Vic Marks’s day one report:
Stumps: England 35-1 (Burns 20, Denly 14)
Play has been abandoned for the day. Only 17.4 overs were possible because of the weather, but the forecast suggests we will get close to a full day tomorrow. Please join us then. Goodnight!
“Whilst sharing Matt Dony’s comforting reflections on the new normal, there is nevertheless something just a tad jarring about contemplating a crunch match for relegation-flirting West Ham on the evening of a July Test match,” says Brian Withington. “Looking forward to just focusing on the cricket (after a vital away win) ...”
Still no official news. While we wait, have a song.
Here’s the weather forecast for the rest of the match. It gets progressively better, so I wouldn’t throw money at the draw just yet.
“Hi Rob,” says Richard Mead. “Given there are no ticketing issues, no crowd control problems etc, do you know if this match will push into a sixth day to get the required overs in? Given the logistics of getting this match on and surely with no other pressing engagements at the ground, it makes sense?”
It won’t, mainly because the need to hotfoot it to Old Trafford for the next Test. But I’m confident, with these batting line-ups, that we’ll get a positive result within the scheduled five days.
It hasn’t been confirmed, but I’d be surprised if there’s any more play today. If you’re in urgent need of a live-sport fix, West Brom have just scored a football goal against Derby.
The covers are back on, so the resumption isn’t imminent. I’m glad to say the forecast is better for the rest of the match.
Tea
The tea break has been brought forward. Play will resume, light permitting, at around 4.50pm.
Updated
“It’s exciting that Cricket Is Back, and obviously I’m pleased that play has got underway,” says Matt Dony. “But there is something awfully comforting about following an OBO full of rain-induced filler. A small window of The New Normal being similar to the old normal. Like a comfy cardigan.”
“I wanted to let you know of a link between the Guardian and the West Indies team playing in the match,” writes Kate Gavron. “My late husband, Lord Gavron, was Chairman of the Guardian Media Group, 1997-2000. One of his passions was cricket. He supported the Barbados Cricket Association for 15 years and the support has continued since his death in 2015.
“Part of this support is the annual Lord Gavron Award, given to promising young cricketers in Barbados, chosen for their talent, character, work ethic and potential. The sums of money involved are relatively small but the young awardees are encouraged, nurtured and given training opportunities, usually in the UK.
“You have already noticed, I am sure, how many of the current West Indies players are from Barbados. Even more remarkable is the fact that no fewer than seven of the winners of the Lord Gavron Award are playing in the current Test match. They are Jason Holder (c), Kraigg Brathwaite, Sharmarh Brooks, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich and Kemar Roach.
“If my husband were still alive today he would of course be thrilled to see how a targeted campaign to encourage his favourite sport has been so successful and he would certainly want to pay tribute to the astuteness of the members of the Barbados Cricket Association in their selection of Award winners.”
It would be impressive enough to have that many in the Barbados XI; to have seven in the West Indies team is extraordinary.
Bad light stops play
17.4 overs: England 35-1 (Burns 20, Denly 14) Denly tries to pull a ball that keeps a bit low and cracks him on the hip. This, as Nasser Hussain notes on Sky, looks a bit of a two-paced pitch. Joseph follows that with a very full delivery that leads to a half-hearted LBW appeal. There was a big inside-edge, but it was nice bowling and Denly was always cleaned up.
That, alas, is the last ball of this mini-session. The light has deteriorated sufficiently that the umpires have offered it to the batsmen.
Updated
17th over: England 35-1 (Burns 20, Denly 14) Holder beats Denly with a quite ludicrous legcutter. It was a fraction too short to find the edge, the old Phil DeFreitas/Andy Caddick length. One run from the over, which makes it one from the last three overs. These are challenging conditions and the England batsmen are trying to play as little as possible. As if to prove the point, Burns is late trying to leave Holder and the ball bounces off the face of the bat into the ground.
In case you missed it earlier, the players took a knee before the first ball was bowled.
16th over: England 34-1 (Burns 20, Denly 13) Joseph almost traps Burns LBW as he falls across his stumps. Burns did well to adjust, drag his bat across and get a leading edge into the off side. Another maiden.
15th over: England 34-1 (Burns 20, Denly 13) Denly edges Holder just short of Campbell in the slips at the start of another maiden. Holder is steadily pushing the ball closer to the bat, and you’d expect him to be quite a handful once he settles into a full length.
Updated
Thanks Tanya, hello everyone. It’s good stuff out there, a rugged arm-wrestle in bowler-friendly conditions. You wait all this time for the new normal and all you get is old-fashioned Test cricket.
14th over: England 34-1 (Burns 20, Denly 13) Joseph springing like a collie through heather but not yet totally on target, Burns sends him flying through backward point for four. And that’s it from me, handing over to Rob Smyth who will guide you through till the close.
Updated
13th over: England 30-1 (Burns 16, Denly 13) A double change, and Jason Holder is into his rhythm immediately. His third ball fizzes off the pitch hitting the top of Denly’s bat handle, his top hand flying up uncontrollably. He calls for a change of gloves.
Joe Mitchell is contemplates the stands, thinking “They could definitely squeeze a few socially distanced households in there’. Has anyone done the maths? Bet there’s someone reading OBO who could be distracted into modelling the optimal number of fans that could fit in the ground while maintaining social distancing?
Even a thousand fans would create more atmosphere than most four-day county cricket...”
12th over: England 28-1 (Burns 15, Denly 13) Just a nine-step run-up for Joseph, and Burns sends his first ball, an afternoon loosener, to the boundary. He’s tall and and slight and carries much hope on his shoulders. A bit of a warm-up six balls.
11th over: England 20-1 (Burns 7, Denly 13) The empty seats stare forlornly as Roach continues to tempt Burns and Denly. Interesting that the ECB didn’t follow the lead of football and let fans pay to be cardboard cut-outs in the crowd. I guess they might have disintegrated into pulp by Sunday. Aha! the ball has been thrown to Alzarri Joseph.
10th over: England 20-1 (Burns 7, Denly 13) Denly stands up tall and pulls Gabriel through mid-on. The shot of confident man. The very next delivery he darts the ball through where fourth slip would be . The shot of an over-confident man?
Updated
9th over: England 12-1 (Burns 7, Denly 5) It continues to be a torrid passage for England out there. Roach threatening with length and variable bounce. A maiden.
John Starbuck writes re Nasser’s bookcase, “I haven’t seen the screen view which Paddy Sturdy mentions, but it’s likely that the book “Silver” is either a crime novel by Chris Hammer (2019) or the fictional autobiography of Treasure Island’s Long John Silver by Andrew Motion (2012).”
8th over: England 12-1 (Burns 7, Denly 5) The cameras show the West Indian players wiping the sweat from their brows onto the ball. We get a side-on view of play - those slips are a good way back, at a guess I’d judge half a pitch length. Shanon Gabriel reaching 89mph as he cranks through the gears, bouncing Denly who retaliates with a gratitude four through third man.
More on Bomber Wells from Richard O Hagan: “Brian ‘Bomber’ Wells was indeed a lost sort of cricketer in many ways. Overweight, liked a drink, bowled off only two paces (he once bowled an over whilst a nearby clock struck twelve, much to his captain’s disgust) and a batsman who only scored runs when absolutely unavoidable. Stephen Chalke wrote a typically masterful biography of him just before he died.”
7th over: England 7-1 (Burns 6, Denly 1) Roach has got it nipping and zipping as his legs kick up high behind him. Denly has survived choppy periods like this before, but he is not looking entirely at ease.
6th over: England 7-1 (Burns 6, Denly 1) I can’t think of a more barrel-chested bowler than Shannon Gabriel. He parts the wind with his upper body as he kegs in, feet thudding towards middle earth. And that’s England’s first boundary, Burns kissing Gabriel through deep mid wicket.
Anyone still furloughed? A question from Robert Heath: “When was the last time that England took to the field without a single Yorkshire player in their ranks?And if you want to go further: What is their relative success rate with & without Yorkshire players in the lineup? I’m guessing the answers are 1. A long time ago, and 2. Poor.”
Updated
5th over: England 3-1 (Burns 2, Denly 1) The wind undulates across the players’ shirts as Roach bowls the remaining five balls of his over. From wide of the crease he tempts Denly, with one moving away from the outside of his eager driving blade.
Thrilled to have just found a mint humbug underneath the sofa. Wrapped. Presumably, England will have to be without their trusty sweets this Covid summer. Meanwhile in France, Charles Lomas is drawn to write by Sibley’s weight-loss.
“Good afternoon Tanya
I’m old but when I was a boy I saw Bomber Wells play for Notts. He was very fat and made bad fielding into a work of art. He bowled off no run up and slogged with no footwork. We will never see his like again, in an Orwellian world of fitness regimes.
His dad had been blacklisted for trade union activism.The struggle continues.”
And the players walk back out.
“Bearing in mind that one of the arguments for maintaining 11 o’clock starts in this country is to enable punters to catch trains/buses etc. and still get into the ground on time,” writes Gary Bartley, “will the start times be pushed forward to account for the lost overs now that there ain’t no punters?”
A very good point Gary. I suppose you’ve still got broadcasters and schedules to deal with...?
Derek Pringle thinks things could be worse:
One observation on the little play so far - Burns given not out on review to a ball which, when bowled to Sibley at other end, clipped his off-stump. Sibley out, Burns not out - crazy world of DRS protocols
— Derek Pringle (@derekpringle) July 8, 2020
Play will restart at 3.30
All things being equal etc etc. Tea will then happen at 5pm and play will, theoretically, linger on into aperitifs.
Paddy Sturdey has a question for a rainy day: “Hi Tanya, carrying on from Ian Forth’s comments about Nasser’s bookshelf (the one from lockdown most closely approximating mine incidentally), who is that book Silver by? Big one, black spine, over his left shoulder. There are hundreds of books on Amazon called Silver or something similar. Anyone know?
Just to say my email address above is wrong - I’ll ask someone to change it but in the meantime do email me on tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com.
“Afternoon Tanya, afternoon everyone,” writes Michael Avery.
Hello Michael!
“I’m sure we all saw the news about Sibley feeling self-conscious about his fitness levels whilst in Sri Lanka with the England team, and subsequently losing 12kg in his attempts to get fitter.
“The old look Sibley had an average of 40, whereas this new more svelte Sibley has an average of 0. Is it too early to say there’s a link here? Are we witnessing the cricketing equivalent of darts player Gary Anderson losing two stone and suddenly struggling to find his rhythm because his belly wasn’t holding him down? Does Sibley needs to get on a pasta and ice cream diet like De Niro in Raging Bull to see a return to form?”
Kudos to Sibley for working so hard while the rest of us were nurturing a lockdown tum. There could be something in your theory, a netball coach told me that when young players grow suddenly (taller) they temporarily lose their centre of balance. Perhaps the same could be said if you lose/gain lots of weight?
The rain it returns.
Heavier now.
4th over: England 3-1 (Burns 2, Denly 1) Denly averages 30 in his brief Test career, which was good enough in the late 80s but won’t be long-term in the 2020s. He slurps Gabriel unconvincingly into the onside. Then Gabriel makes one slice in off the pitch with so much jag that the keeper struggles to pick it up with his left hand. Denly’s stump was nakedly exposed. There’s a battle within a battle within the top four to see who makes way for Joe Root on his return.
We’re back on. Gabriel stands at the top of his mark and stares down at Burns.
Thanks to TMS for this gruesome stat: England’s average for the opening partnership last year was 16. Which was the second worst average in a summer of three Tests or more since 1999. Today the partnership was 0. Make of that what you will.
Play to resume at 2.45...
...if there is no further rain.
Meanwhile, if you’d like to read about shouldering arms, try this.
The first wicket on the return of international cricket and it’s a batsman shouldering arms. I wrote about for @NightwatchmanXI about why it’s my favourite thing in cricket: https://t.co/2w0mZ0Fnmgpic.twitter.com/5v5RcDx6AF
— Jon Harvey (@jondharvey) July 8, 2020
The Rose Bowl is so far without the full valance and quilt. But the Hover Cover sits.
Ian Forth has been on bookcase watch. “I’ve just been watching some cricket show watch-along highlights from the lockdown era. I was mildly surprised to discover Nasser had Bill Bryson and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin quite prominently on his bookcase. I imagined he’d be more of a military history man, for some reason. All I could see on Rob Key’s was Freddy’s autobiography, turned face-on to the camera like a staff pick in a bookshop. No sign of any books behind Warney, but sadly no sign of his infamous mural either.”
I glanced up quickly at that and wondered if Nasser had colour-coded his books? My interior designer friend suggested that and much to my husband’s disgust I gave it a try. Quite pleased with it actually.
Updated
Alas poor Sibley: 115 days of waiting since England’s warm-up game in Colombo was called off. We’ve all been there. Condolences.
Meanwhile Brian Withington has been doing some maths: “At Mark Wood’s 142km/hour my fag packet calculation suggests the batsman gets a shade under half a second from ball release to arrival. I don’t know what sum is needed to calculate time taken for the impact of a toe crushing yorker to register with the brain, but have known umpires who would have raised a finger beforehand.”
The rain returns
3rd over: England 1-1 (Burns 1, Denly 0) Roach skids the ball full and towards Burns’s boot, the ball flaps away and England are off the mark in a thoroughly convincing way. Denly swishes at Roach’s last ball and then, ye curses, rain starts to fall. The hover cover floats into place and the players return once more to the pavilion.
Charles Shenrick’s message is out of date already, “Shame the rain stopped…. I was enjoying it up until we started batting….”
Updated
2nd over: England 0-1 (Burns 0, Denly 0) Holder threw the ball to Shannon Gabriel against the advice of Brathwaite, who on the radio earlier felt Gabriel might lack some control. Hey ho. And the scoreboard settles into a reassuringly familiar hue.
Updated
Wicket! Sibley b Gabriel 0
Not one for Sibley’s scrapbook. Gabriel slings through another thunderbolt, Sibley mistakenly shoulders arms, his off-stump disappears, and he has to trundle back to the bubble.
Updated
1st over: England 0-0 (Burns 0, Sibley 0) Kemar Roach takes the new ball and roars in, all five foot seven of him, moving the ball away. His third nips back and Burns plays no stroke and the ball clips the pad. Off that’s close. Holder decides to review and it is umpire’s call. No stress.
Incidentally, we have home umpires for the first time since 2002, and the players get an extra review because of that.
The players are out and arrange themselves in a socially distanced perfect semi-circle. A minute’s silence follows in memory of the Covid-19 victims and Sir Everton Weekes. Poignancy hangs over the ground.
And now everyone on the pitch takes the knee. The West Indian players raise their fists. Around the boundary the support staff do too.
Updated
Jerusalem is piped through the Rose Bowl. Damn there is no-one there to go through the actions. Richard Illingworth and Richard Kettleborough walk out to the middle, followed by the players.
The players are milling together on the steps of the Ageas. All are wearing black armbands. Rory Burns is sitting alone on a white tip up seat.
Carlos Brathwaite is ruminating on young Alzarri Joseph “He is also a much more mature person [than on his last tour of England]. He went through the loss of his mum , he’s put on a bit of muscle. He was a bit over-hyped before, he’s more cool, calm collected than he was. I’m looking forward to great things for him in this series.”
Nerves a-cranking in that dressing room. As Rob mentioned earlier, this is the least experienced England top four since the fifth Test against Australia in 1989. Burns, Sibley, Denly, Crawley v Curtis, Moxon, Atherton, R Smith.
England
1 Rory Burns, 2 Dom Sibley, 3 Joe Denly, 4 Zak Crawley, 5 Ben Stokes (capt), 6 Ollie Pope, 7 Jos Buttler (wkt), 8 Dom Bess, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Mark Wood, 11 James Anderson.
They have made four changes since their last test in South Africa, bringing Burns, Bess, Anderson and Archer back.
West Indies
1 John Campbell, 2 Kraigg Brathwaite, , 3 Shai Hope, 4 Shamarh Brooks 5 Roston Chase, 6 Jermaine Blackwood, 7 Shane Dowrich (wkt), 8 Jason Holder (capt), 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shannon Gabriel.
Revised timings for the day
Afternoon session: 2pm-4.30pm
Evening session: 4.50-7pm
70 overs to be played.
And this to ponder on with 23 minutes to go...
England have gone for all out pace, picking Jofra Archer AND Mark Wood.
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) July 8, 2020
In the last five years, England's fastest bowling performances in Tests are:
Wood v SA, Jo'burg 2020 - 142kph
Archer v AUS, Lord's 2019 - 141kph
Wood v WI, St Lucia 2019 - 140kph#ENGvWI
England have won the toss and will bat
Ben Stokes: “We’re trying to get the best conditions out of it. The pitch looks quite hard on top and it is not going to have too much pace. We’ve gone with Woody, Jofra, Jimmy and myself because we think with Woody and Jofra’s pace it adds a new dimension. The boys (Woakes and Broad) took the news like champions.”
Holder, “isn’t too disappointed to be bowling first.” They’ve gone with the four quicks.
And Kim, a couple more for your list:
“Compact, close to the ground, notable snout, often has its athletic efforts hampered by the shortness of its limbs, prone to fits of whining and barking…in my opinion, all Dachshunds should be called Nasser.” Oooh, that’s harsh Adam.
And from Howard, “After putting him a jumper it has to be Umpy, after the poor Umpire wearing all those sweaters while the bowlers swing free.”
(I’m afraid I put the jumper on little Furlough/ShortLeg, or rather the Guardian’s picture library did.)
Updated
Toss at 1.30pm. Play at 2pm
If there is no more rain....
Copyright OBO 2020
For the new Farrow and Ball range James Debens writes “ As a barometer of the public mood in 2020, this Test match is exceeding all expectations. The Farrow & Ball paint shade would be Dank Schadenfreude (Pantone 666); the soundtrack, any laughing Lenny Cohen.”
For Kim’s new dog, over to John Starbuck: “Shortbread? Even better: Shortleg!”
AND THE COVERS ARE COMING OFF!
Updated
Joe Root is not the only member of the #cricketfamily to have a new addition. OBO stalwart Kim Thonger has one too, whatsmore he wants your help with the name. Over to you Kim. “
Might you and OBO readers help us? We collect our new dachshund puppy on Saturday. He will join well established opener Dakkers in our canine team. I am keen to name him Furlough (fur, low, geddit) but SWMBO is wavering. Is the consensus that the name Furlough is an unplayable fast yorker on leg stump? Or is it an attractive slow medium long hop outside leg stump? And if not Furlough, what other names can readers suggest? Shortlist currently also includes Lofty, Underdog and Longfellow. Actually I quite like shortlist as a name too.”
A cracking performance from the broadcast media this morning. Wonderful segments on Black Lives Matter on Sky and then on TMS with Isa Guha, Alison Mitchell and Carlos Brathwaite. Much to think about.
And the covers begin to be unrolled....
Quick update: The umpires are chatting next to the covers, the floodlights are on, it is not raining, the sky is murky.
An email arrives from Will Bowen: “Afternoon Tanya – a quick search of the archives has revealed that I last contributed to OBO some 9 years ago, shortly before my wife’s “delivery” of twins, which explains the long hiatus. Young Thomas has recently been undergoing cricketing indoctrination at Horsley & Send CC in Surrey – it would be great to get what I believe is still called a “shout-out” to the club, and show the young whippersnapper that his old man has still got it when it comes to inane cricketing banter.”
I remember Send CC. My brothers used to play there years ago, as did the Hollioakes, though I think it was a different ground then?
Happy news for the captain. Congratulations Joe and Carrie Root!
Huge congratulations for our Test captain @root66 and his wife, Carrie, on the birth of their second child! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/om3QgNVIu8
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 8, 2020
It is officially LUNCH here at the Ageas Bowl, with the umpires due to come and inspect again at 1.10pm. I’m just going to grab a sandwich, see you back here shortly, with your cup of disappointment and punnet of resignation.
Updated
Here you go Robbie! Thanks Andy.
@tjaldred The way to make the "worldwide" TMS work is to go to this link https://t.co/vqPfUF5XrR and then click only on the oddly named "Natural Sounds" link in the bottom right. Everything else is geoblocked
— Andy Hockley (@adhockley) July 8, 2020
I wonder if Farrow and Ball could flog the current colour of the Hampshire Sky? Broken Hope? Slate Sorrow?
UPDATE :- Scratching my previous update..... Rain is back and so the covers here in Ageas Bowl, Southampton....
— Utkarsh Tripathi (@cric_utkarsh_) July 8, 2020
We need to wait more....😓#ENGvWI pic.twitter.com/Yg787VfO35
Is there anyone out there from Nova Scotia? Robbie Bays is still having communication problems. “I followed the Beeb link you posted and it comes up with Not in your location, clearly I must be on a different planet . Hello Earth Can You Hear ME! ...... Robbie in The Independent Republic of Bear River Nova Scotia”
Ah! Rob Key has popped up on Sky - great to see him looking ship-shape so soon after his stroke. No news yet on when we can expect play to start but Key, Nick Knight and Ian Ward are standing chatting on a balcony so it is not raining NOW at least.
James Walsh ponders “Afternoon Tanya! In the most recent season of Fortnite, they’ve flooded the entire map, with sharks and roaming zombies to content with. Hopefully this isn’t a commentary on how the cricket is going to go over the next few days, though looking at the weather...”
I think, though I am absolutely in no way any sort of expert here, that there are also some new weapons available? Perhaps a commentary on the Archer and Wood opening partnership?
Ah, while I was typing I missed this from Guy Hornsby on that Michael Holding segment (below.)
“I know we should chunter on about rain, squad rotation and workloads, but as the film from Sky showed, there’s more at play here. So I’d like permission to profess my enduring love and admiration for Michael Holding. Following up that film was this arresting monologue (https://twitter.com/SkyCricket/status/1280809870766284800) by the great man. He really is a immense human being. It’s sad to see not a lot has changed, but he’s such a compelling listen, just as imposing in speech as when he was thundering into the crease. I presume the ‘gesture’ today that teams will make will be to take a knee. I know it’s just a gesture that needs backing up by the ECB with deeds, but if you’d told me 3 months ago this is what we’d be seeing, I’d have scoffed. Progress comes in small steps.”
Well said.
As Rob mentioned, such a powerful piece by Sky on racism and Black Lives Matter earlier this morning. This was Michael Holding afterwards, also worth every moment of your time.
We can pontificate and spew on Twitter all we want, but this is the real talk: one of the main gatekeepers to live sport in this country saying, “if you want to watch the cricket, you need to watch this first”. Ignore the minority of weirdos and dickheads. Minds will be changed. https://t.co/mDIy0eZalg
— Jonathan Liew (@jonathanliew) July 8, 2020
An email from Jonathan Goodacre: There has been much comment on the artificial crowd noise today.
But will they be reproducing the drip drip sound of rain on umbrellas and of course, a little later in the day, the beautiful beer stimulated singing and dancing that is what Test Matches are all about?
Can’t wait to find out.
I’m sure the Radio 4 sounds unit could replicate it easily enough with a tap, some saucepans and a couple of baritones.
Thanks Rob, and hello! I greet you with the news that the umpires are still mooching about the damp outfield with unfurled umbrellas, supposedly watching another suspicious cloud nudge towards the ground. Will keep you posted. Meanwhile, this is the first time I’ve owned the TV since lockdown and there will be no fortnite in this house till 4.10, so....
Updated
I’m going to hand over to Tanya Aldred for the next few hours – you can email her on tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com or tweet @tjaldred. See you this afternoon, hopefully for some actual cricket.
“Actually, wouldn’t it be great if Stokes turned out to be one of those captains who overbowls himself?” writes Pete Salmon. “Generally found in club cricket, especially the Thirds. Fifteen or sixteen overs straight, the odd hint of a wicket, and 16-2-58-0 at the end of it. Proper cricket.”
“Hey Rob,” says Rob Lewis. “Just to thank your correspondent Damian Burns for the lovely piece on St Helena cricket. My ancestor, Saul Solomon, was a leading light on St Helena in the nineteenth century. He is reputed to have tried to help Napoleon, who was a prisoner of the British on the island, to escape. He didn’t manage to get away though, and some people believe he was poisoned as he died quite young. I never knew they played cricket there, though.”
“On Stokes, comparisons to Flintoff and Botham miss the mark by a fair way,” says Adam Giles. “Both legends of the sport but always relied on natural talent without so much of both the cricket IQ, and the ‘get your hands dirty and grind it out if needs be’ attitude that I believe Stokes has exhibited consistently since his return to the England set-up. I’ll be interested to see how he performs but I’d certainly expect very few defensive field settings in the coming days. Should be a good, intense match.”
That’s an interesting point. I agree that he’s a smarter cricketer, though the biggest concern is what the pressure and workload – if he bowls as much as he does when in the ranks – would do to his game. The biggest problem with Flintoff and especially Botham was not their captaincy; it was their batting and bowling. Either way, as a one-off it is fine, and rather exciting.
“Rob, Rob, Rob...” says Richard Holmes. “If England get Archer to bowl 22 overs a day for a couple more years they’ll have another 84 mph dobber on their hands for the remainder of his career.”
I didn’t say they should, I said that’s what I think will happen with the chosen XI. That’s why I would have picked Broad ahead of Archer or Wood. There is a slight complication with Archer’s workload, though. Whereas Wood is perfect to use in very short spells (4x4, say), Archer can take a while to rev up.
When he flattened Steve Smith at Lord’s last year, he was in his seventh or eighth over of a spell. Maybe the way to use Archer is to give him three spells: six with the new ball, then eight (his treat, when he get really get into a battle with a batsman) and four later in the day.
Some of the players are heading back to the hotel. This isn’t quite as bad as it sounds, given the hotel is on site, but it does suggest the toss isn’t imminent.
“Anyone who can’t access 5Live should have a butcher’s at Guerilla Cricket,” says Darren Winter. “It’s highly irreverent but done with real knowledge and passion, and they’re available on all the usual social channels.”
“This is more like it,” says Mark Hooper. “Just what the nation needs right now - that traditional frisson of excitement, checking every 20 minutes to see if the covers have come off yet, wondering why they take lunch as soon as the sun comes out…”
“Stokes is likely, given the precedents of England all-rounder captains, to under-bowl himself,” says John Starbuck. “Which means that the attack is a bit lighter, so why is SCJ Broad discarded? Buttler is much better than most as a batsman which could make up the deficit in the batting order.”
I’d imagine the division of labour on average day would be something like: Anderson 18, Archer 22, Wood 15, Stokes 15, Bess 20. I agree with you, though, I would have had Broad (or Woakes) in the hard-yakka role.
Test Match Special
A reminder that you can listen to us today WORLDWIDE.
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 8, 2020
📻 Listen: https://t.co/jh2nwnAz6Q
💻 Follow: https://t.co/SENMYWq1st
And of course in the UK on 5 Live Sports Extra & @BBCRadio4 LW with video clips during play and highlights on @BBCTwo from 7pm. #bbccricket pic.twitter.com/GHQCfk3dvP
Thanks to Alastair Ayres for doing the necessary.
"If you don't educate people, they'll keep growing up in that sort of society and you'll not get meaningful change."
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 8, 2020
Michael Holding and @ejrainfordbrent say that institutionalised racism must be eradicated for the good of humanity. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/TIpdAcdZJI
“Welcome back!” says Pete Salmon. “Obviously a lot of OBOers have lost a bit of match fitness during the break. We are ten minutes in and still no debate about Stokes as captain. I’ll start off. This is madness! Botham! Shoulders/weight! Natural game! Just let him concentrate on batting! Just let him concentrate on bowling!
“Alternatively New dawn! Root’s no good! Natural game! Shane Warne!”
It’s fine in the short term. He’s intelligent and inspirational, which are two of the most important qualities in a captain. I agree it needs to be handled extremely carefully because of the Botham/Flintoff precedents. But I suspect that, if and probably when he does succeed Joe Root as permanent captain, he will be little more than an occasional bowler.
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The covers are still on, and there’s no news on the toss. I doubt there will be any play before midday, maybe lunch.
“The BBC appears to be hiding the commentary for those of us ‘outside the jurisdiction’, as we say in Ireland,” says Alan Tuffery. “The Radio Five Live Sports Extra site is ‘geoblocked ‘and there appears to be nothing available on YouTube. Any OBOers able to help?”
“Morning Rob, lovely to have the OBO back,” says Phil Sawyer. “Looking forward to your coverage of the rain today. So this is what working from home was invented for. If my manager is reading, I’m definitely not this Phil Sawyer.”
There’s a very powerful feature on racism in cricket being shown on Sky right now, with Mikey Holding and a tearful Ebony Rainford-Brent talking about their experiences. Some stories we know (“grovel”), some we don’t (“do you wash my skin? Everyone in your area gets stabbed”). I’ll post a link if/hopefully when it appears on the Sky website.
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“It’s great to have the OBO back and some cricket — eventually,” says Alan Tuffery. “Perfect start after two months of no cricket and four of lockdown — drizzle. Is there a better game for fostering the stoic virtues!”
Depression is quite good for that as well tbf.
“Hi Rob,” says Eva Maaten. “Lovely to see you back, lovely to have cricket restarting, even if it is under strange circumstances. We have just relocated from South Africa on a repatriation flight after several months delay, on our way to Berlin via the Netherlands. Strange times - wonderful to at least have the OBO back in a semblance of normality.”
Yep, life hasn’t been the same without the Met Office website.
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On Sky Sports, Nasser Hussain and Mikey Holding are reinforcing the point that the West Indies deserve so much credit, and gratitude, for coming on this tour at a time when England is a world leader in Covid mismanagement. Amen to that.
It’s drizzling, so the covers are back on. The forecast is a little better for later, both today and the rest of the Test.
Cricket’s back! The toss has been delayed, presumably because of a damp outfield.
“Greetings, Rob”, shouts out OBO stalwart Wayne Trotman from Izmir, (west coast Turkey for those who failed Geography GCSE ‘O’ level back in the day). “And greetings to all around the world tuning in for some distraction from news about you-know-what. Rob, today, is it a case of win the toss and bat, or win the toss, think about it for five seconds and bat? As usual, we are hanging on your every word, lad.”
Legal disclaimer: the Guardian is not legally responsible for the consequences of readers hanging on any of Rob Smyth’s words, never mind all of them.
As for the toss, I suspect whoever wins it will bat but I don’t think it’s a straightforward decision. It’s overcast and we’re not sure what the pitch will be like, so there will be a tempation to let the opposition have first use. As a philosopher once said, you don’t want to go into the unknown not knowing.
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If, as expected, England's top four is Burns, Sibley, Crawley and Denly, then it'll be the least experienced England top order (in terms of caps) since the fifth Test of the 1989 Ashes.
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) July 8, 2020
The top four for that Test was Curtis (4), Moxon (9), Atherton (0) and Smith (6).#ENGvWI
If England have the same 50 per cent success rate as they did with those 1989 selections - Burns and Crawley the favourites in this case - we’ll all be very happy.
This is great
“Morning Rob,” says Damian Burns. “Really excited for Test cricket to start up again. Here on St Helena we’ve been Covid-free thanks to South Africa shutting off our air link to the rest of the world. But cricket continued and our season recently came to a close. Would be fab if you could share this video we put together which captures the spirit of cricket on the island – it’s sure to get the OBOers warmed up for today’s play!”
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And here’s a handy guide to England’s opponents. You may not have heard of Chemar Holder yet, but don’t worry, you will.
Some damn fine pre-match reading
This is the #raisethebat Test series, and the ECB’s Ben Walker has emailed a nice story about the England team’s tribute to key workers.
Key worker heroes from across the cricket family were today honoured by having their names displayed on the training shirts of the England men’s Test team ahead of the start of the first #raisethebat Test against the West Indies.
The three-Test series, taking place behind closed doors, is honouring and celebrating the heroes who have been going above and beyond to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, the England players and coaches took to the pitch at The Ageas Bowl, Southampton, wearing the names of key workers on their training shirts before the start of the match. The people named on the shirts were all nominated by their local cricket clubs and include teachers, doctors, nurses, carers and other vital professions.
Ben Stokes, who is captaining England in the first Test while Joe Root is away for the birth of his second child, took to the pitch wearing the name of Durham-local Dr Vikas Kumar, a specialist in anaesthetics and critical care at Darlington Memorial Hospital.
Through the pandemic Dr Kumar, a keen cricketer who plays at Cowgate Cricket Club in Newcastle and the Gilli Boys Amateur Club in Darlington, has been working on the frontline while also being there for his family at home.
Ben Stokes said: “We’re only able to play this Test match because of the amazing job that key workers up and down the country have done to help us through this pandemic. Wearing their names is a real honour for us, and is a small sign of our appreciation for the incredible work they have done. They have truly gone in to bat for us all, and it makes me proud of how the whole cricket family has responded to help us get through these unprecedented times.”
Dr Vikas Kumar, whose name featured on Ben Stokes’s shirt, said: “The past four months have been very difficult, but it was a wonderful surprise to find out that Ben Stokes of all people is wearing my name on his training shirt. So many of my colleagues at work and at the cricket club have been working so hard and made big sacrifices, so this is for them as well.”
Today we #raisethebat to honour the heroes within our cricket family who have supported those in need during the past few months.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 8, 2020
Find out more ⬇️
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Stuart Broad has been dropped for a home Test for the first time in 12 years*. I pity the fool who had to impart this to him.
* He missed a Test against West Indies in 2012 but was rested on that occasion.
It’s a dank day at the Ageas Bowl, but it’s dry at the moment and the covers were taken off around half an hour ago. There will probably be some interruptions in the first half of the day.
Preamble
Cricket, lovely cricket. After four months of vodcasts, watchalongs and virtual Tests, the real thing is back. It’s been a lot of fun reliving the great moments of modern English cricket with those involved, not to mention nosing round houses, trying to deduce whether anyone has rearranged their bookshelves for show (hang on, is that Hegel next to the Da Vinci Code?). But nothing compares to the blank canvas of live sport.
It’ll be cricket with a difference – no spectators, no saliva, no skin folds on Dom Sibley – but it’s still cricket, Test cricket at that, and it should be great. This is the plan. England will play three back-to-back Tests against West Indies, the first at the Ageas Bowl and the last two at Old Trafford. If all is biosecure and dandy, they will then play a three-Test series against Pakistan in August.
It will feel a bit strange at first – and please don’t ask me what it all means for the ICC Test Championship, please don’t do that to me on such a joyous day - but competitive instincts should soon take over. England would very much like to regain the Wisden Trophy, which they lost so feebly in the Caribbean 18 months ago, and continue the development of a young side who charmed us all while winning 3-1 in South Africa earlier in the year.
West Indies have an even bigger incentive, a first series win in England since 1988. Their record in England in the 21st century puts the dire in diabolical: P21 W2 D3 L16 - and one of those wins was the first Test in 2000. But this is the best attack they’ve brought to our green, unpleasant land since that series, and that makes them dangerous opponents.
The quality of pace bowling on both sides should make for high-octane, lowish-scoring entertainment. But frankly, I’d be happy with an übore draw. Cricket, lovely cricket, is back!
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