Heard the one about the 22-year-old and the 38-year-old? Zak Crawley and Jimmy Anderson, with help from the 29-year-old Jos Buttler, have all but ensured England will win this Test. If so they will complete a 2-0 series victory - and move above Australia into second in the ICC Test Championship, a tournament we have all held dear from day one.
Thanks for your company and emails. Please join Daniel and me in the morning to continue the countdown to Jimmy Anderson’s 600th Test wicket. Goodnight!
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That was a masterful new-ball spell from Anderson: 5.5-1-13-3. He’s now on 596 Test wickets, and you know what that means: two or three days of constant speculation as to whether he will retire at the end of the match if he reaches 600.
I don’t think he will. Retire, that is. I think he wants to go at the end of a successful Ashes series, and if he has to play until the age of 72 then so be it.
Stumps: Pakistan 24-3
The wicket means that is the last ball of the day, because play has to finish at 7.30pm.
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WICKET! Pakistan 24-3 (Babar LBW b Anderson 11)
A huge wicket for England just before the close! Anderson jags one back sharply to trap Babar in front, and Michael Gough raises the finger. Babar knew it was out and didn’t bother to review.
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10th over: Pakistan 24-2 (Azhar 4, Babar 11) England appeal for caught behind when Azhar shoulders arms at Archer. Richard Illingworth says no but England decide to review, probably because it’s Archer. He wasn’t particularly interested. The fielders behind the wicket thought they heard something, and replays showed they were both right and wrong. The ball brushed the elbow rather than the inside edge.
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9th over: Pakistan 23-2 (Azhar 4, Babar 10) “Thanks for your trip back to the 1990s earlier today,” says Peter Hanes. “Here’s another Crawley fact to ponder: two days after Zac Crawley’s birth in February 1998, John Crawley was making an epic 17 in two-and-a-half hours against West Indies in Port of Spain. Different times.”
Look at Sir Curtly’s first-innings figures: 26-16-23-3!
8th over: Pakistan 20-2 (Azhar 4, Babar 7) This is a good move from Joe Root, who brings Jofra Archer into the attack earlier than expected. Broad didn’t bowl badly (3-1-6-0) but it’s a good idea to give Archer a spell before the close. The first two deliveries clocked at 87mph, and the fourth bursts past Babar’s outside edge at 90mph.
A superb opening over concludes with a big inswinger that beats Azhar all ends up and bounces over the stumps. Great stuff. This is Jofra.
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7th over: Pakistan 18-2 (Azhar 4, Babar 7) A quiet over from Anderson; six more until the close.
6th over: Pakistan 17-2 (Azhar 4, Babar 6) England know Azhar Ali is an LBW candidate as he falls over to the off side. Woakes got him twice that way in the first Test, and most of his recent dismissals against England have been LBW or bowled. That’s what Broad is trying to set him up for, though it hasn’t worked yet.
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5th over: Pakistan 17-2 (Azhar 4, Babar 6) Babar waves Anderson elegantly down the ground for four to announce his arrival. Since Twitter announced Anderson’s retirement after the first Test of this series, he has taken five for 69 from 30 overs. I’m still not sure he should have played the last game, though that’s purely because of rotation. It shouldn’t surprise us if he’s still taking Test wickets in his forties.
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WICKET! Pakistan 11-2 (Abid c Sibley b Anderson 1)
Jimmy Anderson takes his 595th Test wicket! Abid Ali felt for a lovely delivery in the corridor that straightened just enough to take the edge, and Sibley took a smart low catch at third slip.
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4th over: Pakistan 11-1 (Abid 1, Azhar 4) Broad strays onto the pads of Azhar Ali, who clips confidently through square leg for four.
3rd over: Pakistan 6-1 (Abid 1, Azhar 0) The Pakistan captain Azhar Ali is the new batsman. His head must be a pretty busy place right now.
He’s out! It was plumb, and that’s the eighth time Anderson has dismissed Shan in Tests. Anderson often swings the ball away from left-handers, which is pretty unusual, but this was a classical dismissal. It curved back in towards Shan, who pushed forward and couldn’t get his bat around his front pad in time. Lovely bowling.
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Shah has reviewed it... but it looked plumb. It was a lovely inswinger from Anderson that pinned his man in front, and Michael Gough raised the finger. I can’t see anything saving Shan here.
WICKET! Pakistan 6-1 (Shan LBW b Anderson 4)
I wouldn’t bother reviewing this one.
2nd over: Pakistan 5-0 (Shan 4, Abid 1) “Did Adelaide kibosh the aggressive declaration for all future England captains,” says Niall Mullen, “or was it ever a thing?”
I wouldn’t say that was a particularly aggressive declaration really. And there have been a few since then, including one at Old Trafford last month. There have been some stinkers as well, especially in the Caribbean in 2008-09 (that said, those conservative decisions are a bit more understandable given the mess that Strauss and Flower were only just starting to clean up).
Masood is not out! Yeah, it hit him outside the line of off stump. That was a good review from Shan and, in truth, not a great decision from Richard Illingworth. Even from 735 miles away it looked outside the line.
Shan Masood has been given out LBW to Broad, but he has reviewed it. This might be outside the line, though umpire’s call is now in Broad’s favour. It was a good ball from Broad, which jagged back from round the wicket. I’m just not sure it hit Shan in line.
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1st over: Pakistan 3-0 (Shan 2, Abid 1) This being a day of the week, Jimmy Anderson has Shan Masood in his sights. Anderson has dismissed him sefven times in Tests, with a head-to-head average of 4.85. Shan pushes the first ball into the leg side and pegs it to the safety of the non-striker’s end. He gets another single later in the over, a relatively gentle range-finder from Anderson.
There are 13 overs remaining tonight. Two down, I reckon.
Ben Smith points out that, in one knock, Zak Crawley increased his Test average from 29 to 48. Pretty impressive, though not quite Laraesque. His tastic 277 at Sydney in 1992-93 boosted his average from 31 to 58.
WICKET! England 583-8 declared (Broad b Shaheen 15)
Broad misses, Shaheen hits and Joe Root walks out to signal the England declaration.
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155th over: England 582-7 (Bess 26, Broad 15) “Root’s declarations are always like a creepy family friend’s hug at a party,” shivers Jo Beasley. “Just goes on that little bit too long to be comfortable.”
And that was before Covid.
154th over: England 582-7 (Bess 26, Broad 15) Bess makes room to cut Yasir behind square for four, and then slog-sweeps the next ball heartily for six. Shot! He is a seriously good lower-order batsman, and a few bits of legitimate red ink has helped him to a fledgling Test average of 27.62. That’s only 1.35 behind Moeen Ali’s batting average, despite the obvious difference in ability.
153rd over: England 569-7 (Bess 14, Broad 14) Broad carts the new Asad Shafiq for another six, this one a biggie over midwicket. It went so far outside the bubble that there’s a break in play while the umpire Michael Gough sanitises the ball. Still no sign of a declaration; no idea why.
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152nd over: England 563-7 (Bess 14, Broad 8) Oof, Bess has been dropped by Naseem Shah off Yasir. It was an awkward skier, and Naseem was never really in position to take it as he ran back from mid-on.
Now, I’ve found an example where a team of England rejects would have beaten the Test XI, or at least given them a bloody good game. No cheating, so I haven’t picked an example where a load of good players were out injured (like the fourth Test of the 1994-95 Ashes tour). The only people picked for B team are those who were (I think) available for selection at the time.
First Test v India, 1996
Actual team: Knight, Atherton, Hussain, Thorpe, Hick, Irani, Russell, Lewis, Cork, Patel, Mullally.
Alternative team: Stewart, Gallian (Butcher would be cheating as 1996 was his breakthrough summer), Smith, Maynard, Ramprakash, Crawley, Rhodes, Caddick, Gough, Fraser, Tufnell.
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151st over: England 559-7 (Bess 10, Broad 8) Broad gets off the mark by slog-sweeping Fawad for six. And why not?
150th over: England 551-7 (Bess 10, Broad 0) Bess carves Yasir for four to take England to 551. Alas, exorcism fans, they are seven wickets down.
149th over: England 547-7 (Bess 6, Broad 0) Fawad Alam was recalled to the Test team after an 11-year absence because he scored millions of runs in first-class cricket. Since his recall he has scored no runs and taken two wickets. He almost gets a third when Broad edges his first ball just short of slip.
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WICKET! England 547-7 (Woakes c Yasir b Fawad 40)
Woakes charges Fawad and flat-bats the ball straight to Yasir Shah in the covers. And still we wait for the declaration - but things should liven up now, because here comes Stuart Broad.
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148th over: England 546-6 (Woakes 40, Bess 5) Woakes cuffs Bess through midwicket for four. He has quietly moved to 40, very quietly. As with Buttler, the days of wondering where the next run is coming from are over. For now.
147.2 overs: England 541-6 (Woakes 36, Bess 4) Poor Rizwan is in pain after wearing a dodgy throw from Shadab Khan on the thumb. There’s a break in play while he receives treatment, so the umpires call for drinks.
147th over: England 541-6 (Woakes 36, Bess 4) A graphic on Sky shows that this is England’s first 500+ score in over three years, and also that they exceeded 500 repeatedly during their rise to world No1 in 2010-11. Andrew Strauss, the captain of that team, explains the graphic accordingly. Then, after a perfectly judged pause, Mike Atherton says drily, “That’s what’s called a humblebrag...”
“‘And there were a few times when the Rejects XI would have beaten (Ray Illingworth’s selection) the first XI,’” says Henry Manuel, quoting an earlier entry. “I would love to see an example of this from you. Not that I don’t believe you but I was too young then to really understand the politics of selection.”
Leave it with me; it’ll be my homework tonight. If you can bear to wait that long, or haven’t completely forgotten, I’ll put it on the OBO tomorrow afternoon.
146th over: England 537-6 (Woakes 33, Bess 3) No sign of a declaration yet. I’m not entirely sure what England are up to, though Andrew Goudie has a theory: “Declaration at 551-6 please!”
145th over: England 532-6 (Woakes 29, Bess 2) The difference a fortnight makes. Had Jos Buttler failed in the second innings at Old Trafford, he might never have played Test cricket again. He still had the courage to play the innings the team needed, rather than try to save his career, and produced a masterpiece that drove them to a joyously improbable victory. And now look. The ups and downs of Test cricket are endlessly fascinating.
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WICKET! England 530-6 (Buttler ct and b Fawad 152)
The part-timers are running riot. After Asad Shafiq dismissed Crawley, Fawad Alam has finished Jos Buttler’s brilliant innings. It was a filthy delivery, begging to be belted towards Bournemouth, but Buttler chipped it straight back to the bowler. Maybe it stopped in the pitch. Fawad won’t care - it’s his first Test wicket.
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144th over: England 530-5 (Buttler 152, Woakes 29) Jos Buttler kills off one good stat to create another. He waves Naseem Shah for four, his first boundary since the morning session - and one that takes him to the first 150 of his Test career! Buttler already has a score of 150 in ODIs, from 77 balls against West Indies last year. This one took 307 deliveries.
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143rd over: England 523-5 (Buttler 146, Woakes 28) This is now Buttler’s highest score in first-class cricket, beating the 144 he scored against Hampshire in 2010.
“All of a sudden we have something I’ve never seen before in an England side - strength in depth,” says Matt Emerson. “An XI not playing here could be: Jennings, Bracey, Denly, Bairstow, Stokes, Foakes , Ali, Curran, Mahmood, Stone, Wood. And that’s without both Overtons, Malan, Leach, Rashid…”
One of the sad/frustrating/admittedly hilarious things about England in the 90s is that you could often pick a strong side of those who had been left out. And there were a few times when the Rejects XI would have beaten Ray Illingworth’s selection the first XI.
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142nd over: England 520-5 (Buttler 144, Woakes 27) Naseem Shah returns to the attack, and England continue their winding path towards 550. This is, by some distance, the longest innings of Buttler’s Test career and probably his entire professional career. Maybe there’s a part of him that wants to prove a point by being not out when England declare.
141st over: England 516-5 (Buttler 143, Woakes 24) Since hitting his last boundary, Buttler has scored 32 from 101 balls. That’s with Englad pushing for a declaration. What’s he up to? What’s his angle?
“Is Michael Gough a one man ‘Infallibator’?” sniffs Brian Withington. “You can review him but he never stops getting it right. Relentless.”
There was a remarkable piece on Cricinfo earlier this year showing that, when it came to DRS referrals, Gough’s decision were 20 per cent more accurate than any other umpire on the elite panel. (Edit: here it is.)
140th over: England 513-5 (Buttler 142, Woakes 22) Woakes top-edges a pull over the keeper for four. That’s his fourth boundary since tea; Buttler continues to get ’em in singles. I do hope he’s doing this just to annoy some trolls.
139th over: England 508-5 (Buttler 142, Woakes 17) “When did England last put together a partnership including a double ton and a 150?” asks Tom van der Gucht. “Was it the match whose name we dare not speak?”
Thankfully not. It happened when Ben Stokes went berserk at Cape Town in 2016, with Jonny Bairstow quietly compiling an emotional 150 not out. (We sometimes forget that England almost made an Adelaide of that game as well.) I also have a vague memory of Ian Bell and KP achieving it during the run orgy of 2010-11, maybe in the final Test against India.
138th over: England 503-5 (Buttler 140, Woakes 15) Woakes laces Shaheen through the covers for four, not once but twice. These two were batting together on Saturday afternoon two weeks ago, although the circumstances could barely be different. Woakes gets his third boundary of the over - and brings up the 500 - when he smears a short ball back past Shaheen.
137th over: England 491-5 (Buttler 140, Woakes 3) Pakistan start the evening session with a review for caught behind against Buttler. It was a stunning low take down the leg side from Rizwan when tried to whirl Shafiq round the corner, but replays showed the only deflection was off the pad.
“Just looking at those scores by England No3s,” says Malcolm Brown, “and I see that nobody has got a double century in that position more than once, except Wally Hammond, who did so six times (including a triple). He must have been good at batting.”
He was better at batting than life, sadly. It’s quite a story; if you’re interested, David Foot’s biography is a good place to start.
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The evening session is 5-7pm, though I assume they can play until 7.30pm if necessary. There are still 34 overs remaining.
Tea
136th over: England 490-5 (Buttler 140, Woakes 2) Afridi ends the afternoon session with a maiden to Buttler. That’s tea. Buttler made his hundred from 189 balls, so since then he has scored 40 from 101. And he didn’t hit a single boundary in the afternoon session. It’s a peedie bit peculiar, but it feels churlish to quibble given the strength of England’s position.
There’s no dressing room atmosphere like “monster- partnership” dressing room atmosphere. (Aside from “huge storm when you’re about to lose a Test match” atmosphere.)
— mark butcher (@markbutcher72) August 22, 2020
135th over: England 490-5 (Buttler 140, Woakes 2) England aren’t in a hurry, though I’d imagine that will change after tea. Shafiq bowls the penultimate over before the break, including a faintly ludicrous leg-side wide. Maybe he thought Woakes was about to give him the charge as well.
Crawley's doing well of course but can he actually do it in front of a crowd? @TimdeLisle
— Andrew Sherman (@ac9) August 22, 2020
134th over: England 488-5 (Buttler 139, Woakes 1) In a post-Gilchrist world, Jos Buttler seemed like a perfect No7. But it hasn’t turned out like that. In Tests, he averages 52 at No6 and 31 at No7. His strike rate is the same in both positions, 57 runs per 100 balls. There are the usual caveats (a smallish sample size of 18 innings at No6), but it’s still pretty interesting. It’s almost a shame that England will have to put him back to No7 when Ben Stokes returns, even though it means they’ll have greater depth.
Another Crawley stat, thanks to Tim. His 267 is the second highest score by an England No3 in Tests and the highest since 1933.
133rd over: England 486-5 (Buttler 138, Woakes 0) There was so much to love about that Crawley innings - the range of strokes and tempo; the intelligence, skill and authority; even the charming, insightful interview at the close of play yesterday.
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All the Pakistan players ran over to congratulate Crawley, who walked off to a standing ovation from the England balcony. It’s hard to make sense of such a mighty innings, so for the time being let’s hide behind some numbers: 267 from 393 balls with 34 fours and a six, scored by a 22-year-old.
WICKET! England 486-5 (Crawley st Rizwan b Shafiq 267)
Zak Crawley’s life-changing innings is over. He skipped down the track to Shafiq, who saw or sensed him coming and speared the ball down the leg side. Mohammad Rizwan did the rest with a crisp stumping.
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132nd over: England 485-4 (Crawley 267, Buttler 137) Shaheen Afridi returns in place of Abbas and has an LBW appeal against Buttler turned down. It pitched outside leg stump, though it was good bowling as he’d moved Buttler across his crease with a very wide previous delivery.
“A century under his belt and then 26 overs without a boundary,” says Peter Ashbourne. “Who stole Jos Buttler and replaced him with Geoffrey Boycott?”
That’s a tremendous spot. One thing I really like about this England middle order is their ability to change tempo within an innings, even if Buttler has probably overdone the abstinence since reaching his hundred.
131st over: England 482-4 (Crawley 267, Buttler 136) Crawley drags a reverse sweep for four off Shafiq to move to 267. This is preposterous. He’s 33 away from becoming only the sixth England batsman, and the first since Graham Gooch in 1990, to make a Test triple-hundred.
130th over: England 476-4 (Crawley 262, Buttler 135) Abbas forgets himself for a moment, spearing four byes down the leg side. Pakistan look very tired.
“By the time Crawley finishes his innings,” says Ian Copestake, “he will have become prime minister.”
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129th over: England 469-4 (Crawley 260, Buttler 134) Another part-time comes into the attack, Asaq Shafiq. He bowls offspin, has two Test wickets at an average of 86 ... and you couldn’t possible care less, could you. The name of the bowler has become almost irrelevant, with our entire focus on the record-bothering feats at the other end. Asad’s first over goes for three.
128th over: England 466-4 (Crawley 258, Buttler 133) Crawley slashes Abbas wide of slip for four. That boundary means that only six players - Sir Garry Sobers, Bob Simpson, Karun Nair, ‘Tip’ Foster, Brian Lara and Zaheer Abbas - have made higher maiden Test hundreds. I’m starting to feel stat-drunk.
“Enjoying your commentary here, but also listening to TMS on YouTube with automatic subtitles on is a joy I never expected to find,” says Mark Ireland. “Crawley just scored off a reverse tweet from nothing sharp (aka Yes sir char or NASA car), and Jaws swung and missed at a seamstress. But I’m still struggling to figure out who Short Barbara is. Any idea?”
Wasn’t she a character in a Black Grape song? What a brilliant find, though - Test cricket meets JD Wetherspoons.
127th over: England 461-4 (Crawley 253, Buttler 133) “Given the position of the game, the series and the bizarre otherworldliness of 2020 on the whole, what chance of a 400+ score for Crawley?” says James Irving. “He’s a mere 148 runs from glory after all...”
At the risk of sounding like Livia Soprano, it’s all a big nothing, what makes you think you’re so special there’s no chance. England want to win this game for a few reasons, not least as it would take them above Australia and into second in the ICC Test Championship. But he will probably have the chance to make 300.
126th over: England 457-4 (Crawley 251, Buttler 131) Mohammad Abbas returns for another spell, the poor sod. Crawley walks across his stumps to chip nonchantly over square-leg for four, a stroke that takes him to 250 not out! In my head all I can hear is Barry Davies saying un-be-lieeee-va-ble.
125th over: England 450-4 (Crawley 246, Buttler 129) Crawley feathers another cover drive, this time for a couple, and then chips Masood elegantly over mid-off for four. This is nowhere near as surreal as 517 for one, but there’s still a woozy unreality to the whole thing. A 22-year-old England batsman is 246 not out.
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124th over: England 443-4 (Crawley 240, Buttler 128) Naseem Shah bowls to Crawley, who nails a beautiful cover drive to move to two hundred and forty not out. On commentary, Shane Warne claims he and Glenn McGrath did not want Steve Waugh to enforce the follow on at Kolkata in 2001. It could be false memory syndrome; if not it’s extremely interesting, and another example of Warne’s almost supernatural cricket intelligence.
“The partnership now stands at 311,” says Matt Emerson, “moving it ahead of Pietersen and Collingwood’s at... no, it’s no use, it’s 14 years ago and I still can’t bring myself to type it...”
Fourteen years? Wow. Time flies when you’ve been scarred for life.
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123rd over: England 438-4 (Crawley 236, Buttler 127) Thanks Tim, hello everyone. What a pleasure to slide into the OBO box seat just as Shan Masood comes into the attack with two England players putting together a monstrous partnership. Shan, who bowls right-arm medium semi-filth, starts with a maiden to Crawley.
122nd over: England 438-4 (Crawley 236, Buttler 127) Naseem keeps Buttler quiet, but only by bowling well wide of off. That’s a maiden, of all the weird things. It’s also drinks, with England just rubbing it in now. Time for me to pass the Parker to the great Rob Smyth.
But first, a word from Calum Fordham. “I think we can say Zak’s lazily but elegant six over extra cover off Yasir was the answer to your call for fireworks.” We can. “As he has passed Rob Key’s innings of 221 against West Indies in 2004, he probably deserves a pint of Larkins traditional, although I’d personally recommend a pint of Harvey’s at The Cricketer’s at Polegate in Sussex.” Ha. Thanks for reading, emailing and putting up with my ignorance of traditional ales. And let’s raise a glass to Zak and Jos.
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121st over: England 438-4 (Crawley 236, Buttler 127) Cries of “Catch it!”, twice over, as Crawley lofts Yasir close to long-on, and Buttler almost gives him a caught-and-bowled. But the runs keep flowing. Crawley reverse-sweeps for four, and poor old Yasir has two for 142.
Here’s Brian Withington, just back from YouTube. “A bit of retro 70s disco trash to celebrate the arrival of leg spin,” he says. “Yasir, I Can Googly.” Trash? It’s a disco classic.
120th over: England 428-4 (Crawley 227, Buttler 126) Back comes Naseem, to be greeted with a drive from Crawley that is so good, it’s frightening – struck on the up, rippling past mid-off. A flick for two by Buttler, and that’s the 300 partnership – 301 off 490 balls. And people used to think Buttler couldn’t bat long.
“Crawley and Buttler may have just completed England’s all-time highest 5th wicket partnership,” said Ian Forth a little while ago, “but there have in fact been 26 higher 5th wicket partnerships in the history of Test cricket. Of course, we don’t know how much longer these two will bat, though Dravid and Laxman’s 376-run 5th wicket partnership is probably safe.”
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119th over: England 421-4 (Crawley 222, Buttler 124) That’s better! Crawley sweeps Yasir for four, in front of square, then dances down the track and chips him over mid-off for six. He hit that almost softly, and just evaded the man at long-off, who ended up in a heap. A single takes Crawley to 221, the score forever stamped with the name of Rob Key. Like mentor, like mentee. Another single takes him past Key, which brings a beaming smile to Crawley’s face – he knows.
118th over: England 408-4 (Crawley 210, Buttler 123) Shaheen tries his bouncer on Crawley, who waves a bat at it like a man trying to hail a taxi in a high wind. He misses, and a wide is given. Reverting to type, Crawley plays a back-foot force into the covers for two, and then there are a couple of singles. We don’t want singles, we want fireworks.
117th over: England 402-4 (Crawley 206, Buttler 122) Yasir’s leg-break fizzes past Crawley’s outside edge. On another day, England would now be all out for 280.
Time for another XI, and it’s not even from Mac Millings. It’s from Alex McGillivray, who calls it the Okes XI. The Mighty Oaks, surely.
Ben Stokes
Chris Woakes
Michael Dokes
John Noakes
Phil Ochs (c)
Sam Vokes
Ben Foakes (wk)
Gordon Moakes
Adam Oakes
Diff’rent Strokes
Awful Jokes
116th over: England 401-4 (Crawley 205, Buttler 122) Shaheen decides it’s time for a bouncer or two. The first is good and Buttler ducks; the second less so, and Buttler pulls for two to bring up the 400. For four! Are you Andrew Strauss’s England in disguise?
Here’s William Lane. “Not to sound too gushing in praise for Crawley and Buttler (though I am firmly team Buttler in the endless debate that is his Test career, but what is truly wonderful about this partnership is the tempo. It is lovely to be 350/4 after 100 overs instead of 250/4 after the same period of time, which would be the case had Sibley stuck around. Of course after relatively recent times of being 50/4 the Sibley option isn’t too bad either, I suppose.”
115th over: England 399-4 (Crawley 205, Buttler 120) Buttler is starting to milk Yasir now, working the gaps. Crawley plays and misses, not for the first or even the tenth time today, but then sweeps imperiously for four.
114th over: England 392-4 (Crawley 201, Buttler 117) Shaheen Shah Afridi is back, replacing the unlucky Naseem. Just a single to Buttler. At the risk of being high-maintenance, I’d say England need to get a move on now.
“Only six England batsmen,” says Lawrence Booth on Twitter, “have turned their maiden Test hundred into a double: Tip Foster, Wally Hammond, Eddie Paynter, Bill Edrich, @BumbleCricket and @robkey612.” So Crawley has a 50pc chance of becoming an England legend, and, failing that, a 33pc chance of a job as a Sky commentator.
Crawley goes to a double hundred
113th over: England 391-4 (Crawley 201, Buttler 116) Signs of aggression now, as Buttler pulls Naseem (for just a single) and Crawley plays that signature shot of his, the classical clip to the midwicket boundary. Mind you, he then plays and misses. As usual, this game is holding a sign up saying “don’t get too cocky”. Then he nicks one – and it flashes past second slip and goes for four, to give him a double century. That was about the worst stroke in an outstanding innings. He’s the youngest man to make a double for England since David Gower in 1979.
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A new England record
112th over: England 382-4 (Crawley 193, Buttler 115) Crawley cuts Yasir for a single, Buttler pushes into the covers for another one, and that is England’s highest partnership ever for the fifth wicket.
111th over: England 380-4 (Crawley 192, Buttler 114) Naseem beats Buttler again. That’s a maiden. Michael Holding reckons Naseem should just do what he’s doing – landing it on a length, on and around off, and moving it away – for the rest of his career.
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109th over: England 378-4 (Crawley 191, Buttler 113) Yasir Shah was limbering up, but it’s Naseem to continue. Crawley has a few sighters and then creams one through the covers, to reach what look like being the nerveless 190s. That takes the partnership to 250.
The rain is kindly holding off, so we should have some more play in a minute. Time for England to find the accelerator.
Time for some man love. “It’s hard not to feel adoration for these two,” says Guy Hornsby, “not only because they are classical batsmen and lovely blokes, but to an England fan that lived through the 90s, this sort of partnership still feels a bit surreal. This is the sort of thing other teams do to us.”
Emergency correction. If there’s one thing that gets the OBO community going more than an England selection, it’s the provenance of an ale. “Sorry Gavin [107th over],” says Richard Davies, “they do sell Larkins at the Windmill - my brother sups there daily. They may well have the excellent Harvey’s, but that’s from over the border in Lewes, Sussex.”
This last point has already been echoed by Ben Skelton, Paul Compton, Nick Veale, Shaun Pilgrem, Clive Stanley, Steve Tayler, John Willshire, David Rathborne, Alan Macpherson, Daryl Lloyd, Uncle Tom Cobbleigh and Alan Cooper, who puts it like this: “I’m guessing you have a hundred emails on this already (so I suspect Gavin Bullock is trolling us...), but Harvey’s is from Lewes in Sussex. Wonderful beer, but not ‘fine Kent beer’.”
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108th over: England 373-4 (Crawley 186, Buttler 113) It’s still Abbas, whose bowling average when the batsmen play him from the crease, as they have to at the moment, is a scarcely believable 9. Buttler manages to tuck him for two. And that’s lunch. The scoreboard says it’s been England’s morning, and the Jos Buttler fan club certainly won’t forget it in a hurry, but spare a thought for the Pakistan seamers, who deserved at least one wicket and probably three.
Time for a couple of tweets before the break. “*My first cricket tweet*,” says Scott P. “England will learn the hard way if they don’t pick the best keeper they have. Australia went down this path and it has been a litany of woes.”
“Please tell me,” says Miranda Jollie, “#zakcrawley’s nickname is Creepy.” Of course it is. See you in half an hour.
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107th over: England 371-4 (Crawley 186, Buttler 111) Naseem is still bowling well, but the gods are not on his side. When he draws a thick edge from Crawley, it flies through a big gap in the slips and goes for four.
“Love the commentary,” says Gavin Bullock, “but if you’ll forgive me I’d like to make a minor correction - it’s Harvey’s at the Windmill, not Larkins. Fine Kent beer.” Such good manners.
106th over: England 367-4 (Crawley 182, Buttler 111) No rest for Abbas, who still has Rizwan standing up. Buttler succeeds where he failed a short time ago and pulls off that dink to the third-man boundary. But then he plays at thin air again, going for an expansive drive. There’s a delay as Rizwan takes a blow to the hand, but he seems to be OK. Keepers, like their gloves, are made of strong stuff.
This is now Buttler’s highest Test score, beating his 106 against India two years ago.
105th over: England 362-4 (Crawley 181, Buttler 107) The first bowling change of the day as Naseem Shah replaces Shaheen. He beats Buttler’s outside edge, then Crawley’s, in an excellent first over.
If you’re a TMS fan, Peter Haining has found the overseas link.
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104th over: England 360-4 (Crawley 180, Buttler 106) Abbas, after that seven-run insult to his figures, reverts to type as Crawley plays out a maiden. The ball has been well on top this morning, with nothing to show for it.
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103rd over: England 360-4 (Crawley 180, Buttler 106) And how would you like to celebrate your century, sir? “I think I’ll have an off drive, so sweetly struck that I won’t even bother to run.”
102nd over: England 356-4 (Crawley 180, Buttler 102) That over was classic cat-and-mouse. Buttler cruised to 99 with a handsome back-foot punch for four, rather ruining Abbas’s figures. Rizwan came up to the stumps. Buttler played and missed, opening the face, looking for a dink past the slips. Then came the awful moment when the finger went up, but he’s a keeper, he’s good with reviews. And the shot with which he made it to a hundred was a good one – suddenly calm again. He has played beautifully after coming in, as so often, with his team in a tight corner.
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A hundred for Buttler!
Next ball, he gets there. A crisp cover punch for three, and Jos Buttler finally has a second Test hundred, and a first one, amazingly, as a wicketkeeper. He smiles that broad smile of his.
Not out! Buttler still on 99 (England 353-4)
Phew.
He should be OK
The bat hit the pad!
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Wicket!? Buttler c Rizwan b Abbas 99
Noooo! But he’s reviewing...
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101st over: England 349-4 (Crawley 180, Buttler 95) At the other end, England are breaking the shackles. Buttler gets a full one and drives for three; Crawley gets a short one and cuts for four. Their partnership is now 222, a new England record for the fifth wicket against Pakistan.
“To address the question raised in the 98th over,” says Abhijato Sensarma, “as an amateur spinner, I can promise you that getting hit for boundaries by an unconventional batsman is worse, because you are led to wonder ‘Am I so bad anyone can hit me to the boundary?’ On the other hand, when the bowler is the recipient of a Bellesque drive, there is disappointment but also the lingering thought that ‘he’s too good for my length to make any difference’.” Top marks for single quotes.
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100th over: England 341-4 (Crawley 175, Buttler 92) Buttler, squared up by the immaculate Abbas, gets what looks and sounds like a routine nick to the keeper, but it has merely flicked the outside of his right trouser leg. Abbas has now bowled five overs this morning for one run.
99th over: England 341-4 (Crawley 175, Buttler 92) Play! Buttler, who could easily be spooked by these interruptions, faces Shaheen, and tucks him calmly for a single. And then Crawley makes his first runs of the morning with an on-drive that is somewhere between sumptuous and creamy.
Time for a correction. “Regarding Mr Keegan’s assertions [12:56],” says Jake Santa Maria, “the figures he used for Perth were the figures for the whole of Australia. Perth has 9 deaths but alas no one is a winner in the rain.” Or in a pandemic. It seems that Phil Keegan’s point stands – he was also using the figures for Vietnam, not just Hanoi.
“I hope you’re right,” says the next email, “about Zak liking a pint of the proper stuff. They serve delicious Larkins Traditional at the Windmill, Weald – which I believe is owned by his dad Terry. Richard Davies, former Weald resident.” What I was actually driving at was that Zak looked the type to drink fancy wines, in the Gower tradition. But no doubt he likes a pint too. His dad, by the way, is reported to have made a fortune as a futures trader – the financial equivalent of a Test selector.
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Latest from the umps
They’re coming back on ... at 1.15. What will become of lunch is anyone’s guess.
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An email from Rainy Weather, of all people. “Dear Test Cricket,” it goes, “2-0 to me today. Yours faithfully, R. Weather.” We may have reached peak OBO: even the rain is gloating.
“If there are to be marks for aesthetics,” says Niall Mullen, “which wins, a sumptuous cover drive, or a creamy one?” Ha. In my book, sumptuous comes second only to sublime, which leaves the cream not quite rising to the top.
Deprived of one international contest, we have another. “Regarding George Grundy’s assertion that his city of Perth is the most Covid-free city on earth,” says Phil Keegan. “A quick Google search revealed the following comparison between Perth and my adopted city of Hanoi.
“Perth: cases 24,602; deaths 485.
“Hanoi: cases 1,009; deaths 25.
“So much for ‘sodding Aussies always winning’.” Oof.
Noooo! It's raining again
And off they go, after ten minutes, 14 balls, no runs, and a string of moral victories for the bowlers.
98th over: England 336-4 (Crawley 171, Buttler 91) Rizwan is back in the groove now, pulling off a fabulous take as Crawley plays and misses again at Abbas. And then there’s a leading edge, which lands safely. After his day of mastery, Crawley is finally batting like the novice he is.
“To address Kim Thonger’s point on style bonuses for batsmen (semi seriously),” says Toby Sims, “I think it’s definitely valid (no offence to Sibley and Burns, they’ve got ‘ticker’, another great quality). Four runs off a bowler is always going to frustrate them, but when it’s a shooooottttttttt and you have to admire the sheer beauty (Mr I.R. Bell MBE springs to mind) does it do more psychological damage than ‘oh, it appears to have made it to the boundary’? Just a thought.”
97th over: England 336-4 (Crawley 171, Buttler 91) “A much better over from Shaheen,” says Mike Atherton. very true: aiming at off stump, not way outside, and getting some swing back in. Wasim Akram, his fellow left-arm swinger, points out that he’s playing his 17th first-class match – which is two more than Naseem Shah.
Not out!
It did pitch just on leg stump, but it was going over middle. Michael Gough’s reputation is intact, and so are Jos Buttler’s chances of a first Test century as a wicketkeeper.
Review! For lbw, Shaheen to Buttler
Pitched outside leg I think... Not given by the great Michael Gough.
96th over: England 336-4 (Crawley 171, Buttler 91) Abbas has two balls of his over left, and Rizwan is standing up, as planned before the rain. The first ball is a beauty, beating Crawley’s prod, and also defeating Rizwan, who fumbles it. The other ball darts back and takes an inside edge into the inner thigh. Ouch.
The players are out there again, and we’ve only lost four overs. Play can continue until 7pm.
“Aesthetics and holisticity,” begins the next email. You what? “Cricket is the refined sport to support because we glory in the beauty of the game. The English openers are so UGLY it is an embarrassment and ruins my watching of the highlights. Foakes is very unfortunate. Buttler lacks a complete stumper’s technique. Selectors should come up with a solution that restores an aesthetic holisticity to highlights. Pompously yours, Alisdair Macdonald Gould, Paris.” Now that’s what I call a sign-off.
Back to the keepers. Amazingly, that Mac Millings XI turns out not to be the last word on the subject. “Regarding Simon Halpin’s comments (11:38),” says Nick Wiltsher, “good (or bad) keeping isn’t measured only by the number of drops or missed stumpings. Byes are part of it, but so is general tidiness: how often the ball is cleanly gloved behind the stumps rather than clanging off thumbs, how often throws from the deep are taken well, and so on. All this matters for the tone of the fielding, the condition of the ball, the sense that the machine is running smoothly. Especially so on long hot days in the field on the sub-continent (or in the UAE).
“I’ve seen both Buttler and Bairstow keep, and I don’t think either are at all tidy in this sense. Bairstow in particular is ragged. I’ve not seen Foakes keep live, but by all accounts he is clearly a superior keeper to both, and no countback of drops will prove otherwise. I would be delighted if Buttler has cracked Test batting– if he can import his genius from the white-ball game, he can be stellar, and should be guaranteed a place in the team. But that doesn’t diminish the case for a better keeper, especially when spinners are doing a lot of the bowling. Given the promise and records of so many England batters at the moment, including Foakes does mean there are too many batters for not enough spots, but that is an excellent problem to have.”
Keiran Betteley has been watching Joe Root’s speech to the troops, and it’s not the words that have caught his interest. “Slightly disappointed that they’re all on the continental lager beer,” he says, “with not a single guy refreshing themselves with an honest pint of English ale, or someone indulging their inner @davidgower616 sipping a Condrieu or a Montrachet.” Crawley looks as if he might have that in him, by the time he makes his third tour of Australia.
“G’day Tim,” says George Grundy, “greetings from Perth, Western Australia, the most Covid-free city on earth.” Sodding Aussies, always winning. “Can you explain to me the bit where they’ve been off for ages, the weather gets better and some goose says ‘I know, let’s have lunch now’. These are modern sportsmen, they’re probably downing bananas and protein shakes all over the place. If the weather is good and the covers are off, let’s play cricket.” Did you just call Nasser Hussain some goose?
Here’s Kim Thonger. “My business partner (a gritty Yorkshireman) and I ( a Somerset yokel) held an impromptu board meeting just now, much of which was devoted to this thorny question. For an opener, is an elegant batting technique more important than a strong mind? We have decided it is, and furthermore should like to suggest Test cricket takes a leaf out of the ice-dancing playbook so that as well as runs, a batsman should be awarded points for style at the end of each innings. Crawley would do very well out of this. Sibley and Burns, not so much.”
“While it rains,” says Paul Stubbs, “I have recently taken up umpiring again and was surprised to lose a bet with my son — according to laws of cricket, you can be stumped off a wide ... a dismissal that actually counts as a wicket to the bowler. It seems weird to me, as what is to stop the bowler and wicketkeeper, especially in a one-day game, agreeing ahead of time to bowl down the leg side … and getting a batsman out from what would, otherwise, be an illegal ball? I am puzzled to know if I am right and whether anyone can recall this happening.” You are right, I believe, and yes it is a bad rule, blatantly contradicting itself.
What we need, in this lull, is a jokey XI. Cometh the rain, cometh Mac Millings. “I think we must surely have taken the Buttler debate as far as it can go,” he says, briskly. “But just in case, would you please allow me to kill it off, once and for all, with my all-time Jos Buttler XI?”
Salman Buttler
Sir Len Button (c)
Mike Jossey
Buttlearie Constantine
Jossy Bairstow
Joss Taylor
Ben Foakes †
Buttliah Muralitharan
Ken Buttleworth
Butt Lee
Josfra Archer
So Jos doesn’t make it into his own XI?
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Play will resume, but not yet
Breaking news! “A 12:40 restart,” says Ian Ward on Sky, “assuming there’s no more rain. And lunch at 2.” So that’s flexibility of a sort, but I suspect it won’t be enough to placate Chris Evans.
“So,” says Chris Evans, “is it inspection at 12:10, play at 12:30, lunch at 1? Or is there any chance they take lunch now, start at 12:30 and play through until tea?” Dammit, man, are you expecting common sense? As I type that, Nasser Hussain says it too: “Take lunch now!”
Ever wondered what a Test captain says to his team at the end of the day? In a move that would have given the administrators of the past acute palpitations, the ECB has put Joe Root’s speech from last night on Twitter.
Here’s Ian Copestake, the OBO’s favourite meteorologist. “A shame,” he says, “the newly trumpeted flexibility regarding light conditions did not extend to responding to the prospect of rain in the morning by making an early start. It would just be nice in these days of incompetence to see evidence of actual competence.” Fair point – the new approach doesn’t seem to extend to forward thinking.
“Re Sir Richard Woods’ contribution,” says Janet Stevens, following up from 11:27. “When Crawley reached his 150 and was sitting on 153, I noticed that his partnership with Buttler was at that point also worth 153.” The satisfying chimes of arithmetic: half the reason children fall for cricket, or don’t.
“Thanks for the great coverage,” says Phil Keegan. Still a pleasure. “It has been raining constantly in Hanoi for weeks now if that is any consolation. In respect of playing two wickies in your team, is there anything to stop a team from alternating them during a match, let alone between matches? Is this expressly outlawed or would it just be against the spirit?” Not outlawed as far as I know, or even against the spirit – just against convention, which is a powerful force in cricket. And it would wreak havoc with Stats Guru.
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“Re armchair selection,” says David Wall, picking up from 10:51, “is it really a good idea to drop one of the openers and move Crawley there to make room for Foakes? Finally someone seems to show an aptitude for what has been a troublesome no. 3 slot and you think he should be moved to a different position in the very next match (or perhaps you’re just predicting what the selectors will do)? Just like the Spitfire, only in England.” Ha. Maybe you’re right, but (a) Crawley did show aptitude as an opener too, and (b) Buttler has never made a Test stumping, so if he’s going to keep for long hot days in Sri Lanka, India or UAE, he will need to put in a lot of work with Bruce French. On past form, he’ll have the appetite, and there is a gap in the calendar, after the IPL.
There’s some blue in the sky now, but the shower was a heavy one and the men in shorts with brooms are shipping great big puddles off the covers. All the umpires can offer us is another inspection at 12.10. If there was a crowd in, they might be tempted to boo.
Here’s Tony White, in “southest” France. Not sure if that means south-east, south-west or most south. “Since it seems there may be some ruminating about the respective qualities of messrs Buttler and Foakes,” he muses, “would it not be possible to play them both and alternate them, one taking the gloves for each innings? Is this illegal, heresy? Enjoy your day, I’ll be lapping up the goods.” I seem to remember Scyld Berry, the elder of our tribe, making the same suggestion when Buttler and Jonny Bairstow were both in the XI. Wicketkeepers do tend to make ten runs fewer when they’re knackered from keeping. But captains like to be consistent and have the same hub at the centre of the fielding side. Besides keeping wicket and mounting rescue missions, Buttler has a third role in this team, as Joe Root’s left-hand man.
“People,” says Simon Harpin, “seem to ignore that before a couple of shaky Tests this summer Buttler hadn’t dropped anything for yonks. And although Rizwan looks sharper, Buttler well outperformed Dowrich. I’m trusting the selectors – must be a reason Foakes isn’t making it in.
“Also, can we do a straw poll of how many readers have actually seen the players in the flesh they say should be picked rather than looking up their scores online...?” That is an outrageous suggestion.
Here’s John Starbuck, who has a bone to pick with Zak Crawley. “Having been able to watch Crawley batting a long time on the Beeb highlights, I wonder why he doesn’t use a bat with a longer handle? He suffers for his height, with a crouch in his stance and a crunch in his shoulders, likely to give him spinal problems in later life. Also on stances, your picture in today’s paper of Sibley getting out shows Dom imitating Charlie Chaplin’s famous pose.”
Ha. But never mind the comedy stances, I just love the fact that you’ve got the print edition. Dear Guardian reader, the best thing you can do for us right now is to buy the paper. You will settle into it, as Tom Wolfe said about the Sunday New York Times, as if it was a hot bath. And the subscription deal is a steal. There’s something very satisfying about those little vouchers with your name on.
An email from Sir Richard. Hadlee? No, Woods. “Living in China as I do,” he says, “I only get to enjoy about half the day’s play before I sleep. Of course I catch up with the OBO overs I have missed when I awake. When Crawley got to his century it was pointed out that he was the 171st player to score a century for England and that it had taken him 171 balls. Then I saw his score at stumps. This is one of the many reasons why I love cricket.” You’ll never guess what Crawley’s on now.
Rain stops play
Mid-96th over: England 336-4 (Crawley 171, Buttler 91) Facing Abbas, Buttler actually has to use his bat more than once in an over. He takes another single, playing very straight and getting a thick inside edge to the inswinger. Mohammad Rizwan, who may be the best wicketkeeper in the world now Sarah Taylor has retired, sends for a helmet, but before he can stand up to the stumps, they’re off for rain. It’s been a magnificently uneventful 25 minutes.
95th over: England 335-4 (Crawley 171, Buttler 90) Back to Shaheen giving Buttler balls to leave. At last, there’s one on the stumps, which Buttler tucks, a little uneasily, for a single. He’s into the 90s for only the second time in his Test career, and the first while keeping wicket.
94th over: England 334-4 (Crawley 171, Buttler 89) A play-and-miss! By Crawley against Abbas, the only bowler England treated with respect yesterday. That one went like a leg break.
“Thank you for great coverage of the Test series,” says George Barrow. Our pleasure. “The England team has better balance now in terms of make-up, but it’s hard to see us winning much abroad without a quality spinner. Maybe this is harsh on Leach and Bess who are early in their Test careers but are there any others on the circuit who could break through?” Good question. Most of the wickets taken by spin in county cricket seem to go to Simon Harmer. But Leach may well be the real deal. And don’t forget Moeen, who is mercurial but incisive, even against expert players of spin.
93rd over: England 334-4 (Crawley 171, Buttler 89) Runs! Buttler gets a short one from Shaheen and guides it crisply past cover for two. Then it’s back to the boring stuff, too wide to bother with.
92nd over: England 332-4 (Crawley 171, Buttler 87) Mohammad Abbas will be on the stumps, says Warne – whereupon Abbas’s first two balls are also easy leaves. Finally, the ninth ball of the day demands a stroke. Crawley plays a forward defensive. And another, and a third. He is as classical as Burns and Sibley are eccentric – though he does thick-edge the last ball, short of gully, to show that he’s human.
“When will Liam Livingstone get his chance?” wonders Stephen Herzenberg. “Hits the ball harder than Stokes and potentially an excellent spinner. Bit of a head case – needs the challenge of Test cricket to mature a little and bat a bit more responsibly.” I’d love to see him get a go, but there’s a bit of a waiting list now.
91st over: England 332-4 (Crawley 171, Buttler 87) Shaheen bowls four balls in a row wide of Buttler’s off stump. And then two that are slightly less wide, but still easily left. Either Pakistan have decided to bore their way to a wicket, or Shaheen’s radar is off – scrambled by the Spitfire.
It’s Shaheen Shah Afridi to start things off, which is a shrewd show of faith from Azhar Ali. He manages not to open with a no-ball, but instead comes close to a wide.
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More importantly, the players are out there. Here come Zak Crawley and Jos Buttler, who have added 205 already. What price an early wicket?
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There’s something in the air at the Rose Bowl. It’s the “Thank You NHS” Spitfire. Only in England.
Armchair selection alert
In case anyone thought Buttler had silenced all the muttering about his place, here’s the first email of the day. “Maybe,” says Charles Marshall, “Buttler’s form with the bat makes it easier to pick Foakes? While the former is batting like this, the team would be strengthened with both of them in it. And Foakes is no mug with the bat himself, so Pope wouldn’t be a big loss.”
Hang on! Yes, Ben Foakes probably should come in to keep to the spinners this winter, but are you sure you want to sacrifice Pope? He plays spin beautifully, when he remembers not to go back to Yasir Shah’s flipper. I’d have thought it would be Burns or Sibley who would make way, with Crawley opening as he did last winter, followed by Root, Stokes, Pope, Buttler, Foakes, two quicks (hot competition for those slots) and two spinners (not quite so hot).
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Preamble
Morning everyone. Were we dreaming? Did the covers really stay off all day long? Did the Pakistan bowlers dish up the full 90 overs? Did England’s batsmen turn a collapse into a cakewalk?
All this and more. A 22-year-old Englishman made a Test hundred that oozed class and confidence. When did that last happen? In another era altogether – back in January 2020. It was Ollie Pope, with 135 not out, at Port Elizabeth.
Like Zak Crawley, Pope had announced himself with a couple of Test fifties before delivering the big one. Pope hasn’t reached three figures since, although he has made a sparkling 90. There’s a case for saying that Crawley might be better off not turning this daddy hundred of his into a double. His mentor, Rob Key, did that with his first Test century, and never made another. A milestone is not a million miles from a millstone.
Your second Test century is less trumpeted than your first, but more telling. Just ask Jos Buttler, who needs 13 more runs this morning to secure his second, in his 47th Test. He has found himself a clear role in whites, at last, as England’s salvage specialist. This is the third time in a month that he has come in at 120-odd for four, or worse, and calmly steered the ship away from the rocks.
Pakistan won the first half of the day but lost the second, heavily. It would be so good for the series if they could bounce back this morning. As no overs have yet been lost, play will start at 11am, weather permitting. According to the Met Office, there’s a 30-per-cent chance of rain in the first hour, rising to 40 in the second, but the rest of the day is looking dry. As is the pitch, which has had Shane Warne licking his lips, and Dom Bess thinking that he may even get a bowl.
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