Key events
50th over: India 134-8 (Jadeja 35, Bumrah 4) Target 193 I expected Stokes to take over at the Nursery End, but Woakes continues and there’s a bit more intention about Jadeja now. He doesn’t, though, get the delivery he’s earmarked to whack, so takes his regular fourth-ball single, this time to mid-off, and given a batter wandering across his stumps, the bowler goes straight; Bumrah does just enough to jam away, then defends the final delivery of the over well enough.
“If you need something a little coarser to describe the England captain’s ability to turn the tide,” offers Rick Harris, “then I would suggest ‘Stokarse’ as in ‘The match was drifting away from England until the skipper stokarsed them to victory’. Or, in the case of someone not straining every sinew to beat the opponent: ‘The view in the members pavilion was that Nugent couldn’t be stokarsed and had let the country down.’”
49th over: India 133-8 (Jadeja 34, Bumrah 4) Target 193 Carse replaces Archer and, after three dots, Jadeja chases a wide one, cross-batted … and misses. Then, with the field kept back, he edges a single, leaving Bumrah one ball to survive, and he steps across as is his wont, then blocks well. He’s starting to enjoy this; they both are, and so are the crowd.
48th over: India 132-8 (Jadeja 33, Bumrah 4) Target 193 In typical style, Jadeja dances down … and yahoos over the fence for six! The umpire then calls over but there’s a ball to go yet, Jadeja looking to go big again, but this time he miscues; still, though, they’ll take the single. For the first time in a while, England are not in control.
NO WICKET!
Impact was outside the line! We can’t say that was a good review because he’d have reviewed a bowled, but he was very quick to signal – he probably knew. And what a roar greets the decision. The India fans are starting to believe…
WICKET! Jadeja lbw b Woakes 26 (India 128-9)
Woakes jags it in, hits the knee-roll, and that looks extremely adjacent. But Jadeja reviews…
48th over: India 125-8 (Jadeja 26, Bumrah 4) Target 193 My guess is this’ll be the final over of Woakes’ spell, and he begins it with three dots.
47th over: India 125-8 (Jadeja 26, Bumrah 4) Target 193 Bumrah takes a moment but he’s fine, then Archer goes again, just about blocking one which keeps low with an edge on to the pad. Jadeja then sees out a maiden, but at some point he’ll surely have to take more risks – perhaps once Archer has gone. For now, though, he sends the fifth delivery of the over to cover for one, then the bowler puts in a short leg, suggesting a bouncer, inly to go full; Bumrah, having checked out the pull before the ball was released, edges to point and they eschew the run.
46th over: India 124-8 (Jadeja 25, Bumrah 4) Target 193 Yup, Woakes continues but, with the field up, Jadeja is again circumspect, seeing away three dots before chasing an attempted slower ball that slips out the side of the bowler’s hand for one; there’s his single, leaving Bumrah two deliveries to negotiate. And one is almost enough, Woakes hitting the seam, persuading the ball to move away, and missing the edge by fractions; two isn’t bad either, leaping off pitch then glove, and blocking any potential catch with his chest. India require 69 runs to win.
45th over: India 123-8 (Jadeja 24, Bumrah 4) Target 193 Bumrah likes to wander across his stumps, so England have Crawley at leg slip, and he’s almost in the game when one is turned around the corner; it doesn’t carry. So Bumrah milks his good fortune by playing a pull to a ball that isn’t the bumper he was expecting, then sees out the rest of the over, another maiden. Will Stokes persist with Woakes, or will he make a change?
44th over: India 123-8 (Jadeja 24, Bumrah 4) Target 193 Woakes continues and Jadeja unloads the suitcase at his second delivery, but is through the shot too soon and they call it a dot. Three more follow then, looking to drive, Jadeja edges a drive into his pads, completing the maiden and archer now has a full over art Bumrah.
“Am a Yorkshire bloke watching in Taiwan with my Taiwanese wife,” informs Ben Ashton, “and to get her interest up I pointed to Woake’s bowling and told her that you’d said he was ‘the Clooney of cricket’. She said ‘Noooo, he’s the Ryan Gosling of cricket!’ and she is right! Now she is watching with interest.”
We’ll chalk that one up as another win for the OBO. I’d love to see him that jacket.
43rd over: India 123-8 (Jadeja 24, Bumrah 4) Target 193 Archer isn’t up to full pace yet, but a bit of extra bounce at 84mph is far too good for Jadeja; a proper lifter follows, beating the bat again, and this is beautiful to behold. The ease of it is just fantastic, ambling in and exploding, and when Jadeja takes the single on offer, he has two goes at Bumrah … who presses forward, rocks back, and nails a pull in front of square for four! India need 70 to win…
42nd over: India 118-8 (Jadeja 23, Bumrah 0) Target 193 Woakes continues, though I wonder if he gets a full spell – Stokes will want this over with and might reckon himself as the man most likely to get things done. Meantime in comms, Ravi fingers Stokes’ run-out of pant as the key point in the match and it certainly made a difference – England spent the whole of day three toiling, looking extremely unlikely to take wickets at all times, but taking them every now and again anyway. That said, I’ll always see that run out and Bashir getting Rahul as a pair. Back to today, though, Jadeja drives a single down the ground and Bumrah sees out the rest of the over, every block cheered by the India fans in the crowd.
41st over: India 117-8 (Jadeja 22, Bumrah 0) Target 193 Yup, it’s Archer from the Pavilion End, and after two dots, Jadeja is given one slanting down leg-side; he doesn’t miss out, flicking around the corner for four. A bad into the off-side then earns a single, allowing Archer two balls at Bumrah; the first, a low full toss, is sent to mid-on when it might’ve disappeared to the fence, and the second is defended confidently. By the looks of things, the plan is for Jadeja to do most of the scoring, while Bumrah blocks.
40th over: India 112-8 (Jadeja 17, Bumrah 0) Target 193 Bumrah defends well, and I wonder if he’ll free arms – he’s not much of a batter, but he can hit it and, frankly, I’m not sure he’s too many options. Moreover, I wonder if India regret not playing with greater aggression once Jadeja and Reddy were settled, because they were never getting the runs in singles; well, now it’s too late. Bumrah then blocks again, before wafting at one outside off, bat drawn to ball as if hypnotised by it, but he doesn’t make contact. Wicket maiden.
Off we go again. Lord’s is fizzing.
England huddle on the outfield, raring to go. Skies are now overcast, and though it doesn’t look likely to rain, there’s the possibility of help for the bowlers – help they scarcely need. Stokes will surely to go Archer after Woakes finishes his over from the Nursery End.
“Re: chat from earlier about describing getting better as pressure increases,” offers Allan MacDonald, “if we’re on the search for an adjective, would ‘Stokensian’ fit the bill?” Meantime, Rick Harris advises that “My verb to encapsulate the sheer force of one person’s will to bend events to their advantage would be ‘Stokebotham’.”
The more I think about it, the more I feel some kind of swear-word intensifier is called for.
I’ve been pretty crook these last few days so planned to grab 20 minutes’ shuteye during the break, only to discover I’m on way too much of a buzz for that. I hope Ben Stokes is proud of himself.
Righto, I’m off for a little break. I’ll be back in about 25 minutes, though, to do some emails and look forward to the afternoon dig.
Jofra Archer, though. When we say we know what he’s gone through, we do by description, but the fury, frustration and devastation he’ll have felt at his inability to do what he does, when what he does is what he does, is beyond us all. The love and devotion he’s expended getting back to here tells us plenty about him, likewise England’s eagerness to get him back in, and Stokes turning to him first up this morning was a basic but inspired act of captaincy that is a big reason his team are poised to win the game.
What a morning for England! Galvanised by their superhero prophet of a captain, they’ve ripped through India with some superb bowling, and they’re two wickets away from a 2-1 series lead. India need 81 runs to pull off a heist for the ages.
WICKET! Reddy c Smith b Woakes 13 (India 112-8)
And there is that one ball! Hung outside off, Reddy dangles a bat, edges behind, and that is surely the crucial blow?! England go to lunch having taken four wickets this morning, and the match is now theirs to lose in a manner both entirely shocking and absolutely predictable.
39th over: India 112-7 (Jadeja 17, Reddy 13) Target 193 Reddy edges Carse’s first delivery to point, just about keeps out the yorker that’s his third, then edges the fourth for two in a puff of dust; dicey stuff, but is there a wicket-ball behind it? Not yet. Reddy presses to mid-on, whereupon the bowlers lets him know just how much he enjoys his work, then takes a single to short midwicket … which is belatedly called as a no-ball. A dot completes the over and, though one ball changes everything, India are now navigating this well, 81 runs required.
38th over: India 108-7 (Jadeja 17, Reddy 10) Target 193 Woakes replaces Stokes, 1-19 off 88.2 this morning. He’s looking very Clooney these days, the handsome so-and-so, hair luxuriating in fronds of warm silver sun, to borrow Raymond Chandler’s description of him. Maiden, unthreatening but nevertheless, played out well by Jadeja, who’s a fantastically doughty and charismatic competitor. He believes, with a perfect belief, that this is his time.
37th over: India 108-7 (Jadeja 17, Reddy 10) Target 193 Carse ploughs in again as, in the field, Woakes loosens arms. He’ll feel a way about being left till last, rightly so, but his chance is coming. Jadeja, though, has decided it’s time to move – he’s looking to score whenever possible now, and he turns to backward square, sprinting one, then, when Reddy looks to turn it into two, he sends him back, in the nick of time. This so intense it reminds me of Glastonbury.
36th over: India 107-7 (Jadeja 16, Reddy 10) Target 193 Having interceded between Carse and Jadeja – imagine that as a square go, goodness me – there’s nowhere safer to kick-off with someone harder than you than on the sports field – begins the 87th over of his spell. And, after three dots, Reddy lowers on to one knee and flays four through cover – Pope gets a hand to it, but to no effect – and the partnership is now 25. Amid all the noise and shouting, this is impressive stuff from these two.
35th over: India 103-7 (Jadeja 16, Reddy 6) Target 193 Carse continues; I’m a big fan of the moment of suspended time as he leaps into his gather, though that’d probably be less the case if I was facing him. He begins the over with four dots, then natural variation sees one duck in alarmingly; on the balcony, Siraj places hand over mouth, then Jadeja cuts the final delivery of the over uppishly and hard. They run two, the sweeper cutting off the boundary, then batter and bowler exchange sentiments, the former having run into the latter with both watching the fielder. This is on a rolling boil now, and I’d be absolutely buzzing for the fourth Test at OT if I wasn’t using up all my buzz on this one.
34th over: India 101-7 (Jadeja 14, Reddy 6) Target 193 Is Stokes going to bowl and eighth over? Nah, he’s decided he’s tried and can’t be arsed. As if. He likes his second ball, angled in, but Reddy will feel he middled his forward defence. Two dots follow, then am excellent bouncer has the batter leaping into a duck – he did not see that coming, and after Stokes completes the maiden, he has some words for Reddy – this series is hitting a good level of friendly needle now.
33rd over: India 101-7 (Jadeja 14, Reddy 6) Target 193 After three dots, Reddy gets down on one knee to drive; at point, Archer dives right to save three as they run one. Two further dots follow, the way the batter leaves the last one impressive; he looks confident out there, well-organised and disciplined. But with scoring so slow, you wonder if he’s good enough to stay in long enough to get this won.
32nd over: India 100-7 (Jadeja 14, Reddy 5) Target 193 More dots from Stokes but Reddy plays them fairly well, then squirts the final ball of the over into the leg-side for a single, raising India’s century in the process. The crowd like it a lot, and this is India’s best spell of the morning.
“Ref the arguments about 4/5 day tests,” begins Patrick Fullick, “I am reminded of this by the late William Rees-Mogg, written (if I remember correctly) in 2011: ‘Atherton ended his article with a paragraph that condenses the argument for five-day cricket. He puts it from the player’s point of view. I would like to endorse it from the spectator’s point of view. “It is, though, only the rhythms of Test cricket, the ebb and flow, the peculiar challenge offered by the changing conditions over five days and the mental and physical questions that the long game asks of the players that marks cricket out as a special game. Otherwise you might as well watch baseball.’ I agree.”
I’m certain we all do. Trying yo be something you’re not, to appeal to those who don’t like you, doesn’t work with sport, doesn’t work with political parties and doesn’t work with people.
31st over: India 99-7 (Jadeja 14, Reddy 4) Target 193 I wonder what Shubman Gill is thinking; had he left Zak Crawley alone on Saturday evening, would England have conjured the aggression that took four wickets yesterday? Back in the middle, Carse replaces Archer and Jadeja runs a single down to third, then Reddy adds one more to deep square before glowing a lifter that somehow doesn’t carry to slip. Meantime, the India fans in the crowd get behind their team, so Stokes noises up the crowd then, at the end of the over, grabs the ball for yet another of his own, the seventh full one of the spell.
31st over: India 97-7 (Jadeja 13, Reddy 3) Target 193 Stokes resumes after drinks and Jadeja pats to point then sprints a single; a no-ball five dots follow, the last of them beating Reddy, who looks to shove through cover. These two are about as settled as they’re going to get.
“In tribute to the late great man,” says Daniel Forman, “I’d go with Thorpean for a Stokesing it effort when it really counts. But my days, what an absolute champion athlete he is. And I wonder if this man for the big moments thing is why he doesn’t really want to play Championship cricket any more, as it just doesn’t get the juices flowing for him, so isn’t really an effective warmup, even when it looks to us like it would be useful. Because he needs extreme pressure to be able to fully switch on.”
Michael Vaughan was like that, I think – once he played Tests, he found it hard to get up for County.
“Sisu is Finnish for Stokes,” advises Charlie Tinsley. “Look at the poster.”
29th over: India 95-7 (Jadeja 12, Reddy 3) Target 193 Stokes does indeed give Archer another over, the last before drinks, and his second delivery is far too good for Jadeja, beating edge and off-stump by the thickness of a blue rizla. Jadeja, though, won’t panic; he’s still there, knows batting will get easier, and will absolutely back himself to be the hero here. After seeing away five dots, he dabs to short midwicket, Woakes is on to it … and misfields, though I don’t think the run out was on. That’s drinks, at the end of a fantastic first hour for England.
“There’s no sound in sport like the applause that greets every single (and soon, every dot) in a situation like this, says Gary Naylor. “Try explaining that to anyone not born with this game in their blood.”
Agree – I actually wrote something (partly) about the joy of cricket noises…
28th over: India 94-7 (Jadeja 11, Reddy 3) Target 193 Stokes hurtles in again, Jadeja turning his second delivery away for one, the runs required is now into double figures. Four dots follow, and I wonder if we’re in the middle of one of those Stokes super-spells, where he bowls until the pitch can’t take any more.
“There’s a word in Finnish for what you are describing, approximately,” says Stephen Wale of Mark’s recent email. It is ‘sisu’.
27th over: India 93-7 (Jadeja 10, Reddy 3) Target 193 Reddy takes one then Archer contacts the pad with one intended to move away that just goes on; he appeals, but it was going down. Meantime, Broad notes that every appeal creates energy, giving the impression that it’s all going your way; he really was a master at managing the environment. Archer, meanwhile, sends down another dot, then flings in a bouncer; it goes for five wides, but also reminds the batters that he can hit a pace that’s too hot for them. A leg bye completes the over, and that’s four Archer’s bowled now – but I bet Stokes is tempted to give him one more. Seven off the over, only one off the bat.
“This is electric,” writes Guy Hornsby. “And I couldn’t be happier for anyone than Jofra Archer. For everything he’s been through, and his longest of long roads back, to see him bowling as he always has and really showing what makes him so hard to face is beautiful. Even if this is as good as it gets, he’s going to have this. It’ll never be that ‘what if?’ he’s had over him for so long. I can’t think of anyone that’s had such an impact being out for so long and coming back so well. It is the stuff of fairytales. Be still my beating heart.”
26th over: India 86-7 (Jadeja 10, Reddy 2) Target 193 Jadeja, who’ll have to get most of the runs from here, takes one to square leg; meantime, in comms, Broad notes that “part of being a fast bowler is the theatre,” and England have created that this morning. But both men at the crease know how to bat, and also that they’re not sorting this by sticking around and knocking singles; they might wait for the ball to go a bit softer, but if they do, they might find themselves back in the hutch before that happens. Anyhow, Jadeja adds one more, Reddy leaves one that passes his off-bail, just, and another one completes the over.
“Is there a word in the English language to describe the phenomenon of someone’s performance improving as a situation gets more difficult and demanding?” wonders Mark O’Donovan-Wright. “If there isn’t, might I suggest Stokesisation? Stokesian? If they’re too cumbersome, I’m open to other Stokes-based suggestions.”
I think we need a verb not a noun, so “stokesing”?
