Key occasions
52nd over: England 227-4 (Brook 10, Stokes 2) The brand new batter is Ben Stokes, who’s quietly in a little bit of a lean trot. Since his final Check hundred, that dead-eyed rampage at Lord’s two years in the past, he’s made 802 runs at a mean of 29.70.
WICKET! England 225-4 (Pope c Pant b Krishna 106)
A giant wicket for India, not least as a result of Jasprit Bumrah didn’t take it. Pope tries to chop a brief, extensive supply from Krishna that will get sufficiently big to brush the highest edge and race by to Rishabh Pant. That’s a irritating finish to a fairly excellent innings.
51st over: England 225-3 (Pope 106, Brook 10) Bumrah’s first ball is a loosener that Pope flicks behind sq. for 4. A single provides Bumrah two deliveries at Brook; each are defended solidly.
fiftieth over: England 220-3 (Pope 101, Brook 10) Prasidh Krishna opens the bowling from the Not Bumrah Finish. Brook misses a windy drive, slaps a lower for 4 to get off the mark – after which pulls mightily over midwicket for six.
Properly that escalated shortly: one second Brook had 0 from 15 balls, now he’s on 10 from 17.
The gamers line up for a minute’s applause in reminiscence of Syd Lawrence. Motor neurone illness sounds unimaginably horrific. You possibly can examine it – or watch the Australian present Mr Inbetween, which has an astonishing portrayal of a person with MND – however I can’t think about something prepares a household for the influence it has.
Ben Duckett on Ollie Pope
He was simply so calm popping out. He most likely couldn’t come out in more durable situations, with Jasprit Bumrah operating down the hill with the lights on. I don’t know what’s inside his head, however he’s simply stayed true to the best way he performs, and there’s no higher feeling than that, scoring 100 in opposition to that assault, popping out within the first over. You possibly can see it in the best way he celebrated, and it didn’t simply imply so much to him, it meant an enormous quantity within the dressing room as effectively. I had goosebumps for him.
“I do know folks don’t just like the time period ‘Bazball’ however it’s far more than simply ‘constructive cricket’,” says Gary Naylor. “England are reaping the good thing about certainly one of its tenets – that it’s higher to threat selecting a participant for one Check too many fairly than one too few – with that excellent ton yesterday. The commentators on the highlights might barely conceal their disappointment that Jacob Bethell (skilled centuries 0) was not in for Ollie Pope (skilled centuries 32) at No3. Bazball additionally calls for wicket-takers and Josh Tongue did his job, because the final 4 Indian wickets added simply 18. In the meantime, Kuldeep Yadav seems to be on as Shadul Thakur bowls his overs.”
I might who the hell do you assume you might be, Naylor politely disagree on Bethell. All people I heard although Pope was proper to maintain his place, and there was a lot heat in the direction of him yesterday. I’m as obsessive about Bethell as anybody – I used to be there, in New Zealand, when he made that 10 at Christchurch* – however there are only a few precedents for 21-year-olds thriving in such a key place so it’s effective to attend. I additionally assume it was and is honest to question Pope’s report in opposition to the very best groups at No3. However like nearly everybody, I used to be so blissful for him yesterday.
Kuldeep, although. I’ve develop into world-class at sitting on the fence, straining to see each side of any argument, however that one is past me.
*Okay, I used to be writing the OBO at dwelling in Whitstable. However I noticed each ball!
“Massive day for Harry Brook, this,” writes Phil Harrison. “If there’s a severe chink in his armour, I believe it’s in opposition to the brief stuff. He was extremely fortunate to get to stumps however Bumrah will work him over very first thing – and Australia can be watching with nice curiosity. Haven’t seemed ahead to a day’s Check cricket a lot in years!”
One among my largest considerations concerning the Ashes is how various England’s batters – Duckett, Brook, Smith, doubtlessly Bethell – will cope with the brief ball on these big grounds.
“What terrible information to start out the day,” writes Linda Grey. “I logged on filled with enthusiasm and anticipation for an awesome day’s cricket and now I really feel fairly deflated with a tear in my eye. A number of issues about English cricket within the Nineteen Nineties weren’t the very best however Syd was certainly one of them.”
I can’t actually add a lot to that. He’s one of many few cricketers about whom I by no means heard a foul phrase. Even those we love often rub some folks up the fallacious approach; not Syd.
Sounds daft now, however England’s 2-2 draw at dwelling to West Indies in 1991 was that era’s equal of the 2005 Ashes. On this paper, Selve wrote that it “represents fairly presumably probably the most stirring of post-war deeds and arguably the grandest of all of them”.
Syd Lawrence performed a key half in that, hustling a second-innings five-for on a flat Oval monitor. It was his first five-for in Assessments – and his final. At Wellington Just a few months later, within the final session of a nailed-on attract a sequence that had already been determined, he steamed in at full pelt, as a result of that was all he knew. He suffered a fractured kneecap, some of the horrific accidents ever seen (and heard) on a cricket subject, and at 28 his profession was successfully over.
He was so indomitable that he made a short comeback for Gloucestershire in 1997. These 4 video games, wherein he took eight wickets at 45, are the best testomony to his character.
Learn Andy Bull on Jasprit Bumrah
The fielders lastly held on to 1 in his third spell, when he had Joe Root caught at slip. Then within the last over he bounced out Harry Brook with what turned out to be a no ball. By stumps, he had taken three for 48, and it might simply have been double the primary quantity. His teammates had none for 149 between them.
RIP Syd
David Lawrence dies aged 61
Some desperately unhappy information this morning: David ‘Syd’ Lawrence, England quick bowler of the Nineteen Nineties and one of many best males ever to play the sport, has died aged 61. He was identified with motor neurone illness final yr and his ebook, In Syd’s Voice, was launched this week.
We’ll have extra shortly however Taha wrote a terrific piece about him for The Spin final week. The headline is particularly poignant.
Preamble
Our ideas right now are with those that don’t like Check cricket. What’s fallacious with you losers? A pulsating second day at Headingley was the most recent reminder that that is the best sporting format of all. At all times has been (effectively, since 1877), at all times can be (effectively, till, you understand).
There’s each probability as we speak can be equally exhilarating, possibly much more so. England will resume on 209 for 3, a deficit of 262, with Ollie Pope on 100 and Harry Brook 0 not out in his second innings. Pope’s century, his best innings on dwelling soil, was a gem.
As soon as upon a time, defiant batting meant over-my-dead-body, however Pope – beneath a lot strain going into this recreation – breezed to 100 from solely 125 balls. The ovation he acquired was a beautiful second for one of many good guys.
Oh, only one thing more. Jasprit Bumrah, bloody hell! He was nearly a one-man assault yesterday, taking all three wickets and having Brook caught off a no-ball. Bumrah’s total Check report, 208 wickets at 19.35, is that of an all-time nice, however within the final 18 months he has beginning placing his tanks of SF Barnes’ garden.s
For numerous causes, Bumrah didn’t play a Check between July 2022 and December 2023. Since his return at Centurion for the Boxing Day Check, he’s taken 80 wickets in 16 Assessments at a mean of 15.13. It will get higher: 14 of these 16 Assessments have been in opposition to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and England.
Nice bowlers have carried their groups previously – Ilford 2nds and all that – however it’s arduous to recollect the final time a group pretty much as good as India had been so depending on one bowler. Right here’s the breakdown for the reason that begin of the Border/Gavaskar Trophy in November.
Bumrah’s spell this morning will set the tone for the remainder of the day, the remainder of the match, possibly the remainder of the sequence.
