Key events
18th over: England 104-1 (Duckett 73, Pope 10) Ashwin is on the cusp of another milestone: he needs one more left-hander for 250 in Test cricket, which is almost more remarkable than 500 overall.
If Duckett is No250, he won’t die wondering. He muffs a reverse sweep and then nails a slog sweep to deep wicket for four. Even after a relatively sedate spell, Duckett has 73 not out from 65 balls with 15 fours.
17th over: England 100-1 (Duckett 69, Pope 10) Out of nothing, Pope jumps down the track to drive Kuldeep sweetly over midwicket for six. He still looks a bit wired, though, and almost runs himself out later in the over by going for a non-existent third run. Duckett sent him back in time.
“I have little truck with all this talk of Crawley & Duckett solving the problem of England not having a proper opening pair since Cook & Strauss,” harrumphs Ewan Glenton. . “The problem is far older than that: the last duo that can be taken seriously was Boycott & Gooch.
“As everyone knows double acts have to have two syllables one 1. Greenidge & Haynes have already been mentioned; I grew up with them, Wiener & Laird, Edgar & Wright, Morecambe & Wise, Little & Large, Starsky & Hutch, Bodie & Doyle, Torville & Dean, Sooty & Sweep…
“There’s a reason why The Two Ronnies didn’t call themselves Barker & Corbett, The Dukes of Hazzard wasn’t called Bo & Luke, and why neither Chas & Dave nor Smith & Jones can ever be ranked with history’s greatest ever musicians or comedy duos. Of course these two are both worth their places in the team, but if I was in charge of selection I’d shuffle the order: Duckett & Pope, Crawley & Stokes, for example.”
A splendid email, full of persuasive examples and irresistible logic. But I think there may be a fly in the ointment.
16th over: England 92-1 (Duckett 69, Pope 2) Another probing over from Ashwin, who has slowed the run rate and fired up the wickets column.
We need a Popeometer to quantify how jittery he is at the start of each innings. If the first innings in Hyderabad was 8.7, this is maybe a 6.2. Come on, come on, come on, get through it.
15th over: England 90-1 (Duckett 68, Pope 1) Pope survives a stumping referral after playing and missing at a gorgeous wrong’un from Kuldeep. His back foot stayead ground. That Ashwin wicket has changed the mood, and Kuldeep is able to bowl his first maiden. He won’t want to get his figures laminated just yet, but 5-1-34-0 looks a lot better than 4-0-34-0.
14th over: England 90-1 (Duckett 68, Pope 1) Ashwin has taken 69 per cent of those 500 wickets in India. His record overseas is fine (153 wickets at 29.90) but at home, whether on flat decks or bunsens, he is irresistible: 347 wickets at 21.22.
RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN TAKES HIS 500TH TEST WICKET!
WICKET! England 89-1 (Crawley c Patadar b Ashwin 15) Ravichandran Ashwin becomes the ninth man to reach one of crikcet’s biggest milestones! Crawley top-edged a sweep to short fine leg, where Patadar adjusted his feet to take a good catch. Ashwin’s celebration is relatively muted – the match situation is all that matters right now – but at some stage tonight he’ll reflect on the wonder of what he has achieved.
13th over: England 89-0 (Crawley 15, Duckett 68) England are going after Kuldeep, trying to dent his confidence before he gets into a rhythm. Duckett sweeps and pulls him to the midwicket fence, which gives him 13 boundaries in the last 34 deliveries. That’s extraordinary, especially as there has been such clarity and variety in his strokeplay.
I’m still not sure I agree with it, mind. What kind of animal smokes marijuana at his own confirMATION hits 13 boundaries in 34 balls while opening the batting for England in a Test match?
12th over: England 79-0 (Crawley 15, Duckett 58) Ashwin’s first over is relatively quiet. There was an LBW appeal when Crawley made a mess of a reverse sweep, but Ashwin immediately signalled that he thought there was an inside-edge.
11th over: England 76-0 (Crawley 15, Duckett 55) Duckett inside-edges a reverse sweep off Kuldeep that loops wide of slip. His response is to larrup another boundary, this time with a slog sweep to cow corner, before Crawley drives Kuldeep classily back over his head for four. This is sheer delightful batting.
Enjoy it while it lasts: here comes Ravichandran Ashwin, who is on 499 Test wickets and has a formidable head-to-head record against Duckett. Not just in a former life, either.
10th over: England 67-0 (Crawley 11, Duckett 50) Duckett belts Siraj for two fours in three balls, then cuts a single to bring up a marvellous 39-ball fifty. That has to be one of the fastest by an England opener in Test cricket, but at no stage has it felt wild or uncontrolled. He struggled in Siraj’s first two overs; since then he has played with a serene certainty.
Crawley ends a fine over for England with a pristine extra-cover drive for four. That’s the 11th boundary in the last six overs!
9th over: England 54-0 (Crawley 7, Duckett 41) Now Duckett unfurls the reverse sweep, clouting Kuldeep over backward point for four to bring up the fifty partnership with Zak Crawley and Ravichandran Ashwin.
“Morning to the unassailable Rob!” honks Felix Kirby. “I write (sporadically as ever, and with Bags for Life beneath my eyes) from Oxford. Although — like any self-respecting student — I’m not given to waking up before 10, I’ve been sitting at my desk since 7, trying and failing to memorise Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Do you think I could get away with asking a violinist to crunch out a downbow with all the agricultural brio of a Stokes mow over cow corner? Or a timpanist to drive it into the pitch? (And can ‘mow’ be used as an adjective?) Asking for a friend.”
It’s the millennium, language is incidental.
8th over: England 48-0 (Crawley 6, Duckett 36) Duckett times Siraj down the ground for a majestic boundary, his sixth in the last 13 deliveries. A slugged pull makes it seven in 15 balls, a thrilling reversal of pressure.
Of the 160 men who have scored at least 1,000 Test runs opening the batting, nobody can match Duckett’s strike rate of 88. Only Virender Sehwag, who pound for pound is the greatest attacking opener of all time, even comes close.
7th over: England 40-0 (Crawley 6, Duckett 28) Rohit Sharma turns to spin straight after tea – not Ravichandran Ashwin but Kuldeep Yadav. Duckett sweeps him for successive boundaries to move to 28 from 27 balls.
“In reply to Kim Thonger and Icelandic Cricket predictions of English plenty, can I be permitted to observe that the only way that the five-run penalty conceded by Ashwin can definitely be shown to have decisively impacted the result is if England follow on, post a target and then bowl India out for 0-5 runs less than that target,” writes Brian Withington. “Nothing else can preserve this narrative imperative, although you might be surprised how long I spent deciding to include 0 in the ‘range of inevitability’ above …”
Why is everyone asking for permission all of a sudden? Did I miss a Blackadder marathon last night?
“My hypothesis for the shabby catching relates to Bazball’s optional practice,” says Gary Naylor. “That’s intended to promote its relaxed environment and we see the benefit every Test. But catching is about concentration and reflexes, which diminish when tired. That’s when the practice and muscle-memory needs to take over – train hard, play easy. England are paying a high price for some substandard work in the field.”
Do we know they don’t practice as much as other teams or is that just part of their PR? The greatest trick the devil ever pulled is convincing the world he couldn’t care less.
This is the eighth time in nine innings that Crawley and Duckett have added at least 30 for the first wicket. They aren’t quite the new Greenidge and Haynes, but they are England’s best opening partnership for a decade.
Tea: England trail by 414 runs
6th over: England 31-0 (Crawley 6, Duckett 19) This is the last over before tea – so Duckett forces Siraj to the cover boundary, because this is 2024, grandad. Crawley, who is slowly becoming the straight man to Duckett’s dasher, is cut in half by a sharp nipbacker. He defends the rest of the over solidly to complete a good mini-session for England, who scored 26 runs in six overs after starting the innings with five penalty runs on the board.
The hard work starts after tea: first spin, then Jasprit Bumrah with the old ball.
5th over: England 25-0 (Crawley 5, Duckett 14) For the time being Duckett looks far more comfortable against Bumrah. He slashes four to third man, a deliberate stroke, and larrups another boundary through extra cover. Shot!
“Great to wake to a mention of Wilfred Rhodes,” says Pete Salmon. “I always think of him as the Mornington Crescent of cricket. All questions resolved by shouting his name. Only AC Bannerman and Gilbert Jessop run him close, I think. Any others?”
I don’t know why but this concept – and especially the phrase “All questions resolved by shouting his name” – is going to tickle me for days.
4th over: England 16-0 (Crawley 4, Duckett 6) Siraj is bowling beautifully. Duckett is beaten three times – twice playing attacking shots, once pushing defensively – during an excellent maiden. Siraj is so dangerous when he gets on a roll, a bit like Stuart Broad, so the last thing England want to do is give him an early wicket.
“While I encourage your steadfastness in staying away from X,” writes Krishnamoorthy V, “the only downside is you are missing this glorious handle.
A par score for India on a flat deck. They will be buoyed by the excellent batting performances of the debutants. The Bazballers will now aim to score 750 in the next 2 days and put India under pressure. Ashwin will take his 500th Test wicket in the next hour.
— Iceland Cricket (@icelandcricket) February 16, 2024
“I would like to know what the Iceland cricket admin is smoking.”
Maybe they’re in the Night Country as well.
3rd over: England 16-0 (Crawley 4, Duckett 6) Having middled sweet bugger all in the previous over from Siraj, Duckett times his first ball from Bumrah through the covers for four. That’s such a good shot. In fact it’s almost as good as the statistic with which TNT Sports have just enriched out lives. In this series Crawley and Duckett average 71 against Bumrah; the rest of the England squad have a combined average of 6. S-I-X. Facing the new ball helps, but there’s a lot more to it than that.
Bumrah attempts to address that disparity with a good delivery that pops to beat Duckett’s forcing shot.
“Permission to make a sweeping statement based on a tiny sample size?” says Felix Wood. “Stokes’ constant changing of the field to find the edge is meaning England’s fielders aren’t getting into the zone of each ball. All the drops this innings have been from fielders not being quiiiite ready or in Root’s case coming up too soon. Now I see it written down that looks like nonsense. Still, as Boycott would say, you cant afford to have to take 15 wickets per innings in India, and this really feels like an opportunity missed for England.”
Permission granted. But how do we explain the previous 20 Tests? They just had a bad day and a half I think.
2nd over: England 11-0 (Crawley 4, Duckett 1) Ben Duckett makes a nervous start against Mohammed Siraj. He’s beaten outside off stump and gets a leading edge that rolls into the off side for a single. Crawley addresses Siraj more confidently with another crisp drive for two, this time between extra cover and mid-off.
A terrific over from Siraj concludes with two nipbackers that hit Crawley on the pad. The first was missing leg, the second was too high.
1st over: England 8-0 (Crawley 2, Duckett 0) Bumrah starts the innings with a no-ball. His one imperfection for the innings out of the way, he settles into the usual groove. Crawley – who has played him better than any other England player – drives crisply for two before leaving a ball that only just misses off stump.
It was a good leave, but for a split-second his heart will have been in his chest, where it always is, but beating faster than usual.
“In answer to Brian Withington (103rd over),” writes Finbar Anslow, “I’ll see his Moeen Ali and raise him a Tony Greig (but you have to admit that English spinning allrounders are a bit thin on the ground).”
Wilfred Rhodes would be in the conversation: batted everywhere from No1-11 and took 15 wickets (I think) to beat Australia in 1903-04.
Here come the Indian players, with Mohammed Siraj is among their number. But first for England’s openers, it’s another trial by Bumrah. They will start their innings on 5-0 after India were penalised for practising their moonwalk on a good length.
“Hi Rob,” writes Tim Pare. “Following on from the Taupo road-trip email, having left Aotearoa New Zealand in December, I am currently following with intermittent signal on a five-hour windy drive up to the hill country of Sri Lanka. There’s still plenty of softball cricket in the tea estates, but due to small grounds, they have a ‘no offside’ rule, which although it sounds like football, literally means a shot to the offside gets no runs and actually loses you your wicket. As a mediocre batsman favouring the cut shot … I don’t dare even speak of my average in these games!”
I’m surprised it’s not the other way round – aren’t Legside Larrys supposed to be cricket’s perverts?
India will be very happy with their work: first their recovery from 33-3, then adding 114 for the last three wickets today. England bowled pretty well, especially the quicks, but were sloppy at times in the field. On a pitch that is already a little Janus-faced, they need to score 500 as quickly as possible. No pressure.
WICKET! India 445 all out (Siraj LBW b Wood 3)
Not for the first time, Bumrah is having fun with England’s bowlers. He clatters Wood wristily over midwicket for four, a really good shot, then times the next ball down the ground for two.
Those two runs haven’t done much for Siraj’s knee, and he again needs treatment. He’s okay to continue and survives an LBW shout from Wood later in the over. England have two reviews left and decide to use one, though you can tell from Ben Stokes’ face that he knows it was missing leg. Replays confirm as much.
The next delivery is straighter and given out LBW on the field. Siraj reviews, just in case, but it was thumping into leg stump.
130th over: India 437-9 (Bumrah 19, Siraj 3) Siraj is limping and calls for the physio at the end of Hartley’s over. He was hit on the knee by the ball from Hartley that led to the LBW.
“Just waking up and digesting the situation,” writes Kim Thonger. “My initial thought is, do England declare when they reach 650, or press on until 700?”
Now why would you do that.
Siraj is not out Yep, there’s the peediest of scrapes as the ball passed the bat. Siraj knew and reviewed straight away.
REVIEW! Siraj LBW b Hartley 3 I think he bottom-edged a reverse-sweep onto the pad, in which case it will be overturned.
129th over: India 436-9 (Bumrah 18, Siraj 3) So, I missed most of that Mark Wood over as I was chatting to Tanya. Apologies/sue me. Not much happened, just one delivery that beat Siraj on the inside and whooshed past off stump.
Thanks Tanya, hello everyone. Mark Wood has the ball in his hand and a big dumb grin on his face.
And while they take drinks, I’ll hand over to the unassailable Rob Smyth to take you through to stumps. Thanks to everyone for the messages and huge apologies that I haven’t been able to get to them all. Bye!
128th over: India 434-9 (Bumrah 17, Siraj 2) Crucial runs here from Bumrah, who tucks into Rehan Ahmed with two fours from the over, one googly sent rasping through the covers, another googly posted through midwicket.
127th over: India 426-9 (Bumrah 9, Siraj 2) Wham bam, Bumrah goes down town with six off Hartley over long on.
“Following on from the Taupo road trip email, having left Aotearoa New Zealand in December, I am currently following with intermittent signal on a five hour windy drive up to the hill country of Sri Lanka.” Writes Tim Pare. “There’s still plenty of soft ball cricket in the tea estates, but due to small grounds, they have a “no offside” rule, which although sounds like football, literally means a shot to the offside gets no runs and actually loses you your wicket. As a mediocre batsman favouring the cut shot … I don’t dare even speak of my average in these games!”
Amazing! The dear old OBO gets to go on fabulous journeys.
126th over: India 417-9 (Bumrah 1, Siraj 1) India continue to bat out time, and all the while, the pitch ruminates.
125th over: India 415-9 (Bumrah 0, Siraj 0) The Hartley metronome again.
“Good morning dear Tanja.” Hello Frederick Simon in Berlin!
”Poor Liam Dawson. What a fantastic county season last year. And he fulfils the magic criteria: Batting average 33, bowling 32 (in first class cricket). If Duckett gets a second go surely Dawson deserved one too.
”Talking of second goes…Poor Dom Bess: Averages 33 in test cricket with best figures of 5/30. One day he should get a recall.
”My 15 month old son has started waking up randomly at 4:30. I couldn‘t work out why, but now I’ve realised…he wants to watch the cricket!”
Your son shows very good taste for an under two! Liam Dawson is unlucky, but probably happy enough picking up the dollar in the franchises.
124th over: India 415-9 (Bumrah 0, Siraj 0) Time for Jurel to dispatch Ahmed for one more six before succumbing. A nice, neat, organised, determined debut.
WICKET! Jurel c Foakes b Ahmed 46 (India 415-9)
No, he won’t get a maiden fifty on debut. Goes to cut and gets a thick edge into the glove of Foakes who makes a super catch.
123rd over: India 409-8 (Jurel 40, Bumrah 0) Can the tail see Jurel through to a maiden fifty on debut? One off Hartley means Jurel keeps the strike.
122nd over: India 408-8 (Jurel 39, Bumrah 0) A sensational googly from Ahmed, too good for Bumrah, fizzes through the gate.
“Hullo Tanya, mailing from the road from Taupo to Napier, my first time back in NZ in a number of years. It’s a road trip with my sister and daughter, currently driving. Hoping to “see” some English batting this evening as we camp by the sea. More power to the OBO.”
How fabulous. I am very, very jealous Alistair Connor. Hoping to do that with my brother sometime soon.
121st over: India 408-8 (Jurel 39, Bumrah 0) Another Hartley maiden, his seventh.
WICKET! Ashwin c Anderson b Ahmed 37 (India 408-8)
A proliferation of alliteration as Anderson takes Ashwin at mid-on at the second attempt. A lucky wicket for Rehan Ahmed whose first over into the attack was, um, generous.
120th over: India 408-8 (Jurel 39, Bumrah 0) Ahmed starts the over with a juicy half tracker which is Jurel attacks, sending it flying gaily over the rope for six.
119th over: India 401-7 (Jurel 32, Ashwin 36) The morning after the night before.
118th over: India 400-7 (Jurel 32, Ashwin 36) Wood returns for one more. Head down as he shrugs back to his mark. And, fiddle me dee, another drop. This time Ben Stokes at leg slip, as Jurel turns Wood round the corner into his guts and he can’t cling on.
117th over: India 400-7 (Jurel 32, Ashwin 36) 400 up. In the outfield, Wood looks bloody knackered. Prescient words from Guy Hornsby.
“Morning Tanya, morning everyone. Walking up just now to see India 7 down cheered me up until I realised this partnership is in danger of making life much harder for us in this Test. This innings is putting so many miles into the legs of our quick bowlers in particular, because in the McCullum era, we’ll likely bat for much shorter and we’ll be in the field again much sooner. I get that Wood is probably not going to play the next Test but he’s bowled more than Root and Ahmed. That doesn’t feel great, for him more than anything. We need these two out quickly, really. Anyway, yay.”
116th over: India 399-7 (Jurel 32, Ashwin 35) Suddenly the tempo has picked up a bit. Ashwin glances Wood fine for four.
115th over: India 394-7 (Jurel 32, Ashwin 30) Half way through the over, Hartley switches to over the wicket. I can’t keep up with all these field changes, though you’ll be glad to hear that Rob takes over from me in an hour, he’s always all over them.
Oh my – a drop. Jurel digs into a shortish one from Hartley and pulls it to mid wicket where it somehow falls into – and then out -of Ollie Pope’s hands as he tips over backwards. He slams the ground in frustration and is still shaking his head at the end of the over.
Arul Kanhere has a bone to pick with Sanket Dhume’s earlier analysis. “ I think they have slowed down to
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Get some more runs
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Wear down the pitch
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Protect the tail
“There needs to be some nuance to this analysis. I don’t think the management can do anything about injuries. One series does not tell the whole story. And if I recall correctly, the same management had a pretty decent WC.”
114th over: India 392-7 (Jurel 31, Ashwin 29) Wood pounds the turf. Another searing bouncer provokes some twisting and turning from Ashwin. “They’re going for high hands” says Graeme Swann. Ashwin’s riposte is a push down the ground for four.
Afternoon session
Hello again! Alastair Cook has just summed up the partnership betwee Ashwin and Jurel as valuable but “painstaking”, which seems a pretty good summary. Wood has the ball, here we go!
A slow morning’s play, but could be a vital one if India can push past 450 after lunch. I’m off to drink coffee and stretch my limbs, thanks for all the messages, will get back to the rest of them after breakfast.
Lunch: India 388-7
113th over: India 388-7 (Jurel 31, Ashwin 25) A boundary! Jurel’s eyes light up as a short fat one from Hartley lands outside his off stump and he punches off the back foot. Beaten by a beauty next ball. And that is lunch!
112th over: India 384-7 (Jurel 27, Ashwin 25) Wood comes in for one last blast before sustenance. Jurel and Ashwin continue to refuse to be tempted to go for the big shot.
“Morning Tanya! Trust you and the dog both well. Yesterday I went for a quick stroll through the mustard fields here in the Aravali Hills just south of Delhi, and came back to see England had snaffled a couple of early wickets. Then I sat down to work and Rohit and Jadeja piled it on. This morning? Same quick stroll – same result! But I need to sit down and be vaguely productive now. So can someone else go for a walk, please? I mean, we know it works…” Anyone? I’m about to walk to the kettle, if that helps.
111th over: India 382-7 (Jurel 26, Ashwin 25) Hartley again. The fifty partnership comes up off 118 balls, of which 93 balls were dots. Can that really be right? Stokes continues to move the field this way and that. Five minutes till lunch.