Pakistan ended the second day at Lord’s with a 166-run lead and two first-innings wickets in hand
Andy Bull on England’s swing problem:
Related: Absence of swing leaves Anderson and Broad as baffled as the scientists | Andy Bull
News on Andrew Strauss’s temporary replacement:
Related: Andy Flower will have wide-ranging roles as he stands in for Andrew Strauss
Here’s a quick bit of Mark Wood reaction, by way of parting gift:
It was hard toil from our point of view. They just kept getting scores. One guy after another kept getting scores. We worked hard as a bowling group, at times we beat the bat a lot, but they’ve outbowled and outbatted us so far. A hard day, a hard day’s graft.
Here’s a report from Vic Marks. I’ll be off, but will be back for more tomorrow. ‘Til then, then. Bye!
Related: Pakistan batsmen build healthy Lord’s lead against frustrated England
Mickey Arthur has a chat. He says “incredibly” a lot, and is very chirpy.
It’s been a really good two days. We’re obviously incredibly happy. We know it’s not finished yet. Good two days, we’ll enjoy them, but the reality is we’ve still got plenty to do.
As a unit we’ve worked incredibly hard on getting our lengths right. On the subcontinent the guys bowl a little bit shorter. At our camp we prepared really well. We had 10 days in Lahore before we cam out and that’s one of the things we worked incredibly hard on. We knew if we could get it swinging at those lengths we’d give ourselves a chance, and that’s what we set out to do.
And that is it for day two. There were positives there for England: some good bowling, with the ball beating the bat on countless occasions and finding the edge quite a bit as well. But the catching was poor, some of the fielding patchy, and the wind of cricketing fortune just refused to blow their way.
110th over: Pakistan 350-8 (Amir 19, Abbas 0) Bess doesn’t take it. Instead Amir (who was in fact on strike) hits a lovely shot to sneak one final four into the day.
109th over: Pakistan 346-8 (Amir 15, Abbas 0) Stokes doesn’t get the wicket England need, or look particularly keen on actually doing so. One more over today, and this is a chance England need to take. Dominic Bess is the man they think will take it.
108th over: Pakistan 345-8 (Amir 14, Abbas 0) Another edge flies safely away for four, this time just wide of gully. I’d love to know what the two teams’ edge-to-wicket ratio is. Then Amir hits the ball past mid-off, and it is eventually fielded a couple of feet from the rope. England will want to end the innings tonight, without giving Babar Azam the chance to recover from injury and have another bat in the morning.
107th over: Pakistan 338-8 (Amir 7, Abbas 0) In nine Test innings Abbas has an average of five and a high score of 4*. He has only once been out without scoring, mind, and he can stick around: there has been a 43-ball four and a 34-ball 1*.
106th over: Pakistan 337-8 (Amir 6, Abbas 0) It’s all happening now. Amir works the ball off his thigh, straight out the middle and away for four, a very fine shot, then another edge lands safe, bouncing a good yard in front of first slip, and then the wicket, all in a three-ball burst in the middle of Anderson’s over.
A bit of unexpected bounce, Ali awkwardly scoops the ball into the air, and it’s caught by a stretching Buttler at gully!
105th over: Pakistan 332-7 (Amir 1, Ali 0) Shadab reaches 50 in ugly style, going for a pull and top-edging high into the air. Bairstow is quick off the mark for this one, racing round towards square leg, but it lands just out of reach. It has been that kind of day. A few moments later Bairstow does have the ball in his gloves, and he barely had to move for that one.
Shadab’s innings, very nearly ended three balls previously, is over this time, as he gloves the ball through to Bairstow!
104rd over: Pakistan 328-6 (Shadab 48, Amir 1) Amir has now faced 15 deliveries, and looked pretty uncomfortable for all of them. He’s still in, mind.
103rd over: Pakistan 327-6 (Shadab 47, Amir 1) Root fields, goes down hard on his knee, collects the ball and comes up complaining of a sore right hand. I’m not sure quite how he hurt it, but he seems displeased.
102nd over: Pakistan 325-6 (Shadab 46, Amir 0) The wicket and the lights have got the crowd a bit more vocal, at least when Anderson is bowling. They get gradually quieter as the over progresses.
101st over: Pakistan 323-6 (Shadab 44, Amir 0) Now a misfield. Shadab tickles the ball to fine leg, where Stoneman gets a hand to it but instead of collecting it he inexplicably pushes it into the rope. Wood recovers from his annoyance to bowl a couple of fine deliveries at Amir, neither of which he manages to get any bat on, despite strenuous efforts to do so.
100th over: Pakistan 318-6 (Shadab 39, Amir 0) Anderson’s first delivery at Amir hits him hard in the pads, to loud cheers from the crowd, but the umpire shakes his head. Still, a wicket maiden. After three deliveries he had asked the umpire to check the ball; it passed the test, and a wicket fell immediately.
The ball nips back, takes the inside edge and clatters into the stumps! There’s a nervy moment as the umpires check for a no ball: it was very close, but it’ll do!
99th over: Pakistan 318-5 (Shadab 39, Faheem 37) This has been humbling for England. The bowlers have often bowled too short, when the batsmen err the ball keeps dropping safe and when it doesn’t, the fielders drop it anyway. Shadab thrumps the ball past mid-off for four.
98th over: Pakistan 309-5 (Shadab 31, Faheem 37) DROPPED! Anderson finds Shadab’s edge this time, and it zips low but straight to Cook at first slip, who has it in his fingers and then lets it out again! Then Shadab goes for a close single, retreats to his crease, Stokes goes through with his shy at the stumps which hits them and then flies away, and the batsmen take a free run.
97th over: Pakistan 308-5 (Shadab 30, Faheem 37) Wood starts his over with a cracker of a delivery, which has Shadab squirming but doesn’t catch the edge. A single later Wood does get an edge, but the ball flies between a static Bairstow, who thought Cook at first slip should go for it, and Cook, who only goes when he realises Bairstow won’t. That was painful, and it becomes more so when the very next delivery if thumped through midwicket for four. Cook rewarded Bairstow with an evil glare.
“It was Shadab and Faheem who ruined Ireland’s hopes in the Malahide Test match a fortnight ago with a partnership of 120,” notes Martin Gilbert. “Looks like they could be able to do the same to England here.”
96th over: Pakistan 299-5 (Shadab 29, Faheem 29) Anderson bowls. A leg bye follows.
95th over: Pakistan 298-5 (Shadab 29, Faheem 29) Shadab tries to work the ball down the leg side, but it goes straight past the bat and is caught by Bairstow, who appeals half-heartedly and is ignored. He totally mishits the next ball, which is in the air for a while but lands safe between mid-on and midwicket. One of the things England have lacked so far is luck. Faheem then pulls the final delivery for four, effortlessly, straight out of the middle of the bat.
94th over: Pakistan 291-5 (Shadab 26, Faheem 25) So that’s drinks, and an opportunity for England to discuss how to curtail one of the more comfortable periods of Pakistan’s innings. Will they get past option one (namely, complain to the umpires about the ball and hope they give you a more fun one)?
93rd over: Pakistan 287-5 (Shadab 23, Faheem 24) Wood returns, and Shadab gets a couple off the final delivery, which takes a leading edge but rolls away safely. “Is it ironic that in a match that England selected Buttler for lower order acceleration and a young spinner Bess, we are being shown how to do it by lower order dasher (Faheem) and possibly a young Shadab wrapping up the second innings?” wonders Sachin Paul. Sounds to me like proof that England got their selection just right.
92nd over: Pakistan 285-5 (Shadab 21, Faheem 24) Faheem tries to pull Broad’s final delivery, gets only glove on it but it’ll do, the ball trundling to the fine leg boundary. Pakistan’s lead is thus extended to triple figures, currently standing at 101.
91st over: Pakistan 280-5 (Shadab 20, Faheem 20) An update on Babar, who apparently has not required an x-ray, and is quietly “managing his pain”.
90th over: Pakistan 276-5 (Shadab 19, Faheem 17) Pakistan are enjoying the new ball (well, except for Babar Azam, obviously). Shadab drives past gully for four, and sees out the remainder of Broad’s over comfortably.
89th over: Pakistan 272-5 (Shadab 15, Faheem 17) So having given Stokes a bit of a go with the new ball, Root finally hands it to Anderson. And he elicits a lovely cover drive from Faheem, who is careering along well in excess of a run a ball.
88th over: Pakistan 268-5 (Shadab 15, Faheem 13) The ball flicks off Shadab’s pad and rumbles away for four. There follows an absolute cracker of a delivery from Broad, heading into Shadab and straightening to beat the bat, which by the end is nowhere near it. His only reward is a sheepish grin from the batsman.
87th over: Pakistan 264-5 (Shadab 15, Faheem 13) Faheem gets two boundaries, both sent to an unguarded third man. This is interesting, though I suppose Broad has yet to complete an English summer, and by the end of it he might be knackered enough to bring those averages back down again.
Stuart Broad's average speed in 2018 is 136.5kph - that's the fastest he's ever managed in Test cricket. #ENGvPAKpic.twitter.com/1DFrmlC7j9
86th over: Pakistan 254-5 (Shadab 15, Faheem 3) Broad bowls full and Shadab punches it through cover for four, Root chasing gamely and launching a last-moment full-length superman dive in a vain attempt to cut it off. Four balls later he might have gone. His review was instant, though - presumably he’d felt some gentle contact.
The TV umpire spotted the very tiniest edge, therefore denying us the chance to see HawkEye show it was probably clearing the stumps anyway.
The umpire thought so, the batsman thinks not. Let technology decide!
85th over: Pakistan 250-5 (Shadab 11, Faheem 3) Babar was not wearing an arm guard - Faheem Ashraf resisted the urge to hurriedly strap some on before he replaced him - and arms are simply not made to withstand that kind of impact. If there’s no fracture there it is a miracle of evolution.
Babar is going off, heading to the nearest x-ray machine, and Faheem Ashraf comes out.
84.2 overs: Pakistan 246-5 (Babar 68, Shadab 10) Stokes bowls short, and Babar has no idea what to do about it. Instead of swaying backwards away from it he kind of half-crouches, putting his hands and his head precisely in the path of the ball, which then crashes into his left wrist. He goes down, clearly in pain, and is now receiving treatment (namely, an ice pack). Hence this mid-over update.
84th over: Pakistan 245-5 (Babar 68, Shadab 9) That’s a fine over from Broad, without reward. Still, at least they didn’t score off it. Meanwhile, it’s Friday afternoon, it’s the cricket - there’s no way there’s tea in that mug. Champers at the very least, surely.
83rd over: Pakistan 245-5 (Babar 68, Shadab 9) Stokes continues, Shadab pushes through the covers for four, and then flicks the next delivery off his hip to deep square leg for a second helping.
82nd over: Pakistan 237-5 (Babar 68, Shadab 1) A nearly over from Broad, which comes close to a reward when Babar diverts the ball just past the stumps, with Broad doing a pre-emptive gleeful skip of potential joy, and even closer when the next delivery is edged wide of Stokes at third slip - it didn’t carry to the cordon anyway - and away for four.
81st over: Pakistan 232-5 (Babar 64, Shadab 0) England snaffle the new ball at the earliest opportunity, and give it to Ben Stokes. After free dot balls Babar tries to push one to mid on, outside edges, and gets away with it. Off it shoots, away for four.
80th over: Pakistan 228-5 (Babar 60, Shadab 0) After tea one over still remains to be bowled with the old ball and Bess speeds through it, at the expense of one run.
The players are on their way back out. It remains exceedingly grey in north London, but very much dry. The same is not true everywhere in the country, sadly.
Rain’s getting heavier #ForTheNorthpic.twitter.com/Q8JcEhLmDo
And that is a significant morale boost for England as they head for tea.
79th over: Pakistan 227-4 (Babar 59, Ahmed 9) The new ball is due in two overs, it’s just before tea and England totally reorganise their field for Stokes’s last stab with the old nut. A helmet is brought on, Root pops it on and stands at short leg, and sends a few extra fielders to the boundary. Clearly, Stokes is going to bang it in and hope for the best. And this he does, several times. Sarfraz ducks under the first attempt, leaves the second and, with just one ball to go before tea, goes after the third! Mistake.
England lay a trap for Sarfraz, and he falls for it, slashing at a short ball and top-edging it to Wood at deep fine leg!
78th over: Pakistan 227-4 (Babar 59, Ahmed 9) A first boundary for Ahmed and it’s a decent shot, half-volleying the ball to deep midwicket. A moment later, just as Bess enters his delivery stride, Ahmed takes a big stride backwards, so he’s standing well outside leg stump. The bowler aborts.
77th over: Pakistan 222-4 (Babar 59, Ahmed 4) Stokes bowls a harmless short, wide delivery at Babar, and the batsman tucks in. Four runs.
76th over: Pakistan 215-4 (Babar 54, Ahmed 2) Bess keeps going. He’s the most expensive of England’s bowlers, going for precisely 3.5 runs an over so far, but having tried to go for him this morning the batsmen have been more circumspect this afternoon. Still, no maidens in his 14 overs.
75th over: Pakistan 213-4 (Babar 52, Ahmed 2) Having stood at the other end while Stokes gave Babar a bit of a workout in his last over, Sarfraz is understandably cautious when it’s his turn to have a go. What results is the first maiden for 22 overs.
Babar Azam is not really a candidate for this short-pitched barrage England are employing. Against quick bowling, he averages 10.66 against full length balls, 14.50 against in-between length balls - and 44.50 against short balls. #ENGvPAKpic.twitter.com/GVu56xpuCX
74th over: Pakistan 213-4 (Babar 52, Ahmed 2) That’s 50 for Babar, his half-century brought up with a nice cut for four. That’s his sixth Test 50, and he’s yet to get a century.
73rd over: Pakistan 209-4 (Babar 48, Ahmed 2) This is good stuff, Stokes getting one to move into the batsman, the next to move away, and the one after that to move in again. Babar swishes at the second and is lucky to get nothing on it, and gets a single off the last, but that was a fine half-over.
72nd over: Pakistan 208-4 (Babar 47, Ahmed 2) It goes without saying that England needed that wicket pretty badly, and that was a fine delivery from Stokes to get it. He’s been blowing hot and cold today, often both at the same time, but there has been some pretty healthy wheat amid the chaff.
71st over: Pakistan 204-4 (Babar 44, Ahmed 1) After five overs Wood’s spell is over, and Stokes replaces him. Shafiq leaves the first ball, he leaves the second, he leaves the third and then he’s DROPPED! He steers the ball wide of gully, where Buttler dives high to his left, gets both hands on it but instead of holding on pushes it just behind Malan at second slip, who can’t react in time! Next ball, though, he does go!
Stokes makes the breakthrough! A shortish delivery ball rears up at Shafiq, hits the shoulder of his bat and loops to Malan at second slip!
70th over: Pakistan 203-3 (Shafiq 59, Babar 44) Shafiq flicks the ball over his left shoulder and bobbling away for three, taking Pakistan past 200.
69th over: Pakistan 198-3 (Shafiq 55, Babar 43) Now that is a fine shot. Babar pulls a chest-high delivery from Wood powerfully, accurately and completely safely between two fielders and away for four.
68th over: Pakistan 192-3 (Shafiq 54, Babar 38) Tom Bowtell emails from Lord’s. “I just switched on TMS radio commentary and noted it was out of synch with the action,” he writes. “Genuinely turned to my mate Ben and said ‘let’s see if the radio commentary is a behind or ahead of the live action’ and we then watched keenly to see which one it was.” This is plainly idiotic, but I must admit to having had the same thought process on more than one occasion when covering football matches in grounds where journalists also get TV screens.
67th over: Pakistan 189-3 (Shafiq 54, Babar 35) That’s a single each for the two batsmen from Wood’s over, and Pakistan now within five runs of England’s total.
66th over: Pakistan 187-3 (Shafiq 53, Babar 34) Hello world! Simon here, taking over from Adam for the remainder of the day. Why don’t you ping me an email, let’s have a chat. Or there’s always Twitter. I start with an over from Bess, from which Babar boshes the ball past mid-off for four.
65th over: Pakistan 182-3 (Shafiq 52, Babar 30) Round the wicket for Wood with a couple of wickets before the drinks break. Babar just gets out the way of the inevitable shorter balls that come. Earlier, he steered the quick through the cordon for four more runs down to third man. Lovely batting from the young gun. Drinks it is. And me done as well. Thanks for your company for my first OBO of the summer. I leave you with Simon Burnton with England again in a spot of bother.
64th over: Pakistan 178-3 (Shafiq 52, Babar 26) Bess beats the bat for the first time. Feels like a moment worth noting in bold. Did it with flight. Babar gets off strike with a miscued drive to cover, so another small victory to the young spinner. Keeps Shafiq in check as well. Not bad. One over left before drinks in the middle session, the visitors five runs away from first innings parity.
63rd over: Pakistan 177-3 (Shafiq 52, Babar 25) Asad Shafiq to his half-century with a lift over the cordon to the rope. Just 81 balls to get to the milestone. But no risk in that shot; he was in control. Wood banging it in, the right-hander could sense one was coming there for him to throw the bat at. Story of the day: England aren’t doing a lot wrong, but Pakistan are doing an awful lot right.
62nd over: Pakistan 173-3 (Shafiq 48, Babar 25) Dom Bess is back who immediately finds his range with a bit of turn. Oh, now I’ve said that he’s over pitched to Babar who leans on a drive for a couple with no risk at all. Still, a good first set back in the attack. The PM is in the crowd having a cup of tea, twitter tells me. A lot more relaxed than when, in my former life, I used to drag a former (Australian) PM from commentary box to commentary box.
61st over: Pakistan 171-3 (Shafiq 48, Babar 23) Yeah, that’s a stinker of a review. It’ll be recorded as a decision made under pressure by Joe Root. Bairstow had a bit to do with that, adamant that Shafiq edged it. Babar took another quick single earlier in the over to mid-off. These two have been outstanding since lunch.
HAS SHAFIQ EDGED BEHIND? Given not out. He wasn’t offering a shot at Wood, the new bowler. They’ve gone upstairs. Technology confirms it is NOT OUT! That’s an ordinary review, dealt with from one replay by the third umpire. Umpire Paul Reiffel had it right, it was off the elbow.
60th over: Pakistan 170-3 (Shafiq 48, Babar 22) The partnership goes beyond 50 with a couple from Shafiq through cover to end the Anderson over. He’s looking less potent now. Earlier in the over, he gave Shafiq the gift of a full ball on leg stump which he glanced away for four. All of a sudden, Pakistan are 15 short of a first innings lead.
Sure enough, birthday boy Gary Naylor was alllll over the sub-fielder subplot.
England's sub fielder is Thomas Cromwell @norcrosscricketpic.twitter.com/lvsnjANsWO
59th over: Pakistan 163-3 (Shafiq 42, Babar 21) Another quick single! I’m not sure whether it is a case of Pakistan showing their authority or England missing a trick by starting too deep at cover and midwicket. But Bess misses the stumps anyway. One to Shafiq is what the scorecard says. Then one more to Babar, the man who was running to the danger end, clipping behind square when Broad gives him one on his hip. Both looking good. Which, if the first session is any guide, means a wicket must be coming.
58th over: Pakistan 161-3 (Shafiq 41, Babar 20) Another edge! This time Shafiq. This time it doesn’t go to hand, over fourth slip where Buttler actually goes to ground rather than putting up a hand. Not sure what’s going on there. He wouldn’t have got up to it anyway. Ordinary shot, slashing without any meaningful footwork. Still, four added to his total. Later in the over, he nearly gets Babar with a ripper, cutting across the batsman with a ball that’s gone a mile off the seam but the leading edge doesn’t go to hand. Sigh. But he falls away with the final offering, short outside the off stump, Babar tucking in for another boundary from the eventful over.
A chap with a double-barrelled surname was briefly sub-fielding for Al Cook a couple of overs back. Dan Norcross, on TMS, believes the haircut he was sporting was in keeping with the name. I’ll try and dig out a photo. Cook was quickly back on.
57th over: Pakistan 152-3 (Shafiq 35, Babar 16) Broad in at Shafiq and still getting the ball to reverse through the air towards the right-hander. He’s right on it. I’ve liked a lot of Broad’s work today. But his maiden is spoiled with one that’s a bit too straight to finish, Shafiq helping himself to a single around the corner.
56th over: Pakistan 151-3 (Shafiq 35, Babar 16) DROPPED CATCH! Anderson finds Babar’s edge first ball but Cook puts him down low to his right with one hand! Top bowling to draw him into the stroke. A tough chance, but still. Sure enough, two balls later Babar slams Anderson through point for four. What did I say last over about Pakistan taking all of their chances yesterday? Pakistan’s 150 is up.
55th over: Pakistan 145-3 (Shafiq 35, Babar 10) Runs for each of the batsman off the pads, one or Babar then two for Shafiq. Again, more excellent running from this side after yesterday taking every chance in the field - the lazy stereotypes of Pakistan fading away by the innings. Shafiq looking to score by getting a big stride in at Broad.
54th over: Pakistan 142-3 (Shafiq 33, Babar 9) Babar pushing and running, adding another quick single to cover. Anderson does the fielding off his own bowling racing out there with a slide. That’ll leave a nice grass stain. Earlier, Shafiq clipped a single square.
And we have an answer to our earlier question: Darren Gough rang the ball with his right hand. The footage just popped on on the telly. Had a huge smile on his face as he gave it the big ones.
53rd over: Pakistan 140-3 (Shafiq 32, Babar 8) Broad coming down the slope. Three slips. He’s moving it into Babar off the seam before beating him with a delightful delivery that does the other way to finish off. Very good maiden.
England most likely opted to include Mark Wood over Chris Woakes in this match because of Wood's extra pace. By that rationale, the selection was been vindicated - 10 of the 12 fastest deliveries in the match have been bowled by the Durham pacer. #ENGvPAKpic.twitter.com/WDXGzMqKTz
52nd over: Pakistan 140-3 (Shafiq 32, Babar 8) Anderson again from the Nursery End to kick off the second session. Two slips and the gully. They are nearly into the act second ball up, Shafiq edging into the cordon but on the bounce to Malan. Nice soft hands, mind. Keeps shaping it away from the more experienced of the two Pakistani batsmen, the right-hander happy to leave alone to Bairstow. That’s until Jimmy gives him a little bit more room to work with, Shafiq onto the back foot punching to the point boundary. Nice shot on the up.
ICYMI: Jimmy’s wicket before lunch.
Jimmy doing his thing just before lunch!
Scorecard & Clips: https://t.co/9jYAMDq8J7#ENGvPAKpic.twitter.com/1SQYvPoQKg
Roooooot. A couple more on him then we’ll put the topic to bed for today?
Richard O’Hagan “broadly speaking” agrees to the earlier lashings but wants to set the record straight on the bowlers. “Blaming him for the bowling display is a bit harsh, though. I’m getting sick of hearing Broad and Anderson turn around at the end of the day and admit to bowling the wrong length. Bowler should know when they are getting it wrong without being told.”
Okay, while we eat. Amy Lawrence looking at The Ton yesterday at Lord’s.
Related: A rookie’s day out at Lord’s: is cricket best appreciated slowly? | Amy Lawrence
51st over: Pakistan 136-3 (Shafiq 28, Babar 8) WHAT?! Shafiq, in response to the first all of the final over before lunch, pops Bess into the Tavern Stand! A mighty wallop that is. As I noted before though, he’s a brave cricketer. Fair play. It doesn’t bother Bess too much through, who keeps tossing it up. Shafiq gets off strike with a quick single to mid-on and Babar plays out the last couple of balls to take them to lunch.
So, a session where the visitors added 86 and lost two wickets. Advantage Pakistan, but not by a long way. Wood got the initial breakthrough on the cusp of drinks, finding the edge of Haris. Anderson got the second, 20 minutes before the interval when swung around to the Nursery End for a second spell, removing Azhar leg before as soon as he reached a half-century.
50th over: Pakistan 129-3 (Shafiq 21, Babar 8) Jimmy’s last over before the break but it won’t result in another breakthrough. Babar gets up nice and high to clip one in front of square. Shafiq grabs one to point later in a relatively sedate set compared with Anderson’s previous couple.
49th over: Pakistan 127-3 (Shafiq 20, Babar 7) Babar off the mark with a boundary ot cover point, the right-hander jumping onto a delivery that’s a fraction too short. He grabs three more the behind point later in the set, using the pace of the ball with ease. Classy cricket. Bess will probably get one more chance before they eat.
48th over: Pakistan 120-3 (Shafiq 20, Babar 0) Anderson doing exactly as he should, forcing Shafiq to play every ball with balls aimed right at the woodwork. No inch given. Then comes the perfect finish, busting out his outswinger and beating the edge. Too good.
“Good to have you back in the OBO Chair,” writes Jeremy Yapp. Most kind. “Exciting isn’t it?” Sure is. One of the best bits about going summer-to-summer (to summer to summer) is getting the first Test of a season buzz a few times a year.
47th over: Pakistan 120-3 (Shafiq 20, Babar 0) Bess races through his best over yet in Test cricket. Shafiq took a single to mid-on early on but Babar was forced to defend the rest from the crease. He’s confident enough to give it the air required to bounce and turn. Accurate. Good early signs, for mine.
46th over: Pakistan 119-3 (Shafiq 19, Babar 0) Nice straight bat from Babar Azam, defending his first ball, the last of the successful Anderson over, to mid-on. “Every ball was a challenge there,” says Boycott on TMS, drawing a contrast to how he saw Anderson’s first spell from the Members’ End.
Good stat from Sky is backed up immediately: Anderson averages 16 from the Nursery End over the last five years, and 25 from the Pavilion End.
Jimmy back and straight in the book! From the Nursery End this time around, Anderson is on the stumps and the opener can’t get the bat down quickly enough on a ball that just moved back a touch off the seam. There is a discussion between the batsmen but no review. For the best, as the technology shows that it was hitting the top of middle and leg. Big moment. Azhar can bat for days.
45th over: Pakistan 118-2 (Azhar 50, Shafiq 18) Bess giving it some air to begin. Credit to him for that. Missing his length, Azhar is deep in the crease and cutting behind point for an easy single that brings up his half-century. 133 balls to get there. But next ball, Shafiq dances down and tries to launch Bess over midwicket onto the roof. He’s lucky to get away withi a filthy inside edged single. That would have been a dreadful way to fall after so much hard work this morning.
44th over: Pakistan 116-2 (Azhar 49, Shafiq 17) Stokes further up now to Shafiq, which will please Geoff Boycott who wants them to put the short stuff away. His radar is off later in the over though, the number four inside the line and glancing fine to the rope. Easy peasy. Time for one of the openers to come back for a crack before lunch.
Good point from Brian Poole: “The last England captain to field close in at short leg has already been mentioned today in relation to ambidextrous golf. But no helmet or shin pads.”
43rd over: Pakistan 112-2 (Azhar 49, Shafiq 13) Dom Bess gets a jam roll with half an hour left until lunch. Cook has moved into short leg now. The 20-year-old has Azhar forward to begin. Then a leading edge, not far away from the bowler in his follow-through. Good stuff. Then Azhar laps and misses, nearly gloving to Stokes at slip. All happening. Singles exchanged to end the over. Appreciative applause from the audience who are backing in their new young bloke.
42nd over: Pakistan 110-2 (Azhar 48, Shafiq 12) Stokes also happy to bang it in short of a length, which Azhar seems to predict first up when carving through point for a straightforward boundary. A bouncer follows, which he gets on top of for another. Good batting. But to Shafiq, he’s well up on the dancefloor, bringing him forward and beating his edge with one that spits away off the seam. Then does it again with the last ball! That’s a beauty. Plenty going on here. Dare I say it: Proper Test Cricket.
41st over: Pakistan 105-2 (Azhar 43, Shafiq 12) Wood continues round the wicket as he did in the previous over, aiming for the helmet then body of Shafiq early on. The number four is up to the task, grabbing one into the legside. Azhar isn’t far away from giving a chance to Root at short leg from another nasty one at the ribs later in the over. Yes, that’s Root, the captain under the helmet. Can’t think of a time where I’ve seen that, and nor can the TMS crew. Shafiq ends the over with two more to mid-off. He’s a punchy player with a lot of pride. His second innings ton at Brisbane a couple of years ago to take his side to the cusp of 490 they needed to win was one of the best I’ve witnessed.
Don’t hugely mind the round the wicket bumper theory... more of a 200/2 tactic than 100/2 perhaps... however when you’ve only got 184 on the board...
40th over: Pakistan 101-2 (Azhar 42, Shafiq 9) Plenty going on when Stokes is bowling, the new man Shafiq just down in time on a ball short of a length and through gully for his first boundary. Next up, a perfect leg-cutter that beats him by a long way. Stokes can get the ball to move like few others. Not concerned, Shafiq is straight back on the front foot, finding the gap at cover for three more. Didn’t middle it but these early runs will be most welcome. It also brings up the 100 for Pakistan. Elects to leave the last ball, very close to that off-stump.
39th over: Pakistan 94-2 (Azhar 42, Shafiq 2) SO CLOSE! Shafiq, having got off the mark to cover earlier in the Wood over, calls Azhar through for a quick single to finish. It wasn’t there, but Dom Bess didn’t hit racing in from point. He had to collect and throw underarm in one motion, but it was definitely a chance. With Azhar prone to batting for very long periods of time, we might be talking about that moment again later today.
Meanwhile. “I’m all for luxury Buttler, but why does it have to be at 7?” asks Matt Potter. “Personally I think he should be given a free pass opening (Stoneman rarely lasts long enough), Shift everyone back a space and replace the now vacated no.3 with Vince. (I am, however, a huge James Vince apologist).”
38th over: Pakistan 91-2 (Azhar 41, Shafiq 0) Stokes starts the second hour with a new man at the crease but is bowling to the relatively set opener Azhar. He is able to leave the first half of the over on length as much as line, but when Stokes brings it back to his body the right-hander gets onto the balls of his feet to play a wonderful shot past point to the rope. Much harder than it looks. England again looking at the ball as though there might be something wrong with it preventing much movement through the air but the officials don’t want to know. Stokes in at 87mph with the last ball of the set.
Stephen Wolstencroft has a few additional thoughrs on Root to add to those that came earlier: “Before our glorious leader gets too much stick, I’d add that the offer of the captaincy is something he couldn’t turn down, and he’s clearly trying his best. He’s also still by a mile our best player. The blame lies, as ever, with the coaching and management structure that saw fit to appoint Cook then Root; and seem to be excellent at getting working groups to report to committees who then feedback to boards - all in fluent Straussian - while the simple stuff like having players bat in their correct positions and selecting the right starting XI goes by the wayside.”
There is is! Wood was smacking away into the track at both both batsmen who took runs, but when he took his length further up to the left-hander to finish the over it prompted a timid push. There was enough movement off the seam to see the ball kiss the edge on the way through and YJB did the rest. Wood is elated. The wicket also brings drinks.
37th over: Pakistan 87-2 (Azhar 37)
36th over: Pakistan 84-1 (Azhar 34, Haris 39) It is Stokes to replace Broad. The big lad racing away from the broadcast end at Haris Sohail round the wicket. Bangs it in and hits the seam to maintain the plan Wood has been getting at. Slips one through at the left-hander, hitting him high on the pad. Finds the inside edge with the final ball, that also did a bit. Nice. Three maidens on the spin.
35th over: Pakistan 84-1 (Azhar 34, Haris 39) The hum of Friday at Lord’s turns up a notch or to as we get towards the end of the opening hour. By far the best day to be at HQ in a social capacity. Might be a response to the sun almost poking through the clouds. More of that, please. Wood again, to Azhar this time, and it is back to back maidens. Wasn’t tempted outside off-stump but was challenged by the shorter ball, just getting out the way as it passed through. That’s why he is in this XI.
An email in from Johnny Starbuck. “On TMS Alison Mitchell is going on a lot about Jimmy’s change in hair colour, presumably to hide the developing grey. You have not yet mentioned this but it’s obviously a significant issue for senior players. As someone who went grey in my early 20s I’m not too bothered, but plenty of people are, hence all those weird adverts.”
34th over: Pakistan 84-1 (Azhar 34, Haris 39) Broad vs Haris Sohail. Defending, leaving, leaving. Probing lines. Defending, leaving. Defending again. Maiden. Good cricket, but might Broad need a breather? Stokes now, I reckon. Remember the hoop he got the last time he bowled here in a Test.
We’ve struck a nerve with the ‘does one thing with one hand and another thing with the other’ line. Mr D Johns on twitter, to begin: “I‘m sure that years ago I read or heard, or maybe dreamed, that a lot of cricketers - especially batmen - play golf (and presumably ping pong etc) with the opposite hand to the dominant one so that their arms don’t get all confused when they’re doing the day job.”
33rd over: Pakistan 84-1 (Azhar 34, Haris 39) Haris able to leave most of this alone from Wood. There’s a bouncer in there, which I’d like to see a bit more of. Grabs one to cover to keep the strike after Azhar defends the quick’s final offering.
“Some harsh skewering of Root early doors,” Robert Petersen adds on twitter. “When the dust settles on his career in a decade or so, I think we’ll look back and decide unequivocally that he’s the best batsman England have ever ruined.” A gazillion more emails getting into Root, which I’ll try and compile at drinks (or lunch).
32nd over: Pakistan 83-1 (Azhar 34, Haris 38) The umpires have the rings out to make sure the ball passes through but they see no issues. As you were, Broady. He started with another delivery that went past the edge of Haris before later in the over finding the outside half of the bat. He wasn’t strictly in control of the shot but it was not close to carrying to a catcher either, three added to third man. Azhar sees off the rest. Broad the best of the bowlers so far.
On twitter, Brian Clifford asks whether with the final ball of the 30th over Broad actually found a slight nick? “There was a faint noise on the TV replay? Any way to check if that was an outside edge?” Not from where I’m sitting. Anyone else replay of at that?
31st over: Pakistan 80-1 (Azhar 34, Haris 35) Mark Wood gets a go for the first time today, replacing Anderson at the Members’ End. A loosener gets Haris rotating first up with a single. Much better to Azhar to begin, beating him immediately. Good wheels. But the opener is back on it later in the over, driving wonderfully through cover. Four more. England really need something soon. Both batsmen look set enough to do real damage.
30th over: Pakistan 75-1 (Azhar 30, Haris 34) Azhar gets into the act first ball of Broad’s over, striking a compact drive to the cover boundary. I suspect there will be a few England batsmen watching this with envy after what went down yesterday. He gets a couple more behind square; easier runs there. But just as Jimmy did in the previous over, Stu bites back with a ripper: a full ball that just beats the bat and the stumps. Then a real beaut to finish, seaming away from the right-hander to just evade the edge. Something for everyone = good track? I’d say so. Ping: Australian curators.
29th over: Pakistan 69-1 (Azhar 24, Haris 34) Bang, bang! Haris nearly beat cover to end Anderson’s previous over and does with the first ball of this fresh one. Nice stroke, four runs. Next ball, he’s into it again with an even better drive. The number three is in super nick. Anderson bites back later in the over, seaming one past the southpaw’s edge. Then finishes with a beauty! Again beating the blade, from a ball he had to play at. Plenty in this for fans of both sides in this first half hour or so.
Richard Hagan asking a question that I insist that we get to the bottom of. “Which hand did Goughie ring the bell with? I know that he writes left-handed even though he bowled and threw right-handed, so wondered which he used for campanology.” Related: Mark Taylor plays golf right handed. Work that out for me.
28th over: Pakistan 61-1 (Azhar 24, Haris 26) Broad sends down a maiden to Azhar who is determiend to leave as many deliveries early on as possible. Sound approach for the most part, but not when the veteran quick gets one to jag back off the seam. That wasn’t far at all from England’s first breakthrough of the morning. Broad has a little stare in response and fair enough. It won’t bother Azhar, though. I say that having watched him bat for about four days in a row at the MCG a couple of years back.
27th over: Pakistan 61-1 (Azhar 24, Haris 26) Nice tuck from Haris, who works the first ball of Anderson’s fresh over for the first boundary of the morning. He’s back to leaving before Jimmy gets him playing by the end of the set. Nice drive to finish, albeit to the man at extra cover. Enjoying this.
26th over: Pakistan 57-1 (Azhar 24, Haris 22) Broad attacking the stumps, trying to seam into Azhar’s stumps/pads. He’s getting some generous movement through the air as well. The right-hander responds by getting on the front foot to drive. It’s more a squirt, but through the gap at cover for two. Good early contest.
I have an email from my (other) home town of Melbourne. Good evening to Murray MacLachlan. “Always lovely to see the OBO doing its slow-motion equivalent of the Star Wars opening narrative crawl up the page, and thanks in particular for the link to Ben Jones’ analysis of Pakistan’s first day. As someone with an interest in public communication of statistical analyses, I’m inclined to suggest that the bowler performance graphs of swing and speed might be helped by keeping the players named in say alphabetical order along the abscissa. Another useful graph could be an x:y diagram of speed vs swing. Maybe also add another player into the reporting, because benchmarking is a thing nowadays: Trent Boult, who seems have played a hand in affairs. Finally, moneyball seems to have taken cricket, always a statistical sport, to new heights of measurement: “complimentary” bowling is a great idea to report on, although it’s hard to measure, maybe number of smiles and gentle murmurs of praise per over, and certainly it’s quite the opposite of what we have to put up with hereabouts, as the Australian national side is known for being quite the opposite.”
25th over: Pakistan 55-1 (Azhar 22, Haris 22) Jimmy over the wicket to begin to Sohail from the posh end, making him present a neat, vertical blade from the get-go. He changes up half way through to go round and create an angle to the slips down the slope if he can get it to straighten, but he isn’t quite accurate enough to make him play. Nice tight leave to finish. Maiden.
“At the risk of loading a ludicrous amount of significance onto a single day’s cricket I’m going to do exactly that,” advises Ian Dunn. “If Pakistan get a stranglehold on this game this morning it makes the next 18 months of English test cricket look rather fraught. They win this game and England can’t win the series. They’ve then got the five tests against India - the best side in the world, who you’d make favourites - even in England. They’ve then got tricky three match test series away against Sri Lanka and the West Indies, both sides showing signs of resurgence. And With England’s away form... and then it’s back to the Ashes - and the possibility of England going Ashes to Ashes without winning a test series in between for the first time since the dark days of the mid-1980s”
24th over: Pakistan 55-1 (Azhar 22, Haris 22) Broad into his work running away from us at the Nursery End, beating the bat of Haris Sohail from round the wicket third ball of the morning. Just a waft to a ball that moved gently off the seam. The number three gets his first run of the morning to cover with a push, Dom Bess doing the fielding. I’m looking forward to seeing him a bit later today. Azhar tucks one around the corner to get his day going as well. Oh, nice movement again to finish from Broad, this time away from Azhar, who plays it late from the outside half of the bat down to third man for a couple. Nice start, Stuart.
Darren Gough rings the MCC bell. The players are striding out. That means we’re ready to go. Play!
More emails on Root. “Morning.” Hello Stephen Wolstencroft. “Further to Felix Wood’s point, the obvious thing to do when Cook (never a natural or willing captain either) stood down was to get Morgan in to bat at six and skipper,” he writes. Interesting. “Even if he averaged 20 he still would have provided leadership and tactical nous that would’ve been more valuable than an extra 10 or 15 runs.” He argues that without the burden of captaincy “Root could’ve carried on cheerfully scampering quick runs and doing Norman Wisdom impressions. The best we can hope for now is for Root to become a kind of neo-Atherton, grimly carving out the odd defiant innings while his team crumbles around him.”
As for Philip Malcolm, he believes that Root has problems in the field as well. “His inability to enact the most basic duty of the midweek captain and tell his bowlers to pitch it up last night was indicative. I don’t think he’s strong enough to go against guys who have been playing in the team for 10 years.”
TMS are reporting that the weather will remain fine all day. Good. And getting in before I’m asked, here is the youtube link to listen to their call if you’re outside of the UK (but stick with me). Michael Vaughan is on there now recommending an Alcoholics Anonymous-style solution to England’s batting woes. “They need to get in a circle and admit that they have a driving problem.”
Also looking back at Thursday, in case you missed it, here is our Vic Marks presenting Dom Bess with his England cap. I love this stuff.
Opening the batting, is Felix Wood. “England seem to have played the same test repeatedly over the last year or so despite all the ‘lessons learnt’,” he begins.
Now he really gets stuck in:“When are we just going to admit that Root is a bad choice of captain? Fundamentally lacking the discipline both of self and of his team to win test matches. When your team continually get low totals peppered with soft dismissals, when your bowlers consistently try and force it, when off field distractions regularly disrupt things, when you show yourself utterly incapable of challenging the party line....you’re not a good leader. That’s fine. Few people are. And when leadership also causes your primary strength to go from very good, often brilliant to sub-average, sometimes awful, it’s time to accept the fact that captaincy isn’t for you.”
Some pre-play listening. I popped this on when coming in this morning. An excellent chat yesterday at lunch on TMS with Aggers and Wasim Khan. Great insight on what happens next with The Hundred from an ECB perspective, how the county championship could look into the future and their new South Asian strategy. Worth it.
From my vantage point high up in the press box, Lord’s looks just as it as 24 hours ago, without the earlier rain: cloudy and muggy. Conditions that Anderson and Broad should be able to make the most of, and must if they are any chance of dragging the hosts back into this after getting seamed out for 184. Alastair Cook said last night that England were about 60-70 short in what he expects will be a low-scoring scrap. We should know by about tea time today whether that’s wishful thinking or not from the former skip.
Beneath me, the Pakistani side have started their warm-ups, the football out for some keepy-uppy in the best traditions of preparing to play cricket. England will be out for their own kickabout soon, I’m sure. On those visiting quicks, they were sumptuous yesterday. I enjoyed this analysis of their accuracy almost as much as I did Hasan Ali’s wicket celebrations. Ali Martin wrote a nice piece last night about Hasan, detailing how much this fella loves his cricket. It shows.
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