Key events
6th over: England 26-0 (Crawley 0, Duckett 26) Duckett wants to get after Kamboj but is deceived by a quicker ball that he pulls at and misses, victim of hard-to-read bounce. He rounds off the over with an easy two though.
Daniel McDonald, meanwhile, tosses in a few hand grenades with this “talent plus personality” XI, though a “personality” is very different from “a friend”:Matthew Hayden, Virender Sehwag, Brian Lara, Viv Richards, Kevin Pietersen, Ben Stokes, Risabh Pant, Shane Warne, Stuart Broad, Merv Hughes, Wasim Akram
5th over: England 24-0 (Crawley 0, Duckett 24) The start of Bumrah’s third over is delayed by some hammer-based pitch surgery, before Duckett plays his third effortless clip off his pads through midwicket for four of the innings. Four more follows when a loose Bumrah delivery down leg is helped casually to the fine leg boundary. The bowler responds by going round the wicket but still strays on leg and is milked for another single. Untypically loose, there, from Bumrah.
The ball has apparently swung more today than on any other day of the series but India yet to capitalise on it.
4th over: England 15-0 (Crawley 0, Duckett 15) Thanks Daniel, ready and chilled (ish). Duckett continues to intermittently take a fancy to the debutant Kamboj, carving him through the off for two. Then adds a single as the batters change ends for the first time
Returning to Daniel’s earlier topic of Who I’d Want To Be My Mate XI, I’d put in a word for Kumar Sangakkara, and Sarah Taylor’s long been an admirable figure. A night on the town with Botham, on the other hand, would be like going out with Finchy from The Office, though the wine would be decent.
3rd over: England 12-0 (Crawley 0, Duckett 12) In comms, Ian Ward kvels over Bumrah’s seam position in that first over; it looks designed to catch Crawley’s outside edge. But his second isn’t as good, the batter defending well enough when he has to and letting go what he can, allowing another maiden. And with it, my watch is over; here’s Tom Davies to chill with you through the rest of the day.
2nd over: England 12-0 (Crawley 0, Duckett 12) It’s Kamboj not Siraj from the other end and, after his duck earlier this afternoon, he’ll want to get into the match. And after opening with a dot, he finds a bit of lift and swing, taking the ball down leg side, clipping Duckett’s glove … and rearing up past Jurel’s drive before racing away for four. Gosh, then another false shot, Duckett looking to cut and, in the process, tossing his bat, which falls, bounces … and, like a rugby ball, we’ve no idea which way it’s going to flip … but it misses the stumps. This is already an eventful over, all the more so when Duckett tucks a straight one off his pads for four to deep backward square … then does it again, next ball.
1st over: England 0-0 (Crawley 0, Duckett 0) Bumrah begins outside off, his lone and length not bad, but allowing Crawley to leave his first three deliveries. His fourth, though, moves away and this time Crawley goes after it, doing well to avoid edging; he then introduces bat to ball, defending twice, and that’s a maiden.
Bumrah, though, could be lethal with cloud cover, bounce, and a bit of natural variation. Here he comes…
Out come the batters. This is big for Zak Crawley, who likes batting at OT and badly needs a score to cement him into the Ashes XI – with the pitches in Australia also likely to suit him, given a true bounce and a tall man who likes to hit at the top of it.
“As wonderful as Stokes (though not his recent batting average) is,” begins Ben Torpy, “are his superheroics, or attempts at, coming at the expense of a more rounded and coherent team?”
I’d have to see your working, I’m afraid. AllI I’m seeing is an inspirational, selfless and compassionate leader who bowls superbly and fields brilliantly.
“I have always thought having umpire’s call on impact is truly ludicrous,” coos Brian Withington. “There is no predictive element involved and DRS doesn’t know what the umpire was uncertain about anyway.”
Yeah, I think I agree with this. We should be able to know this definitively, and the umpire may have been happy with that aspect but unsure whether the ball was hitting the stumps.
OK, I really mean If We Knew Each Other We’d Definitely Be Mates XI, but let’s stick with what we have.
We’ll have our usual 10-minute break between innings; I think we’ll call our team I Wish He Was My Mate XI.
WICKET! Bumrah c Smith b Archer 4 (India 358 all out)
Yup, the ball brushed the glove, and that’s three for Archer, who ends an innings that, broadly speaking, will satisfy both sides.
115th over: India 358-9 (Bumrah 4, Siraj 5) Stokes strays down leg, Bumrah follows it, misses with the hook, and is there an edge? No says the umpire, yes say Joe Root, and Stokes rewies. Bumrah’s disappointed reaction to the shot says gone…
114th over: India 358-9 (Bumrah 4, Siraj 5) India are well in the match with this total – it’s worth more than it is because the outfield is so slow, never mind because they have Bumrah in their attack. But he has work to do here first … and so does Siraj, who clouts a full one back over the bowler’s head for four. Rishabh Pant, though, what a hero; I wonder, if we were compiling a team of that kind of type – indisputable talents and personalities – who else would be in it, apart from Ben Stokes.
113th over: India 354-9 (Bumrah 4, Siraj 1) Siraj forces through midwicket to get off the mark first ball, then Bumrah takes a huge mow and misses … before edging the final ball of the over behind the wicket for four.
WICKET! Pant b Archer 54 (India 349-9)
This is good enough to bin a fully fit Pant, fast, straight and moving away – just as we saw at Lord’s – before sending off-stump for a backflip. But what an effort from Pant, who put his team before himself and performed his usual array of incredible tricks; a while ago, I asked if there was anything on the planet that no one dislikes, and perhaps the answer is Showbiz Pant.
113th over: India 349-8 (Pant 54, Bumrah 0) Pant takes a huge swing, getting his front pad out of the road, and toe-ends just shy of the fence at cow corner; he turns down the run.
112th over: India 349-8 (Pant 54, Bumrah 0) Stokes now has 16 wickets in the series – the most he’s taken, beating the 15 he took in his debut series in Australia in 2013-14. And he also has 19 wickets this summer, in that aspect the best of his career, and equalling the 19 he took in Bangladesh and India in 2016-17. Anyhow, he runs in, flings outside off … and Pant stretches to lace a drive through the covers; that’s his fifty, and he’s just an absolute superstar, inventing and changing the game as he goes. Again: I love him. Watching the replay, I’m reminded of KP telling me – pick that namedrop out – that feet aren’t important in batting, it’s all about head – it’s the heaviest part of the body, so where it goes everything else will follow, and you want it as close to the ball as you can get it. A single follows, and this man is not of this world.
111th over: India 344-8 (Pant 49, Bumrah 0) Surely Pant is going to start swinging now, with just the quicks left? He can’t exactly nick singles, and with Archer and Stokes in tandem, wickets feel imminent. After two dots, the former tries a yorker dug out just before the crunch then, served a slower ball, he’s on to it in a trice, swatting six over midwicket! This should be an exciting little passage, but the final two deliveries of the over yield just a single, to Pant, meaning he’ll be on strike at the start of Stokes’ next over.
110th over: India 337-8 (Pant 41, Bumrah 0) The final ball of the over is wide enough for Bumrah to leave, so he does.
WICKET! Kamboj c Smith b Stokes 0 (India 337-8_
AND THERE IT IS! It’s almost bullying to serve someone this on debut, a lovely delivery bouncing, nipping away late and demanding the edge. Five for Ben Stokes, who’s bowling beautifully in this series. What a player, what a person.
110th over: India 337-7 (Pant 41, Kamboj 0) It’s eight years since Stokes took a Test fivefer; he’s well set for one here though, with an injured man and a debutant at the crease…
WICKET! Sundar c Woakes b Stokes 27 (India 337-7)
A really well-directed bouncer demands Sundar play it, he fends high around the corner, and on the fine leg fence, Woakes stands his ground and waits for the ball to come to him. Stokes now has fourfer.
110th over: India 337-6 (Sundar 27, Pant 42) Pant changes his bat then drives one to cow corner; they should run two but make do with one.
109th over: India 336-6 (Sundar 27, Pant 41) Pant gets down the other end with a leg bye but Washington is stevewaughing this, trusting the man at the other end; he flicks the next delivery to square leg for one more. So Archer tries a full toss and Pant has a huge cross-batted yahoo, getting the ball back over the bowler’s head but nowhere near the fence; they run one.
108th over: India 333-6 (Sundar 26, Pant 40) Stokes runs in with Pant preparing to face his first delivery of the session … and flings a nonsense one down leg side, which rushes away for four wides. Two singles follow, then Stokes tries a toe-crusher, Pant looking to dig it out and wearing it on the pad … so the England captain goes again, this time flicking the outside of the pad, and the batters “run” a leg bye, before Washington throws hands at a wide one, earning four through third man.
107th over: India 322-6 (Sundar 21, Pant 39) Excellent over from Archer, and a maiden. The batters will do well to get out of it with their wickets intact.
REVIEW! NOT OUT!
The ball hit the pad but impact was umpire’s call on whether it was in line. Tiny margins…
107th over: India 322-6 (Sundar 21, Pant 39) It’s Archer to bowl from the Sir Jimbo End and he goes around to Sundar from the off, his third delivery slanting in then jutting away off the seam and contacting the pad; lovely nut. There’s a shout, but no appetite to review when the umpire says naw; rightly so, it was pretty high. So Archer goes again, just back of a length, and I think the ball takes the back of the bat before Smith pouches, but if it doesn’t, it hits the pad. This time, when the umpire says no, Stokes is very interested and England review…
106th over: India 322-6 (Sundar 21, Pant 39) The lights are on, but Ponting reckons it’s brighter than at any previous time during the match; that sounds about par. Otherwise, it’s Stokes resuming after lunch, Washington on strike with his arm-pad on the outside of his jumper. He plays away five dots, then angles the final ball of the over through point and they run one, keeping Pant at the non-striker’s.
Showbiz Pant:
Back come the batters. Pant looks to be moving a little more easily.
Good news: the pitch is uncovered, so assuming there’s no further rain, we’ll be good to start in four minutes.
Assuming the weather doesn’t jigger us, we’ll resume at 1.30pm BST.
I’ll be back in 30 or so, but we’ve plenty to keep youse amused in the meantime:
And for those not sick of me, here’s something football-related.
Rain stops play, early lunch taken
Yup, Stokes sets his field, but the rain is coming down harder now and the umpires signal for an early lunch. We’ll recommence at 1.30, Pant leading Sundar off, his legend of theatre and drama burnished yet further. I love him.
105th over: India 321-6 (Sundar 20, Pant 39) I’d be sorely tempted to get Archer going at Pant before lunch, but in the meantime it’s Sundar facing Carse; he takes the third delivery of the over for a one, so what can the bowler come up with? I don’t know, I’d be going full, but Carse is short of a length, Pant looks to go big but instead miscues to cover, and waddles through for one more like a man desperately seeking a khazi. Washington, though, is showing no mercy – and I’m certain there’s no request for any – a third single leaving a one delivery to see out. A no-ball and a dot complete the over and, with rain now falling, the covers are readied. We might be finishing the session a little early.
104th over: India 317-6 (Sundar 18, Pant 38) Eeesh! Already hobbled, Showbiz comes forward as one spits at him off a length, rapping the glove; it looks a right sair yin. So he cuts towards point and wobbles down the other end for a single, then Washington sees out the rest of the over, taking a single to fine leg which allows him to retain the strike.
103rd over: India 315-6 (Sundar 17, Pant 37) Muuuuch better from Carse, a spiteful lifter putting Sundar in quite the tizzy. But he fends it off with a glove, sees away five more dots … and then, once we’ve cut to ads, the no-ball signal comes. So back we come for a further dot, and that is over bowled. Check to Stokes v Pant…
Meantime, great news from HQ!
The first women’s Test match to be held at Lord’s will take place next July when England take on India over four days. The dates for the historic fixture, England’s first home Test since the 2023 Ashes, were announced on Thursday as part of the full 2026 home schedule for both the men’s and women’s teams. Ben Stokes’ men’s Test team are due to face New Zealand in a three-match series in June, and Pakistan in a three-match series in August and September. Harry Brook’s white-ball team will face India in July in five T20s and three ODIs, with Sri Lanka visiting in September to play three T20s and three ODIs. PA
102nd over: India 314-6 (Sundar 17, Pant 37) I cannot wait to see what happens next; Rishabh Pant is showbiz. But he’s not going to be running anywhere, so Stokes can spread the field and target the stumps; he goes around and goes full; Pant paddles, missing, then is totally diddled by one that slants in then whips away.
WICKET! Thakur c Duckett b Stokes 41 (India 314-6)
This is a fine delivery from England’s best bowler this summer, yanking the batter forward and this time finding the edge; the ball flies to gully where Duckett takes off to his left, holding a decent grab. And guess who’s limping down the stairs, in next!
102nd over: India 314-5 (Thakur 41, Sundar 17) Three dots, including one down leg side, but Stokes is trying to incite the drive with a fuller length.
“Archer has bowled well this morning, writes Ian Dunn. “But I believe he hasn’t been used properly. If he was bowling for Australia, he would have had two short legs and would have bowled two short balls an over; create some fear. Did he bowl one bouncer in the first hour? Looked like a quality County seamer, not a fearsome tear way which is what he really is.”
I think on a different track, he’d be using his bumper more – at Lord’s, his pace was up above 90.
101st over: India 314-5 (Thakur 41, Sundar 17) Shardul defends to point and they run one; they’re handling Carse, I’m afraid, and I’d not be surprised to see Dawson tossed the ball shortly.
100th over: India 313-5 (Thakur 40, Sundar 17) Thakur misses a cut, then twizzles to midwicket and Sundar, way down the track, turns to see Carse hoving at mid-on. He swallows his insides, turns, dives, the throw comes in and he’s dead if it hits … but it misses, just. Shardul then tries to glance behind square on the off-side, but directs it towards Pope at point … and the ball drops just short.
“Thakur means a master/landlord and Sundar means beautiful,” advises Krisnamoorthy V. “The partnership vindicates what their names convey. Maybe, they do not want the Terry-in-waiting to ‘pant’.
I actually looked up what Jasprit means yesterday – the answer is “one who sings God’s praises” or “beloved of God’s praise”. In his case, I’m going for option two, though his bowling satisfies option one.
99th over: India 312-5 (Thakur 39, Sundar 17) Carse bangs in and Washington turns off his hip towards deep square and, with Pope not quite stuck-on but not far off, they run two. They’re the only runs off the over and this is a very fine partnership.
98th over: India 310-5 (Thakur 39, Sundar 15) I sense another marathon Stokespell. After two dots, he hurls down a toe-crusher that incites Washington to gets right on to his haunches, dropping the bat; the ball rolls back towards the wickets … and passes off-stump, just. On the balcony, a large tear rolls down Mohammed Siraj’s cheek and splashes on to his knee, forming a reservoir. Unsurprisingly, Shakur wants down the other end, taking a single to point off the next delivery – the only run from the over.
97th over: India 309-5 (Thakur 39, Sundar 14) Carse replaces Archer and Washington forces his loosener over point, but the sluggish outfield means he only adds two; a wide one, but with decent bounce, follows. He bowled poorly yesterday and given just nine wickets in the series, he’s work to do to secure his place for the Gabba, especially with Mark Wood hoping to be fit for that.
“I’m really impressed with Thakur’s work during this morning session,” says Rohan Tewari, “and the spirit he’s displayed by coming back into this side after a dismal outing in Leeds and playing with real panache. With the surface we’ve got and overheads, a first innings total of 350-380 would give India a great fighting chance. Game on!”
Agree – this is a terrific partnership in nasty conditions that should, whatever else happens, ensure a total that means India are well in the game.
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