovely ball.
It’s Rahat to bowl to Vince first ball after lunch, from the Pavilion End ... once a door behind the bowler’s arm has been closed. They’re taking a bloody age to do so.
Another email! From Kimberley Thonger: “I have completed an audit of Apple emoticons. A small selection...”
That’s it, our system won’t display them. Sorry.
“In some ways I’m not too despondent about this morning’s session,” writes Kevin Wilson. “England need to win games when Cook and Root don’t make tons and I’d rather Vince and Ballance scored tough runs than easy scores when 300 is already on the board (though you’d take any runs from Vince). England still bat deep and I still think Yasir Shah is the only bowler who can run through a team. Play him sensibly and you can accumulate.”
That’s not an unfair assessment in any way, although I’d say Amir is quite capable of running through a team on day one. But this is England and this is Pakistan: the fear should always be there for both sides.
On Sky, they are paying tribute to Bob Willis (he’s not dead, don’t worry). The OBO’s own Tim de Lisle has been on to explain himself for saying Bob has a voice like a lawnmower. I wonder if they’ll get me on for saying Bob Dylan sings like someone mumbling along to a walkman.
Read this thing that some idiot wrote. Saves me finding some videos to embed, too.
A word of thanks
Many of you lovely, lovely folk very kindly sponsored my Dad for cycling the Ride London on behalf of the RNLI on Sunday. OBO readers contributed more than £650, which is absolutely astonishing generosity for a good cause and everyone involved has been blown away – Gary and Tracey wanted to pass on how much they appreciate you lot.
Many thanks, Rob. This is, as they say, interesting. England bat deep but have a middle order about as weak and wobbly as an OBOer coming in after 14 blood tests this morning. Depending on whether Pakistan from Lord’s or Pakistan from Old Trafford turn up in the next session, that morning could have been a hiccup or it could have been a disaster. Let’s find out.
Lunchtime reading
“Just thought I’d flag up a piece I did for the latest Cricketer mag: the story of the Minor Counties beating the 1992 Pakistani tourists -- including Waqar, Inzi and Mushy -- off the last ball, nine down, in a two-day game at Marlow,” writes Scott Oliver. “Winning runs struck by Glos skipper Ian Cockbain’s dad: er, Ian Cockbain... Here’s the scorecard.”
While we’re plugging work, here’s some of mine in the latest Cricket Monthly. I would plug it on Twitter but, well.
LUNCH
26th over: England 100-3 (Vince 15, Ballance 18) Vince drives Yasir for a single to bring up the hundred. It will make such a difference to Yasir not having to bowl at Cook and Root today, and he has a spring in his step as he wheels through his second over. That takes us to lunch after an excellent morning session which ends with Pakistan fractionally ahead I’d say. England lost three wickets, including the big two, but scored at almost four an over. Thanks for your company; Dan Lucas will be here after the break.
25th over: England 99-3 (Vince 15, Ballance 18) Ballance, driving expansively, is beaten on the inside by a wobbling delivery from Amir. That was a hopeless stroke. England will be glad to get to lunch and regroup and other clichés.
24th over: England 97-3 (Vince 15, Ballance 16) Yasir Shah is going to get a couple of overs before lunch. Nothing of note in the first over, just a couple of singles.
23rd over: England 95-3 (Vince 14, Ballance 15) A dangerous inswinger from Rahat is played nicely by Vince, who works it to leg for a single. Ballance then survives another pretty big LBW shout. I think there was an inside-edge; so does Misbah, who chooses not to review, and so does Hotspot. Ballance continues to rattle along, pushing another boundary down the ground. He has 15 from 20.
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22nd over: England 88-3 (Vince 13, Ballance 9) Ballance tries to work Amir to leg and gets a leading edge through point for four. He has started unconvincingly, even by his standards, yet his mental strength is such that it feels less of a concern than with some other batsmen. He doesn’t make pretty twenties but he knows how to make ugly hundreds. And he ends the over with a much better stroke, an assertive punch through mid-off for four more.
“Oh dear,” says Steven Pye. “Is this what might have happened in 2005, if Glenn McGrath had not trodden on that ball?” I still can’t decide whether that made no difference, or whether England would have lost 5-0 if Australia hadn’t warmed up with a game of touch rugby that morning.
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21st over: England 80-3 (Vince 13, Ballance 1) There’s plenty of bantsy dress in the crowd as usual, something highlighted by the Sky cameraman during a quiet over from Rahat. Twenty minutes to lunch. One more wicket would make this a superb session for Pakistan.
20th over: England 79-3 (Vince 13, Ballance 0) Vince can’t resist a wide half-volley from Amir and skims it sweetly through backward point for four. The next ball beats the outside edge. Vince is doing okay, and fighting really hard not to drive, but he certainly doesn’t ooze permanence.
“Don’t know if this is allowed under the Style Guide, but a small shout-out to two stalwart BTLers who are currently in Swansea awaiting the start of the Glamorgan v Northamptonshire clash,” says Chris Drew. “Known to all who follow the County Championship as CulinaryArts and Rooto. And, in true CC fashion, it’s been raining in Swansea! #Proper creekit!”
19th over: England 75-3 (Vince 9, Ballance 0) The new batsman is the autocorrect nightmare, Gary Ballance. Pakistan are right into England, and of course there is no Ben Stokes so everybody else has moved up a spot. Ballance so nearly goes third ball for a duck, edging Rahat just short of Yasir Shah at gully. That was a horrible stroke; he was completely turned round.
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WICKET! England 75-3 (Cook LBW b Rahat 45)
He’s out! It was a good delivery that came back through the gate to hit the pad. The only thing that might have saved him was that it hit him outside off stump - but that part was umpire’s call and everything else was clearly out. This is turning into a brilliant session for Pakistan.
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ENGLAND REVIEW! Cook LBW b Rahat 45)
This, my dear friends, would be a huge wicket. Cook has been given out LBW to Rahat and, although he has reviewed it, I think he knows he’s in trouble.
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18th over: England 75-2 (Cook 45, Vince 9) Mohammad Amir replaces Sohail Khan, who bowled a fine spell of 8-2-28-2. Cook steers first ball along the ground to the third-man boundary.
“Remember Graeme Hick scoring a wonderful hundred in the last Test of the summer Vs Murali and then missing out on an Ashes tour,” says Neil Harris. “Our selectors have always been baffling.”
In fairness to the selectors - I always wanted to type that phrase - the Hick century was trumped by John Crawley’s bigger century in the same innings. They could only pick one because they had Atherton, Thorpe and Hussain to come back. (Though, inevitably, there were injuries and Hick was back in the team, never mind the squad, by the second Ashes Test.) Talking of Crawley, this is the latest in Scott Oliver’s exceptional interviews with 1990s players.
17th over: England 70-2 (Cook 40, Vince 9) Rahat is punished for erring in line when Cook clips him through midwicket for four. He is playing so well and has quietly raced to 40 from 47 balls. Since he was sacked as ODI captain he averages 56 in Tests. Selve knows.
Vince, meanwhile, gets his first boundary with a wristy clip over the leaping midwicket. It was deliberately played, and safe enough; unlike the next delivery, when he chases a very wide half-volley from Rahat and is beaten.
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16th over: England 61-2 (Cook 35, Vince 5) Vince has been watchful thus far, with none of those gorgeous, flowing cover-drives to third slip. Sohail is trying to tempt him with full-length outswingers; Vince pointedly offers no stroke. Even his leaves look good.
15th over: England 58-2 (Cook 34, Vince 4) Cook survives a big LBW appeal from Rahat - too high - and then pushes beautifully through mid-off for four. He looks so relaxed at the crease this summer, and in the field. It’s so nice to see after all the disgraceful abuse he had to endure in 2014.
“Joe Root has had enough chances and will be playing for his place in the second innings,” says David Hopkins. “Back in the glory days of the 1980s there’d already be a semi-retired batsmen fresh from an unofficial tour of South Africa lined up to replace him.” I think Graeme Fowler and Neil Foster were given only one more Test after their heroics in this game before they were dropped.
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14th over: England 54-2 (Cook 30, Vince 4) Sohail almost gets Vince twice in that over; first with one that comes back to take the inside-edge and just misses the outside edge, then with a textbook outswinger that beats Vince’s defensive push
“The decision to bowl first looked very iffy half an hour again,” says Tom Morgan, quoting an earlier entry. “I’m not a pedant but not sure what the purists would have to say about your use of ‘again’.”
Ach! See, this is what happens, Larry, when you go past liveblog retirement age.
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13th over: England 51-2 (Cook 28, Vince 3) We know all about Vince’s struggles: no fifties in five Tests, an average of 19. The Sky camera has just demonstrated that Rahat was nowhere near running on the pitch, which makes the nagging from the umpire extremely harsh, and also unfair as it will surely affect him. “Ridiculous umpiring to make up for mistakes in earlier Tests,” says Nasser. It’s time for drinks.
12th over: England 51-2 (Cook 28, Vince 3) Vince thick-edges his first ball all along the floor for three. The decision to bowl first looked very iffy half an hour again ago; not so much now. Misbah knows.
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WICKET! England 48-2 (Root c Hafeez b Sohail 3)
This a huge wicket for Pakistan! Sohail Khan has two wickets in his first Test for five years. Root tried to force off the back foot, a loose stroke so early in the innings, and edged to first slip almost in slow motion. Hafeez had plenty of time to take a comfortable catch. When Root fails, England tend to fail.
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11th over: England 46-1 (Cook 28, Root 1) Cook cuts Rahat effortlessly for four to move to 28 from 30 balls. He is scoring at a fair rate these days. His strike rate this summer is 61, which is up there with England’s middle-order dashers. A good delivery from Rahat is then edged just short of first slip befor the umpires again have a word with Rahat about running on the pitch.
10th over: England 42-1 (Cook 24, Root 1) The line and length of that delivery to Hales were immaculate, and it straightened as well to take the edge. It was a bit of an unbalanced push from Hales though.
The new batsman Root gets off the mark from his first ball. The data confirms just how important he is: when England win a Test he averages 87, when they lose he averages 26. Only one batsman who has played at least 20 innings in Test victories has a higher average: Sir Donald Bradman.
WICKET! England 36-1 (Hales c Sarfraz b Sohail 17)
Alex Hales has gone! It was good bowling from Sohail Khan, who drew Hales into a defensive push that he could only thin-edge through to the keeper Sarfraz. Sohail’s Test average drops from 256 to 128, and Pakistan are one wicket away from the tail.
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9th over: England 36-0 (Cook 19, Hales 17) Rahat Ali replaces Mohammad Amir. His second ball is filthy: short, wide and slapped for four by Cook. He improves after that however: Cook leaves one that just misses off stump, is beaten next ball and finally inside-edges a nipbacker wide of the stumps for four.
8th over: England 28-0 (Cook 11, Hales 17) It feels a daft thing to say after seven overs but Pakistan really need a wicket soon or the day, the match and the series could soon get away from them. Sohail swerves a beautiful outswinger past Hales’s defensive lunge; the next ball, much shorter, is edged through the vacant fourth-slip area for four. It wouldn’t have carried anyway.
“Mind out for the horror sequel,” says Bob Miller, “featuring the Synt-axe Murderer.” Insert your own colon joke here.
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7th over: England 24-0 (Cook 11, Hales 13) Hales works Amir through square leg for four, a very good stroke, and then rotates the strike with a single. England will want Cook to face Amir and Hales to take Sohail; it has largely been the other way round so far.
In other news, thanks to Daniel Harris for this rarity: an all-run five without overthrows.
6th over: England 17-0 (Cook 10, Hales 7) Sohail has a very optimistic LBW shout against Cook turned down. Pakistan considered a review before Misbah decided against it. It was perhaps the right decision: there was a huge inside edge and the ball was missing off stump anyway. But Sohail’s occasional movement into the left-hander is a threat to Cook, especially early on. That’s his second maiden of the innings.
“I’ve just had a terrible thought,” quivers Ant Pease. “Should we be talking about the style guide or the Style Guide?” If this doesn’t have the makings of the best Japanese horror film ever, where those who deliberately disobey the style guide are killed off by the Grammar Reaper, then I don’t know what does.
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5th over: England 17-0 (Cook 10, Hales 7) Cook flicks a poor delivery from Amir through backward square leg for four. This already looks slightly ominous for Pakistan, who took such a gamble by bowling first and packing their team with orthodox swing bowlers.
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4th over: England 12-0 (Cook 5, Hales 7) That was almost the end of Cook’s innings. He was cramped for room by a good delivery from Sohail and played a defensive stroke that went down into the ground and bounced just past the stumps. That aside it’s a good over for England, with Hales and Cook collecting three off consecutive deliveries.
In other news, it has been confirmed that Ben Stokes will miss the rest of this Test series. His Bryan Robsonitis is becoming a bit of a worry, given his enormous influence on this side.
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3rd over: England 5-0 (Cook 1, Hales 4) The pitch looks really slow so far, and the swing of Amir is the main threat to England. A challenging second over to Hales, a mixture of inswingers and deliveries angled across, is a maiden.
“The data/datum distinction is of course a vital one in English cricket,” says Peter Salmon. “Peter Moores was sacked because he was too interested in the data - all those statistics - rather than the datum, which was the England had lost.”
2nd over: England 5-0 (Cook 1, Hales 4) Sohail Khan is sharing the new ball. He’s a right-arm Pakistan quick bowler (remember those?) who has been picked, presumably, for his ability to swing the new ball more than Wahab or Imran Khan. Pakistan are putting a lot of eggs in this morning session. There isn’t much swing in that over and Cook plays out a maiden.
“Before anyone does anything irrevocable, I think we should be told why you (or someone else?) wants highlights of West Indies v England in Trinidad,” says John Starbuck. “Blackmail purposes, or maybe just public shaming?”
I’m trying to develop a cure for nostalgia.
1st over: England 5-0 (Cook 1, Hales 4) This is an important Test for Ale Hales, who gets going by working his first delivery to fine leg for four. Mohammad Amir will be encouraged by the amount of swing in that over however, and you don’t need a PhD in left-arm fast-medium to know that he will target Hales with the inswinger.
“I’m pleased that the batting remains unchanged,” says Richard Crone. “There’s a long line of batsmen who’ve taken a year or two to find their feet, including Root, and others, including Cook, who have gone through rough patches, so while we’re winning then it’s right and proper to continue to give the newbies a chance, otherwise you’ll end up in a repeat situation with new players coming in to instant pressure.”
Yep, I agree. It’s right to give a batsman the full summer of the full series if possible. There will always be exceptions, when a player is shot mentally and it is counter-productive to keep playing him - Bopara in 2009, Buttler in 2014-15 - but as Trevor Bayliss says, it is surely better to give a player one match too many than one too few. Or does the style guide say one match too less?????
The players are out on the field and ready to do some cricket. Mohammad Amir will open the bowling.
In an unrelated development...
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The hover cover is on, with some very light rain around the ground, though at the moment they are still planning to start on time.
“Not wanting to jump on the Napier bandwagon,” begins Ant Pease, “but surely the style guide mentions that ‘It’s a fair cop,’ should read ‘It’s a fair police officer.’ Pull your socks up, Smyth.”
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Urgent public appeal
Does anyone have extended highlights, or better still ball-by-ball coverage, of England’s 46 all out at Trinidad in 1993-94?
Some pre-match reading
This chat about swing bowling between Jimmy Anderson and Derek Pringle is superb; and here’s Rob Smyth on the happy, happy summer of 1991.
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Team news
Steven Finn replaces the injured Ben Stokes for England. Pakistan have made two changes: the 20-year-old Sami Aslam replaces the walking wicket Shan Masood and should become Mohammad Hafeez’s 12th opening partner in Tests, while Sohail Khan replaces Wahab Riaz. Sohail is a right-arm seamer whose two Tests thus far have brought one wicket for 245 runs.
England Cook (c), Hales, Root, Vince, Ballance, Bairstow (wk), Moeen, Woakes, Broad, Finn, Anderson.
Pakistan Mohammad Hafeez, Sami Aslam, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Amir, Sohail Khan, Rahat Ali.
Pakistan have won the toss and will bowl first
That’s a surprise. Somebody’s been looking at the datum, or the data, I have no idea anymore. Misbah says he thinks the pitch will have sweated under the covers in the last few days and should do a bit early on. Alastair Cook doesn’t say whether he would have batted but he seems happy enough.
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“Ignore Fionn Napier,” writes Ben, “you were following the Guardian style guide: data takes a singular verb (like agenda), though strictly a plural; you come across datum, the singular of data, about as often as you hear about an agendum.”
All those nights going to sleep listening to the audiobook of the Guardian Style Guide, read by Father Fitzgerald, have clearly paid off.
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“Data suggest, Rob,” says Fionn Napier “They do not ‘suggests’ :)”
Ach, The Smiling Pedant strikes again. It’s a fair cop.
An email! “Winning the toss can certainly be a mixed blessing for Aussie captains at Edgbaston,” says David Hopkins. “If memory serves another one chose to field there 11 years ago and things didn’t go so well. Can’t remember the details though - that test really ought to be discussed more often...”
It’s interesting that captains who bat first are hardly ever criticised, even if their team is rolled for 80 on the first morning, but those who mistakenly field first never live it down.
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The wicket looks unusually dry for Edgbaston, so it might not be such a difficult decision at the toss. Never mind the data, feel the pitch: it’s abrasive and looks like it could turn as the match progresses. Both sides will surely bat first if they win the toss - Pakistan to bring Yasir into the game in the fourth innings, England to keep him out of it.
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Preamble
Hello. How’s it going? Okay, okay, enough of the chit-chat; there’s an important Test match to be getting on with. From some of the previews, you’d think England go into this third Test with an unassailable 1-1 lead. In a sense that’s understandable, given their merciless performance in the second Test at Old Trafford, their recent record at the Edgbaston slaughterhouse, and Pakistan’s flimsy top order. But this is England v Pakistan, and when these sides meet it’s unwise to predict that night will follow day, never mind anything to do with the cricket.
The Birmingham weather has smartened up its act just in time for the Test, and we should start on time. It might be a decent toss to lose. Batting first has been really important in this series so far, especially for Pakistan. But the data suggest s that isn’t wise at Edgbaston: in the last 25 years, the team batting first has won two and lost 14 out of 21 Tests. Last year, Michael Clarke batted first because batting first is what people do. It was the turning point of the series.
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