Key events
12th over: England 36-0 (Crawley 19, Duckett 16) Target 371 Siraj goes around to Duckett, who flicks to fine leg for one, then Siraj sends down a wobble-seam nip-backer that beats Crawley’s airy drive – ctrl c, ctrl v – and misses the off-bail by fractions. Great ball, though, and if it hit a crack, there should be more of the same to follow; if not, India will be slightly concerned that three belters have yielded no wickets. Siraj is bowling well here and the final ball of the over is another beauty, again jagging in off the seam, cutting Crawley in half, and rapping the knee-roll. Tahere’s a strangulated appeal, but that was a little high.
11th over: England 35-0 (Crawley 19, Duckett 15) Target 371 What level of bowler do we think Bumrah is? He’s obviously the best there is now, but looking with a wider lens, where does he enter the pantheon? There are obviously bowlers who’ve taken more wickets, but if we’re evaluating them at their best, then what? Meantime, Crawley drives nicely to deep backward point, Jadeja chasing down to save one as they run three. A single follows, and England have six, maybe 12 balls left to negotiate before the biggest threat to them is sent for a graze.
“So Pant is cap 29,” begins Sean Hennigan, watching at 3am in Santa Monica. “Bumrah is cap 290 … yet all match Pant has been wearing Bumrah’s 290 cap (paired with his own 291 shirt). I thought maybe he was just holding it for him while he bowls as umpires do but as far as i can tell he’s been wearing it all match. Any ideas? Enquiring minds want to know.”
10th over: England 31-0 (Crawley 16, Duckett 14) Target 371 A no ball to begin Siraj’s second over of the morning, then Crawley drives to point for two. Save those two Bumrah jaffas, this has been a pretty sedate start so, as I type, Crawley takes an “It’s just the way I play” huge hoik across the line and splatters fresh air out of the ground, then flicks a single to mid-on.
“‘This should be one of the better working days’ concludes your preamble,” – thus begins Brian Withington. “‘You get paid for this, mate?!’, I enquire incredulously which incidentally was my opening gambit to the guy at the mountain ringed Queenstown airport after a breathtaking flight from Sydney on a glorious summer’s day. He just smiled at my impertinence.”
9th over: England 27-0 (Crawley 13, Duckett 14) Target 371 Again, coming around but from pretty close to the stumps, Bumrah slants in another than rips away off the seam, Duckett again left mystified. What an absolute champion this freak of nature is, and a handsome so-and-so to boot; maiden.
“There are very definitely people who hate Fleetwood Mac out there,” advises Dean Vaughan. “My friend Matthew once threw his stereo out of the window of his flat because his girlfriend was listening to Tango in the Night.”
What a lad. He must be such a muso, him.
8th over: England 27-0 (Crawley 13, Duckett 14) Target 371 Crawley, who could really use a contribution today, edges one to square leg, the atmosphere crackling – but in the middle, the relatively small crowd allowing us to enjoy the patter of the fielders. Four dots follow, then Duckett plays down into the off side and England end the over with a single.
I\m not going to shame the millions of you who are keen to let me know how much they despise Fleetwood Mac or post-Peter Green Fleetwood Mac, but know that you are seen.
7th over: England 25-0 (Crawley 12, Duckett 13) Target 371 Bumrah comes around from the off and Duckett defends solidly. In comms, Athers notes that save their late-order collapses, India would be out of sight; I think it’s worth noting that in both inningseseses, Josh Tongue has devoured the tail like Fergus Henderson. The sample size is small, but it’s one on which to keep an eye. Meantime, Duckett drives through cover for four, then to end the over, Bumrah sends down a 90mph off-break that swings in then nips away, a devastating piece of sorcery that leaves the batter flummoxed. You and us both, old mate.
Ben Duckett takes guard, Jasprit Bumrah has the ball. This is going to be great.
“You claim that nobody hates Fleetwood Mac,” says Bob O’Hara, “but they’re pretty famous for hating each other in the mid-70s.”
And yet at the same time they were also pretty famous for loving each other.
Here come our teams. Bring it on!
“A fantastic final day in store,” reckons Krishnamoorthy V. “While all the attention shall be on Bumrah (rightly so), I have a feeling that it is Ravindra Jadeja who is going to be the matchwinner, should India win this match. A Root century is going to be inevitable whether England wins it or loses it.”
Jadeja’s record in England isn’t that good, but agree that he’ll probably have to have a good day. Even if he’s not the matchwinner, Gill is probably relying on him to hold down an end, and i can totally see him nabbing a key wicket or two, though I’d be surprised if he’s the key man.
“Since I live not far from Leeds,” says John Starbuck, “I always check those weather prospects in each day’s Guardian. I see the forecast is 15-20C and 85% rain. There’s also a bit of a breeze about but the skies are pretty grey, which will probably make catching rather difficult, especially at such a poor sight ground as Headingley.”
That last point is a really important one, because the catching in this match hasn’t been great, and India need 10 wickets. That’ll be hard enough, never mind if drops leave them needing 12 0r 13.
Talking of Fleetwood Mac, a hypothesis: they are the only thing in the world that no one in the world hates.
Say what you want about Bazball, but that we’re even having a conversation about England winning this tells us the extent to which they’ve changed the game. I was mainly joking when I talked about Bazball being a way of life, but committing to attacking options is a serious piece of advice that’s worth remembering on a daily. In the words of Fleetwood Mac, play the way you’re feeling.
I said earlier that Bumrah getting it done feels like the likeliest outcome, but I do quite fancy England. The way they play, they’ve enough time to get the runs without taking risks, and India’s back-up quicks will not frighten them. If we assume Bumrah will be bowling spells of four or five overs, that’s not that many to survive while making hay the rest of the time.
Email! “The Beeb is even more pessimistic,” laments Graham O’Reilly. “Showers till 4pm. Boo!”
My festival experiences tell me that is the last place to look. I think we’re going to be OK.
They say that at Headingley, you look up, not down, but that’s not foolproof. Though it’s overcast, it’s also blustery, which suggests there’ll not be much swing about. However the earlier clement weather should mean the pitch is crumbly, offering uneven bounce. Athers reckons that’s best exploited by a hit-the-deck bowler like Prasidh Krishna, rather than skiddier ones like Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, and I understand the theory. But it’s hard to see anyone other than Bumrah – and Ravindra Jadeja – making the difference today. I’m not sure we’ll see Kuldeep Yadav sitting at the side in the next match.
There’s another huge contest going on today: Met Office v Weather Underground.
Underground Ultras for ever.
Preamble
Good morning everyone, and in the truest sense of the phrase too – not just a greeting but a statement of fact. Everything is possible and nothing is probable, save hours of intense joy at a time in human history when we need as much of it as we can get … if the rain allows it.
After what was surely a long night of the soul, Shubman Gill will be feeling something. After the elation of scoring a century in his first Test in charge, India failed to force home a position of strength after tea yesterday, taking too long to score too few such that should they lose today – scoring 835 runs across their two inningseseses – his decision-making will inevitably be criticised. No one will judge his tenure on the strength of this first match, but momentum is important, and going one down – after playing well, with four away Tests still to come – the pressure will feel enormous.
And what of Ben Stokes? It might just be that, over the last few days, we’ve witnessed the birth of Bazball 2.0, England retaining their aggressive intent but tempering it with the curious concept of context. A year ago, we’d never have seen their quicks bowling to fields featuring no slips, just as we’d absolutely have seen the openers thrashing at this target from the off. But ultimately, for all the inspiration and affirmation of the Testvangelist way of life, there’s nothing either inspirational or affirming about losing all the bloody time. England gave the game a kick up the arse, the game has since given them one back, and both should be the better for it.
Gosh, that’s a lot of words without mentioning Jasprit Bumrah, isn’t it? Because much as sport taunts us into complicating it with thoughts of narrartive and meaning, things can simultaneously be very simple, and there’s a decent chance the best bowler in the world is just too good to be denied. This should be one of the better working days.
Play: 11am BST
