- England advanced to 302 for 7 by the close of day two, building a healthy lead over Pakistan
- Ireland to face England in 2019 four-day Test
Ali Martin on Dom Bess and Shadab Khan:
Related: All-round displays by Shadab and Bess set tone for fruitful future | Ali Martin
Here’s Vic Marks’s day two report:
Related: Dom Bess and Jos Buttler earn England 128-run lead over Pakistan
96th over: England 302-7 (Buttler 34, Curran 16) Curran, who has been hogging the strike, finally plays a really good shot, pulling Hasan for four, right off the meat. And then another, straight drive off a swinging yorker. To paraphrase Frank Keating (I think) on the young Mike Atherton, he looks like the butcher’s boy and plays like a prince. And that’s stumps, with England leading by 128.
Nobody has made 50, and for once it’s a strength: everyone has contributed. Pakistan bowled very well at times, but they are going to need a big third innings tomorrow to turn this match and win the series on a pitch that is offering the bowlers uneven bounce as well as movement. Thanks for your company and some highly entertaining emails. The last word goes to Mac Millings: “I can’t remember what happened with the bleach. Is that a bad sign?”
95th over: England 294-7 (Buttler 34, Curran 8) Curran, facing Abbas, brings out the Harrow drive again and gets four to extremely fine leg. There’s a children’s book in this: Sam and the Magic Inside Edge. Then he goes and spoils it with a firm push into the covers for his first middled run in Tests.
“My first Test ground was Lord’s,” says Mac Millings, “although my first match there wasn’t a Test – it was the 1983 World Cup final. First Test was the Saturday at Lord’s in ‘84. Saw Botham mop up the Windies (to end with 8-103), and England stride to a lead of around 150, with 6 wickets in hand and Lamb and Botham looking set for big scores. I left the ground with the series looking likely to be 1-1 after two Tests, and turn into a battle for the ages. I didn’t check back afterwards - any idea how it went?” Nice line, but what we really want to know is, did you deal with the bleach?
94th over: England 289-7 (Buttler 34, Curran 3) Another inside edge, respectably thick, off Hasan. While hitting the ball with one edge, Curran is managing to miss with the other. He has middled a few, but always straight to someone in the ring.
93rd over: England 288-7 (Buttler 34, Curran 2) Abbas continues, and this time Curran scrapes a single from a Harrow drive, so every one of his Test runs has come off the inside edge. But David Lloyd likes the look of him: “I think he could be a good batsman, this lad.”
92nd over: England 287-7 (Buttler 34, Curran 1) Hasan replaces Amir, and Curran picks up his first Test run with a thick inside edge behind square. The crowd still sound merrily bored. Maybe it’s too late in the day.
91st over: England 285-7 (Buttler 33, Curran 0) Sam Curran starts by mixing earnest defence with the odd leave, but can’t do much about a typical Abbas ball, leaving him in the corridor, or one that keeps low, so he misses both. I wonder how Curran will spend the last night of his teens. Reading The Rachel Papers, ideally.
90th over: England 285-7 (Buttler 33, Curran 0) Amir keeps Buttler quiet, and Buttler doesn’t seem to mind leaving the whole of the next over to Curran.
89th over: England 285-7 (Buttler 33, Curran 0) So it’s goodnight Chris Woakes, and hello Sam Curran, who gets to bat for England in his teens – he turns 20 tomorrow. And Jos Buttler finds himself batting with a fresh-faced debutant for the second time in a week.
“Good evening again, Tim.” Simon McMahon brings back the comma. “I would’ve been about 18 months when you first went to Lord’s. You’re not my dad, are you?”
A classic jaffa from Abbas, and Woakes does well to nick it, Nasser reckons.
88th over: England 284-6 (Buttler 32, Woakes 17) Amir finds some inswing but suffers for it as Woakes gets a thick inside edge that zips away for four. Wasim Akram, on commentary, feels it’s Amir’s own fault for not having his square leg closer to the umpire to allow for the inswing.
Owen Dakin has spotted the possibility Tom Bowtell mentioned earlier, that England will beat their own record for the highest total with no individual fifty – 315 at Port of Spain in 1986.
87th over: England 279-6 (Buttler 31, Woakes 13) A maiden from Abbas to Woakes, culminating in an lbw appeal which is on the half-hearted side. The Mexican stag party are seen piling into a minibus. Watch out, Leeds city centre.
86th over: England 279-6 (Buttler 31, Woakes 13) Here is Amir, varying his length. Woakes is suitably watchful.
“Good evening Tim.” Good evening Simon McMahon. Have we all silently agreed not to bother with the comma after “evening”? It seems we have. Anyway. “The sound of the well oiled late evening Saturday crowd at Headingley brings back fond memories for me, as it was the first Test ground I ever visited. What was yours? Or our other esteemed OBOers?” Can’t speak for the rabble, but mine was Lord’s. England v New Zealand: a big hundred from Bev Congdon, not exciting in itself, but just being there was a thrill. This was 1973, so you probably weren’t even born.
85th over: England 278-6 (Buttler 31, Woakes 12) A high-class maiden from Abbas, who beats both of Buttler’s edges with his ability to jag the ball both ways off the seam. The crowd are now singing something to the tune of Seven Nation Army, but it doesn’t seem to be Oh, Jeremy Corbyn.
Fawad Alam against Colne in his latest match for Clitheroe in the Lancashire League:
Runs 0
Smashed windows 1 (after being given out by the umpires as timed-out)#Cricketpic.twitter.com/pbeZY4jB6e
84th over: England 278-6 (Buttler 31, Woakes 12) Amir has been loosening up, but Sarfraz would rather stick with Faheem. After being clipped for three by Buttler, he almost bowls Woakes with some extravagant inswing, then beats him, twice.
83rd over: England 274-6 (Buttler 28, Woakes 11) Abbas returns, only to see his first ball clubbed through midwicket by Woakes, who is standing outside his crease like several of his team-mates today. He gets another one that keeps low, outside off this time, and pokes it to the vacant third-man boundary. Third slip goes out there, and Woakes edges short of second slip. The crowd don’t let any of this interfere with their noise levels – a contented rumble of chanting and chat.
82nd over: England 265-6 (Buttler 28, Woakes 2) Faheem is bowling at the stumps, trying to exploit the untrue bounce. Woakes is equal to it, stabbing a low one to long leg, whereupon Sarfraz takes the new ball, with one delivery left in the over. The lead is 91.
Seeing lots of comment about how much more casually “the c-word” is used in UK v US. Well, any commentator using the phrase “Mexican wave” in the US would be unemployed before the wavers stopped waving. Culture’s a funny thing. @TimdeLisle
I think he's just a Babylon 5 fan. pic.twitter.com/r6SBkqsiBg
81st over: England 263-6 (Buttler 27, Woakes 1) Shadab continues, and here comes Chris Woakes, who always looks so comfortable at the crease, he could be Dom Bess.
80th over: England 260-6 (Buttler 25) Bairstow cashes in on the old ball while he can, steering Faheem for four to third man, then thumping him through the covers for four more – only to perish next ball. Are all England’s batsmen now hell-bent on batting like Cook’s partners?
And that’s drinks, as if an OBOer didn’t have enough to do. Pakistan have taken three wickets in the hour, but also leaked 60-odd runs.
Just when he’s looking serene, Bairstow nicks the last delivery with the old ball.
79th over: England 251-5 (Bairstow 13, Buttler 24) Shadab, bowling his 13th over on the trot, dishes up a half-volley which Bairstow gratefully leathers to the boundary at wide long-off. And that’s probably that from Shadab, as the new ball is imminent.
Finally, an answer to Mac Millings’ pain (71st over). “Pease advise Mac Millings,” says Geoff, “that soap and water are all that’s required. The bleach might have stung a bit but will have done no real harm - possibly analagous to Buttler getting skulled by Hasan. The stinging would have signified the oxidation of skin cells, which in turn will have turned the bleach into non-bleach. This is more reassuring than humorous.” Nothing wrong with a bit of reassurance.
78th over: England 247-5 (Bairstow 9, Buttler 24) Before the review, the crowd were getting restless, doing the Mexican wave led by a band of cod-Mexicans in sombreros who are thought to be a stag party. If so, they’re a big one: there are about 25 of them.
Charlie Jeffery is back for more too. This is like a class in which the bright kids keep on putting their hands up. “So Czech beer,” he says. “ I reckon Bess and Malan are both good beer sounding names. And a pint of Butlers & Bairstow please. And a nice Woakes and Stokes pie.”
Yes, going over leg stump. A good review by England.
Bairstow given lbw playing no shot to Faheem. He reviews. It may be high.
77th over: England 245-5 (Bairstow 8, Buttler 23) A couple more singles off Shadab.
And Mac Millings is back for more. “Thanks to your readers for their lengthy consideration before replying to my 70th-over request for advice. Please let them know that I should still be able to read any helpful emails through my one remaining good eye for at least five or six more minutes.”
76th over: England 242-5 (Bairstow 7, Buttler 21) It’s all happening. Buttler is hit on the helmet by Hasan, seems fine, gets a new helmet, hits a straight golf-swing of a drive for four, and then plays a controlled hook for three.
An email from Adrian Armstrong. “Yup, England are reading the OBO (Tom Bowtell, tea interval). Wonder what side-effects that will have?” Ha. It means Rob Smyth should be the next national selector.
75th over: England 235-5 (Bairstow 7, Buttler 14) A couple of drives off Shadab, who now has the field set back.
“Afternoon Tim.” Afternoon Phil Sawyer. “Keiron Shaw (62nd over) may wish to note that the Michael Vaughan situation only came about because, due to an administrative mix-up, the legend that is Glen Chapple was accidentally born in Yorkshire. We had to make a cold war style border exchange to get him back, and so us Lankies sent the Yorkists the most annoying person we could find.
74th over: England 233-5 (Bairstow 6, Buttler 13) Hasan follows his maiden to Bairstow with one to Buttler, which is an even greater feat.
Anna Beer (66th over) responds to Rob Wilson (69th over). “Just to keep us totally off topic (cricket? yes? Is there some going on?),” she says, “my mum was not Gillian – but the wonderful Margaret, who introduced me to cricket. She loved Denis Compton, David Gower and Graham Thorpe. I had to rebel so I’m an Atherton woman myself. (And I’m also a Czech Beer....seriously).” This is becoming mildly surreal, which is just as it should be.
73rd over: England 233-5 (Bairstow 6, Buttler 13) Shadab, uncharacteristically, bowls a full toss and Bairstow, more characteristically, straight-drives it for four.
This is nice.
Hi @TimdeLisle are Ed Smith & Mick McCarthy related? pic.twitter.com/N9lFN1rHGX
71st over: England 228-5 (Bairstow 2, Buttler 12) Back comes Hasan, to save Amir for the new ball. He restores order with a maiden and beats Bairstow outside off to boot. It would be good to know what the Pakistanis had for tea.
“Excellent idea from the management,” says Chris Drew, “to get Dom Bess to play as a specialist batsman, thereby allowing Jos to revert to his luxury 7 role.”
71st over: England 228-5 (Bairstow 2, Buttler 12) Buttler opens his account with a shot that is far too good for a banking metaphor – a dreamy cover drive off Shadab, threaded between three fielders. Then Buttler is dropped, a tough chance to Hasan Ali at midwicket off a full-blooded clip. He celebrates with a late cut for four more. He should be picked every time just because he’s so much fun to watch.
“Quick question for you and your readership.” says Mac Millings. “I just got a fair bit of bleach on my face – is that bad?” Ouch.
69th over: England 216-5 (Bairstow 2, Buttler 0) Amir keeps Bairstow quiet, and the four runs are byes. This is what happens when two keepers come together.
A question from Robert Wilson. “Is Anna Beer’s mum called Gillian? Relax, this is more an academic question than a pervy one.” Phew. “I had to avoid Gillian Beer for a year, having written an essay taking one of her books out the back with a baseball bat before realising that she was teaching the course I was about to take. I had, naturally, neglected to read the book (weren’t we all schmucks when we were 20?).” We certainly were. Though Dom Bess, as far as I can tell, is not.
69th over: England 212-5 (Bairstow 2, Buttler 0) So Bess departs, to warm and well-earned applause: he may be the best Test nightwatchman since Jason Gillespie. With Ben Stokes injured, England are down to their two wicketkeepers – both of whom can hit the ball beautifully.
Tim Sanders, in Leeds, has spotted something. “We’ve passed an important moment in the day’s play, the point where Yorkshire don’t have to refund any ticket money. The Chief Exec would’ve taken that at 11am.”
Bess’s fine innings ends in bathos as Shadab finds some extra bounce and an attempted back-foot force turns into a soft edge to slip.
68th over: England 207-4 (Bess 45, Bairstow 1) Bess plays a cracker of a drive for four off Amir, and Bairstow gets off the mark with a tuck round the corner before that botched review.
Peter Hillmore is bothered by something I said (64th over). “ ‘A hundred for Bess would be a fairytale, but a hundred for Malan might be more use to England.’ – why is one person’s hundred worth less than another’s?” Because England badly need a settled batting order. Bess’s batting is terrific, but he’s here as a spinner first and foremost, and he hasn’t taken a wicket yet.
Pitched outside leg, so a poor review by Pakistan.
For lbw, Amir to Bess, given not out. Looks highish...
67th over: England 201-4 (Bess 40, Bairstow 0) Shadab whistles through a maiden to Bairstow.
Ooh, this is tasty: England will play Ireland in a four-day Test next year, at Lord’s.
66th over: England 201-4 (Bess 40, Bairstow 0) Well bowled Amir, who has 2-52 but seems to be feeling his shoulder. He’s not the man Jonny Bairstow wanted to see as he walked out, after that jaffa at Lord’s.
An email from Anna Beer. “Having written a book called Bess, I think I have found a worthy successor to my Bess – whose motto was ‘laisse tomber le monde’ (loose but polite translation ‘Frankly I don’t give a damn’). Being married to Sir Walter Ralegh teaches you a few things. Not me. Her. I’m getting confused. Never email from a makeshift bar on a small Greek island...” Classy.
First ball back, Amir does the trick, finding extra bounce from nowhere and persuading Malan to give a simple catch to first slip, perhaps off the shoulder. Malan’s scores are beginning to resemble those of Cook’s partners.
65th over: England 200-3 (Bess 40, Malan 28) Malan brings up the 200 with a languid clip off Shadab. The atmosphere is more like a county game, albeit an unusually drunken one. Time for Mo Amir.
A plea from Ed Smyth, who may or may not be related to Our Rob. “Not to continue the sober message of Kim’s email [64th over], but please could I ask you to mention the hockey for heroes ladies squad who play their final game of #Opendure at 17:30 today. They’ve been traveling across the UK taking part in 8 military challenges and playing 28 hockey games over the course of 8 days, and have raised a lot of money for a very worthwhile cause - Help for Heroes. I’m proud to say I know some of the ladies and cannot imagine how hard this must have been for them.”
The Pakistanis go into a post-tea huddle, in search of inspiration.
“Tim, I’m torn.” says the trusty Tom Bowtell, who may be the sharpest cricket statistician currently working in the theatre. “On the one hand, I’d love for one of Bess and Malan to push on to a century. But on the other, England are brilliantly set to beat their own record for highest team score without a 50. My worry is that thy aren’t aware of how close to making history they are, so let’s just hope they’re reading the OBO.” We can count on that, can’t we?
64th over: England 199-3 (Bess 40, Malan 27) Malan, trying to hook Faheem, is hit on the temple, but he shrugs off the blow with a smile. And that’s tea. So England win the session, again: they’ve added 93-1, with Bess, the nightwatchman, making it through to tea, and eyeing another night. A hundred for Bess would be a fairytale, but a hundred for Malan might be more use to England.
“Dipping in and out of the cricket here in Oundle.” says Kim Thonger. “Just visited the Oundle school cloisters. They have portraits of 265 boys and masters who lost their lives in the Great War 1914-18.
Wondering how many might have been cricketers, and how much potential sporting talent we must have lost in the 20th Century to conflicts. Puts the odd England batting collapse into perspective, doesn’t it?” It sure does. See you shortly.
63rd over: England 198-3 (Bess 40, Malan 26) Bess gets away from Shadab with a gentle cut for a single, before Malan gets so far across to off that he risks being bowled round his legs.
“Anyone piped up with a nickname for England’s Ashton Agar™ yet?” Adam Reid inquires. “How about Dom Bradman? Simply the Bess? I’ll get me coat.”
62nd over: England 196-3 (Bess 39, Malan 25) Malan keeps on taking that big stride against Faheem, who nonetheless manages a maiden. Nasser Hussain reckons England are taking their cue from Jos Buttler, who did well standing outside his crease in the second innings at Lord’s.
Meanwhile, Kieron Shaw has a beef. “Can people stop referring (47th over) to Michael Vaughan as a Yorkshireman? He’s not. He is from Eccles. In Lancashire. He does sometimes refer to himself as being “from Yorkshire”, true, but then any Lancastrian with the slimmest justification for escaping the ignominy of his birth would do the same.”
61st over: England 196-3 (Bess 39, Malan 25) Facing Shadab’s leg spin – off spin to the left-hander – Malan camps on off stump and works him to leg, which brings him a single. After making a drab seven off his first 26 balls, Malan has a busy 18 off his last 26.
“Good afternoon Tim.” Good afternoon Dave Brown. “I’m torn on Graeme Swann. He offers some really good insights into playing at the highest level but his impressions aren’t as funny as he thinks, and sometimes they’re cringe-making.”
60th over: England 194-3 (Bess 38, Malan 24) Abbas had to go after that bad over, so Faheem returns. Malan, warming to the task, takes a big stride and cover-drives him for four.
“Great commentary, Tim,” says William Hargreaves. “I loved that comparison, yesterday, of a shot being like trying to unlock a lavatory door with a stick.” Me too – if only I had written it.
59th over: England 190-3 (Bess 38, Malan 20) A good contest between Shadab and Bess, who spots the googly. To that list of England batsmen with averages of 50, we can now add Bess, who has made his first hundred Test runs for twice out. If the first hundred is the hardest, nobody has told Bess.
“Afternoon from a roasting Derby.” Afternoon from a temperate Guardian office, Guy Hornsby. “Following the OBO with one wonky eye from Epsom, trying to pretend I know something about horses and hope England quietly bat the game away from Pakistan before I lose the ability to see/type. I know which is more likely.”
58th over: England 189-3 (Bess 38, Malan 19) Bess is so comfortable against the seamers, he follows a glide for two off Abbas with a push for two more through midwicket, played from a yard down the pitch. Malan follows suit and pushes back past the bowler for four more, which brings up the 50 partnership. It’s the third of this innings, a sharp contrast with Lord’s.
57th over: England 179-3 (Bess 33, Malan 15) Bess takes England into the lead with a sweep for a single off Shadab. Malan plays the same shot with more conviction and gets four. He needs to take charge now.
“Is young Bess auditioning for the role of an upper order batsman who is a potentially useful spinner on the side?” wonders Brian Withington. “With a bit of work on his mentoring skills, perhaps he could even replace Cook as opening bat?” Ha.
56th over: England 174-3 (Bess 32, Malan 11) Abbas, who knows fourth stump when he doesn’t see it, almost persuades Malan to play on. Another maiden.
“Ah,” says Andrew Benton, picking up on my line about births, marriages and birthdays, “but will you be covering an England victory?” You’d think so at the moment, but Pakistan could yet run up the big third-innings score that was beckoning to England at Lord’s. “Here’s a question - does cricket have inflation? Have average Test scores increased over the years?” We’d better crowd-source that one.
55th over: England 174-3 (Bess 32, Malan 11) Sarfraz turns to Shadab Khan, so this is the first over of spin in the match. He immediately produces a beauty to beat Bess, who averages only 13 against spin, despite being a purveyor of it himself.
Charlie Jeffery is joining the fray about the commentators. “I prefer the spinners to the bats: love Vic Marks, enjoy the insights of Tuffnell, what I hate is the way he is pushed into be the silly bloke by all the others, and they aways act surprised when he says something of real interest. Bloody annoying, it’s class war.” Hmmm. “Swann is quite entertaining, if also rather up himself. I say replace him with Monty.”
54th over: England 174-3 (Bess 32, Malan 11) Malan gets into double figures at last with a square drive for four, nice and decisive. He takes a single and so does Bess, which means the scores are level.
“I’d very much appreciate it,” says Andy Gillin, “if the Guardian OBO could pay tribute to my dear friend and colleague Oliver Skett as he completes a majestic half-century today. 50 years young and still going strong.
53rd over: England 168-3 (Bess 31, Malan 6) Bess gets an inside edge to Faheem and is saved by the pad. He celebrates with a lovely push through the covers for four. He’s got the nerve for Test cricket, the nous, the eye – all he needs to add is the odd wicket.
52nd over: England 164-3 (Bess 27, Malan 6) The game is just nodding off when Bess plays a handsome straight drive for four. “Super shot,” says David Gower, who dealt in little else himself.
And Brian Withington is back. “Please convey my eternal gratitude to John Starbuck for shining a light down into the murky hole for me. Now if he could just give me a hand to pull me up out of it, I will try to find something positive to say about someone else. Speaking of which, love your work Tim, (even if I did query your statistical appreciation of correlation vs causation in the recent piece on Alistair Cook and his succession of opening partners).” Thanks, but that piece wasn’t intended to be about correlation, or even stats – it was about whether Cook, for all his strengths, is missing a trick as a mentor.
51st over: England 159-3 (Bess 22, Malan 6) Faheem keeps Malan tied down.
A tweet from Jamie M. “Your guardian email apparently doesn’t exist.” Ah, sorry – it’s tim.delisle.casual@guardian.co.uk, not tim.de.lisle – good old Grauniad. “Anyway: Obviously lots of players make a good start and average over 50 for a while (like Cook and Bell), but: KP averaged over 50 several times in his career. Trott averaged over 50 for the majority of his career.”
50th over: England 159-3 (Bess 22, Malan 6) A strangled appeal as Malan plays round his pad at Abbas, but it was going down. And that’s drinks, with England getting the better of the first hour, but losing Root. They’ve added 53-1, and although Root was deliciously fluent for a while, the man of the hour is Dom Bess.
49th over: England 157-3 (Bess 21, Malan 6) A double change as Faheem replaces Hasan. Double changes are a bit obvious, aren’t they? Bess picks up another canny single on the leg side. He’s a wily old 20-year-old – and no longer the baby of the team, a role now filled superbly by Sam Curran, 19 going on 12.
48th over: England 156-3 (Bess 20, Malan 6) Sarfraz gives Amir a rest and sends for Mohammad Abbas, who rushes Bess into an inside edge that brings a single via the forearm.
Michael Holding, in the Third Man slot, has worked out why Root was out: after playing several deliveries under his eyes, in the approved Headingley manner, he reached out and paid the price.
47th over: England 151-3 (Bess 19, Malan 6) Hasan, forgetting that he has a trap set on the leg side, bowls short and wide of off, so Bess biffs him for four off the back foot. Shot of the day so far. And Malan gets in on the act too with a square drive for four.
John Starbuck picks up on Brian Withington’s withering line on Bumble (47th over). “What Vaughan, Boycott and Bumble all have,” he says, “is a tin ear for social nuance and a love of their own voices. In the first two cases there’s also the Yorkshire effect, whereby you can be as rude as you like by pleading ‘plain speaking’. However, there are plenty of others who are fine at the job, so perhaps we need to shake it up a bit by dropping some of the veterans?” The mere suggestion means that Vaughan will now have to give an interview, saying he believes in viewers’ opinions, but this one isn’t particularly logical, while stressing that he will still enjoy a glass of wine with Brian.
46th over: England 142-3 (Bess 14, Malan 2) Bess edges Amir, just like Root, except that this one doesn’t carry to Sarfraz. Bess then gets out of jail, and shows his nous, by pushing into the gap at midwicket for a single. He is shaping up as the English Ashton Agar.
45th over: England 141-3 (Bess 13, Malan 2) Bess plays and misses at the bustling Hasan, then picks up a single off his pads. On the Pakistan balcony, Mickey Arthur thoughtfully picks his nose.
My call for someone with something to say is answered by Brian Withington. “Having stirred the pot by taking a pop at the blessed Michael Vaughan, am I also alone in finding David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd’s one sided ‘humorous’ conversations with ear-piece wearing members of the audience scream-inducingly tedious?! Our retired Labrador guide dog has just vacated its favoured sofa siesta spot due to my barrage of abuse hurled at the TV. In the interests of full disclosure, I reserve similar bile for any inadvertently witnessed snippet of Question Time audience participation. I clearly need to get a life (or stronger medication).” Bumble’s a funny man and a national treasure, but yes, those non-conversations do go on a bit.
44th over: England 140-3 (Bess 12, Malan 2) Amir has his tail up after taking out Root and instantly beats the left-handed Malan with an outswinger. Malan, whose record in England is ropey, stabs past gully to get off the mark.
That’s the big one. Amir pushes it across Root and lures him into a regulation tickle. What a waste: it’ll have to go down as an unconverted forty.
43rd over: England 138-2 (Root 45, Bess 12) Root on-drives Hasan Ali for three, Bess pushes into the covers for a single, and the words “plain” and “sailing” come to mind, which is always dangerous with England. Sure enough, Root then calls for a tight single, leaving Bess diving to make his ground. The partnership is already 34, the deficit only 36. Anyone got anything to say?
42nd over: England 133-2 (Root 41, Bess 11) Thanks Rob, singing in the rain as ever, and afternoon everyone. Sarfraz and Amir set a hook trap for Root, rather unexpectedly. Root responds by deflecting the first ball into the large gap this leaves at short midwicket and takes a single. The short stuff is visited on Bess instead, with a short leg in. He takes one on the back, cheerfully enough. Just the single off the over, but still England are going at a run a minute this afternoon. The cameras find a spectator knitting a jumper, grey as a Headingley sky.
41st over: England 132-2 (Root 40, Bess 11)“I agree that Root is much maligned (averaging over 50 when he never scores hundreds is pretty remarkable) but isn’t it a bit misleading to claim he’s the only Englishman in the last 50 years to average over 50,” says David Murray. “I would guess that plenty of batsmen in that period averaged over 50 for a spell but failed to retire with that average - Gooch, Gower, R. Smith, Trescothick, Strauss, Cook. Or am I wrong.”
I don’t think many of them did. Robin Smith certainly did and maybe Strauss for a while. Not sure about the rest. It’s a fair point though. That said, I don’t think any of them were averaging 50 at such an advanced stage of their career.
40th over: England 127-2 (Root 39, Bess 7) Amir slips another good delivery past Root’s outside edge. The sloppy start continues with a couple of overthrows, and then Bess nails a glorious extra cover drive for four. This morning, Sam Curran said that Bess (0 not out overnight) fancied a first Test hundred. It’s been a fine start for England, with 21 from the first three overs.
39th over: England 120-2 (Root 36, Bess 3) Hasan Ali, not Mohammad Abbas, starts from the other end. Bess gets off the mark with a controlled thick edge to third man for three. It’s been a slightly scruffy start from Pakistan, and the next ball from Hasan slips down the leg side for four byes. A forceful cover drive from Root makes it 10 from the over and then Bess is beaten by the last delivery. I thought I heard an edge but nobody appealed. As you were.
38th over: England 110-2 (Root 33, Bess 0) A stiff Mohammad Amir creaks his way through the first over of the day. Root is beaten by a good delivery angled across him, and then steers a boundary between slip and gully.
In other news, here’s some more detail about the ECB’s South Asian Action Plan. It’s well worth a read.
Ali Martin has the revised hours of play
“I’m forever grateful to Vaughan for 2005 and we have to look after the few celebrity Wednesday fans we have (next up would be either Roy Hattersley or...thingy from Reverend And The Makers?),” says Sean Clayton. “That said, it’s difficult to overlook how much of an arse Vaughan made of himself over Jonathan Trott’s illness in 2013.”
I’d forgotten about that. I thought it was just a bit clumsy and ignorant rather than callous. I can see both sides, mind.
Has anyone seen much of Richard Gleeson? He has just bowled two sizzling jaffas (Sky are showing highlights of the North v South games in the winter).
“Michael Vaughan was neither a talentless no-hoper nor God’s gift to cricket,” says Giles Leigh. “He epitomised the England team of the early to mid 2000s: decent but nothing amazing.”
Genuine question: were you in a coma throughout the summer of 2005? And the winter of 2002-03?
Are you troubled by mediocrity?
“Untroubled by mediocrity: the Dude abides,” says Bill Hargreaves.
“Good morning from the US of A,” says Matt McGillen. “While waiting for the rain to clear, I’ve been looking at the Old Firm’s performances as of late - given the talk of Broad’s ‘decline’. Here’s some analysis of recent returns:
2016 - 2018:
“Have you seen the Channel Five highlights show?” says John Starbuck. “The sponsors - Hardys - are running supposedly humorous adverts featuring cricket on the beach or back garden, which they identify as The Rules. Hasn’t anyone been made aware that cricket has Laws?”
Nobody cares about language no mo’.
Well isn’t that just dandy.
“Vaughan isn’t arrogant,” says Alistair Maiden. “He is a natural leader who is intolerant of weakness or laziness which is why he moulded the greatest England Test team of modern times and why he will be a great coach/ director of cricket when the present regime has failed. I can understand why he troubles those who enjoy mediocrity.”
As somebody who enjoys – survives on – mediocrity but is untroubled by Michael Vaughan, I’m pretty confused now.
Musical interlude
Thanks to all at Netflix for reminding me of the existence of this masterpiece of whatever genre it is.
“The irresponsibly posted OBO cricketing YouTube link is always a danger,” says Robert Wilson. “I have all the work in the world to do yet here I am, well down the dreaded rabbit hole, gleefully watching some kind of 18 hour long interview with Wasim Akram. There can’t really be any such thing as the Annual LBW Trust Dinner, can there?”
I’m sure there is. The president of the Trust is Terry Alderman.
Unconfirmed chatter about a 2.45pm start if we don’t get any more wet stuff. I’m not saying England aren’t optimistic about their prospects with the bat today ... but Jimmy Anderson is below us on the outfield receiving some throwdowns...
“How can Broad feel so immune to criticism,” says Richard Holmes, “when he is a key cog in a bowling attack that has consistently failed to take 20 wickets in a Test.”
I thought his response was fair enough – he said he accepted and understood criticism but thought the timing was odd as he’s been bowling very well lately.
“Perhaps Vaughan purposely lit a fire under Broad to provoke a performance?” says Alistair.
Goodish news The covers are coming off and there will be another inspection at 2.20pm.
“Best receding hairline EVER!” says Robert Wilson, who I think is talking about IVA Richards rather than RA Smyth.
“I really didn’t think Michael Vaughan could sink any lower in my estimation until I read his latest BBC interview about Stuart Broad,” says Brian Withington. “For a formerly fine batsman and decent captain he makes a woefully poor pundit - conceited and tediously predictable. (Or should that be unpredictable given my opening sentiment?)”
A lot of people feel that way about Vaughan. I can understand that, as he can be arrogant and deliberately provocative, but there are few people I’d rather listen to when it comes to the England Test team. I thought his original comments about Broad, when taken in context, were fair enough. I’d also argue he was a bit more than a decent captain – he was close to genius, and there is no way in the world we’d have won the 2005 Ashes without him.
Je suis Viv “I was causing irritation and salty defiance all day yesterday by listening to the cricket without earphones (it’s true that it tortures the French),” says Robert Wilson. “I would occasionally lighten the load by showing my froggy confrères particularly exemplary YouTube clips. They were aggresively unimpressed. Steve Waugh left them cold, they couldn’t care less about Flintoff and even Robin Smith and found Warne merely comic. But right at the end, I nabbed them with a bit of Viv. ‘Ouais d’accord, ça, c’est cool.’ they said. It was only a 20 second clip of Sir IVA walking out to bat. Now, that is charisma.”
No - this is charisma.
Woot woot department The umpires will inspect at 1.50pm
Thanks to Ali for pointing out this interesting story about a possible four-day Test between England and Ireland. A four-day match would give the underdogs a greater chance of a draw, and you can probably finish this joke yourself.
I can confirm that the rain has all but stopped here. Am on Kirkstall Lane and there is just the lightest whisper of moisture in the air. Fingers crossed...
Rain update “The MO’s Rain Radar shows that the rain is moving NW and will clear from the SE quite soon,” says Christopher Squire. “The main area of rain is to the east and heading for North Yorkshire, not Headingley. There is small but heavy area of rain of over Doncaster which will pass close by.”
Lunch There’s no official word that the umpires have called an early lunch, but my stomach has just groaned a five-letter word. See you in 30 minutes or so for more synonyms of rain.
“You poor love,” says Robert Wilson.”It’s a hard ask, OBOing a rain day. The desperate gesture of dangling a Viv Richards reference was particularly heartbreaking (you know it’s gonne bring all us old ****s out of the woodwork). I was tempted to tell you the story of how Viv actually came up in the Charlie Hebdo newsroom yesterday, but I’m just not that cheap a date.”
I, however, am that desperate a date. Let’s hear it.
“Afternoon Rob,” says Philip Tsirtsonis. “Doing my shopping in Headingley this morning. It’s rammed with rather damp and depressed looking cricket fans. I really, really do feel sorry for them. Then again, this weekend’s weather means there should be plenty of cricket left to play on Monday and Tuesday when, including my student discount, I get to attend for £5. Feeling very ambivalent!”
“That was quite the acceptance speech,” says Mac Millings. “I wrote a screenplay many years ago (never submitted), but I didn’t start it until I had finished my Academy Award acceptance speech. It was a lot better than the screenplay.”
You can’t know what direction you want to take your story until you know how you’d make a fool of yourself at the Oscars.
This match is officially called the Participation Test, part of a worthy initiative from Sky and the ECB to increase diversity in grassroots participation. At the moment, alas, it’s the Precipitation Test: it’s still raining at Headingley, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if there is no play today.
“Good afternoon Rob,” says Matt Turland. “Still raining in Horsforth (couple of miles west of Headingley) but there is some good news. If it keeps up like this, as I’ve got tickets for tomorrow, I’m very confident that I’ll be able to watch Mo Amir bowl! So that should put a smile on everyone’s face.”
“I see Mr. Busfield has adopted the narrative of blaming the building work and drainage for the abandonment of the Essex game in April,” says Tim Sanders. “I think it’s more to do with the amount of snow and rain in the spring, and the almost total absence of sunny, breezy days to dry the pitch out before the game. We’ll see who’s right just as soon as this drizzle stops...”
I’ll plead ignorance on this one. I’ll also plead excessive grumpiness over widespread use of ‘narrative’.
While the heavens gently weep, may I encourage you to read this lovely tribute to AB de Villiers by the wonderful Dale Steyn.
Those hoping for a quick resumption after the rain stops at Headingley could be in for disappointment: drainage since they started building new rugby stand has been poor. First #YCCC game of season abandoned without a ball #ENGvPAK@guerillacricket@alanroderick@norcrosscricket
“Hi Rob,” says James Calder. “If it’s effortless West Indian shot-making porn you’re after, how about this most dismissive of dismissive square cuts from King Viv? Some top-notch knitting in there too!”
Hahaha, that shot is ridiculous. Get that filth out of my sight.
“Morning Rob,” says Chris Drew. “Is this a good time to point out that you’re currently second in the County Cricket fantasy league?”
Thank you! I am not able to express all my gratitude, because now, my body is in tumult because it is a colossal moment of joy so everything is really in a way that I cannot express. I would like to be Jupiter! And kidnap everybody and lie down in the firmament making love to everybody, because I don’t know how to express. It’s a question of love. You are really - this is a mountain of snow, so delicate, the suavity and the kindness, it is something I cannot forget, from the bottom of my heart. And thank you for the Fantasy League, for fhose who really loved the selection of Darren Stevens. Thank you very much. And I hope, really I don’t deserve this, but I hope to come second in some other Fantasy League! Thank you! Thank you very much! Thank you!
“On the subject of amazing pieces of timing, this is my favourite,” says Phil Harrison. “I love everything about this clip; from the sound of the ball off the bat to the rumble of astonishment in the crowd to the note of awe in Michael Atherton’s voice.”
Punter is also responsible for my favourite bat-on-ball sound.
Rain update It’s still raining.
“I don’t speak Weather very well, but I can say that a few miles away in West Yorkshire the rain has stopped,” says John Starbuck. “It’s still very overcast with slightly lower cloud than usual, therefore not exactly a fog, but trying. The main thing is there’s not much wind, so little prospect of it blowing over for a while.”
Mark Wood and his imaginary wickets
“Ol’ Woody is a decent bloke and all that but how long is it since he climbed on to his imaginary horse and delivered a spell at 90mph+?” says Gary Naylor. “And if he isn’t at that speed, is he taking the place of one who is - Warwickshire’s Olly Stone? If Mark Wood blasts out a county side or two like a Mini-Mikey Oval 1976, then he’s proved himself worth a recall, but I feel he’s getting picked on reputation at the moment.”
It’s still raining I’m off to procure a hit of caffeine. See you in a few minutes.
Another email! “It’s become a bit of a thing lately for England supporters to have a dig at Joe Root for various reasons,” says Phil Harrison. “But I’ve just noticed he’s 56 short of reaching 6000 Test runs - and if he gets there in this match, he’ll have got their quicker (in terms of games at least), than, among others, Tendulkar, Richards, Hammond, Sangakkara, Dravid and Ponting. Even given the generally poisonous atmosphere surrounding English cricket at the moment, we should enjoy him while we have him. PS, if you’re still in the mood for melancholy, moving techno...”
His level of consistency is pretty staggering, isn’t it? I do think concerns about his captaincy are fair enough, but I agree that we expect too much of him as a batsman. He’s the only Englishman in the last 50 years to average over 50 in Test cricket. What did you do with your life?
Apropos very little, I wrote something about Carl Hooper for the Nightwatchman recently and came across this clip. If there has been a better piece of timing in the history of sport, never mind cricket, I haven’t seen it.
Thanks to Payter Aitch for today’s TMS YouTube link.
“Morning Rob,” says Adrian. “Your advice for Ed Smith to speak to Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola got me wondering what a Guardiola coached cricket team might look like. I imagine the running between the wickets would improve, although a few slip fielders might get moved out of the cordon because they aren’t good enough with their feet.”
The strange thing is that I had no idea Fabian Delph could play as a wicketkeeper-batsman.
Ali Martin’s weather report
“I’m not sure when play will start - my guess is some time in the afternoon. But then the radar shows a big blob of rain that is twisting round rather than moving in a set direction, so it could scupper the whole day. Stare into this for a sustained spell and you can easily convince yourself either way.”
Favour
Can anyone lend me a fiver? Does anyone have the YouTube TMS link? Thanks!
An email! “Had a sleepless night wondering about Keaton Jennings’ innings,” writes Pete Salmon (and nones of others). “Obviously compared to recent opening bats it’s Dylan goes electric, but it’s still only 29 runs, and a stand of 53. Has the problem been solved? I need a yes/no in order to get some sleep.”
Yes. You have my word.
It’s still raining, so play will not begin at 11am. What ya gonna do?
“A bit miserable here in Leeds,” writes our own Ali Martin. “ Not heavy rain but not shifting either. Gah. Anyway, just thought I’d pen a few words on Chris Woakes, who quietly slipped back into the team off the back of minimal first-class cricket and picked up three wickets (which could/should have been four with a more convincing appeal when Usman Salahuddin gloved behind). He was clearly a bit rusty at first - and didn’t bowl as well when switched downhill from the Kirkstall Lane End in the afternoon - but he supported Broad excellently in the morning and removed the two Pakistan batsmen, Haris Sohail and Asad Shafiq, who looked most comfortable out there.
“As much as I retain a faith in Mark Wood transferring his talents into Test wickets, I still found it odd Woakes missed out at Lord’s (the ground where he took 11 against a stronger Pakistan line up two years ago). It almost felt that, for all the talk from Ed Smith about picking a squad for the here and now, Wood got the nod for the final XI in response to the winter. Granted the wickets didn’t come for Woakes during the Ashes, but he was also asked to perform a holding role to defensive fields using the old Kookaburra. To my mind he is the third best seamer in the country with a Duke ball in hand and as Nasser Hussain has said, this England team aren’t good enough to be omitting their best at home right now.”
Mickey Arthur is talking to Isa Guha
“It was a disappointing day. We didn’t show the same discipline as at Lord’s. I thought it was a good toss to win but we were too loose in the first session and a half. To be fair I thought England were outstanding. Their plans were good and they bowled exceptionally well.
“There’s a bit in Fever Pitch where Nick Hornby talks about the first time he watches a match where all the players are younger than him,” says Ian Forth. “What about the first time you watch a Test match and one of the English team is younger than one of your sons? What then?”
Then, Ian, you are eligible for our modern midlife crisis offer! You can get a a year’s supply of moisturiser, a new appreciation of mindfulness and a feminist tattoo for just £500!
Read all about yesterday’s play
Related: Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson put England on top against Pakistan
Related: Stuart Broad sets a bowling standard that was missing at Lord’s | Ali Martin
There’s no official word about a delayed start, but I’d be surprised if play begins at 11am.
Sam Curran is chatting to Sky’s Ian Ward.
And what a likeable kid he is.
The covers are on at Headingley, with a bit of mizzle in the air. The weatherman never lies, unless he wants a quiet game of golf.
Morning. This England side haven’t been great at coming from behind, whether in a match or a series, so we shouldn’t underestimate what they achieved yesterday. After one day they are in control of this match, and all things being equal they’ll draw the series at some stage on Monday.
It was a smart, determined and often skilful performance, led by the rejuvenated Stuart Broad. England will resume this morning on 106 for two, a deficit of 68, with Joe Root looking very good on 29 and Dom Bess on 0. The forecast is mixed today but England literally have all the time in the world to cement their winning position.
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