Key events
Joe Root goes to number 3 in the all time Test runs list!
58th over: England 261-2 (Pope 32, Root 31) A nudged single to deep third takes Root past Dravid and level with Jacques Kallis. Pope returns the strike and Root glides with velveteen hands into the covers to get the single that takes him to 13,290 Test runs and number three on the list! If he gets to 120 in this knock then he’ll have Ricky Ponting’s scalp too. A true great.
57th over: England 259-2 (Pope 31, Root 30) Shot of the morning from Root who stand tall and punches Bumrah off the back foot and in the gap square on the off-side for four. Glorious. That boundary takes Root level with Rahul Dravid in the all time runs list.
56th over: England 253-2 (Pope 30, Root 25) Siraj has been at his bustling best this morning, making Root and Pope play and targeting stumps and pads. Pope plays another jabby jabby jab at a length ball that he suggests keeps low but his footwork was nowhere, man.
Apologies my emails were seemingly on the blink but they are back up and running now and a flurry of correspondence has landed in the OBO mailbag. Johno from Melbourne has been getting his simian stroll on Down Under:
“Aside from the Edgbaston heist, yesterday felt like the first day that England had properly won all series. Not only that, Cousin Zak finally found himself as the rock and roll star he can ben and some might say that the Indian bowlers acquiesced. England’s masterplan of losing whole days but winning the odd session, rather than just rolling with it, seems to, little by little, be making the Indian men slide away.
Whatever.”
55th over: England 252-2 (Pope 30, Root 24) Better from Pope, he gets on top of a short ball from Bumrah and pulls away decisively for four. That brings up England’s 250 and reduces the first innings deficit to 106.
54th over: England 247-2 (Pope 26, Root 23) Root plays and misses to Siraj outside off stump and then has a stern word with himself. Close! Siraj gets one to pop from the Statham End, the same one that he got one to scud through at shin height a few overs back. Gulp. Root then gloves another lifter wide of point and Pope calls him through for a quick single, Root was on the back foot and scrambling for his ground… the throw misses but he was a goner there had it it. It’s all happening.
53rd over: England 246-2 (Pope 26, Root 22) Pope gets a leading edge to Bumrah that somehow lands safe! Another spitting delivery from Bumrah but Pope jabbed at it unconvincingly. Lucky lad. Root pulls into the leg side to bring up 1000 Test runs at Old Trafford. Chalk it up.
52nd over: England 240-2 (Pope 25, Root 21) Siraj pins Root on the pad and it looks a close call! The ball flies away for four byes and India mull going for a review. Siraj is keen, of course he is. Root did wander across his stumps. Gill makes the T-sign and they go upstairs. NOT OUT! The ball was sliding down and India lose their second review.
51st over: England 240-2 (Pope 25, Root 21) Bumrah gets one to spit sharply at Pope from the Statham End. Pope has a flirt at it and it whistles past the edge. I’ll say it again. There’s plenty in this pitch. Maiden.
50th over: England 240-2 (Pope 25, Root 21) Pope flashes Siraj away wide of the cordon for four and Root nearly forces the the indomitable bowler to combust with his own loosey-goosey drive that flies to the fence backward of point! I think Root meant the stroke but it was a little close to gully for comfort. A perky if a little risky start for England.
49th over: England 231-2 (Pope 20, Root 17) Bumrah it is after one over of Thakur. Root picks a full ball off his toes for four, he looks in decent nick does Joe. A majestic drive is unfurled later in the over but pings straight to the fielder. Be still my…
48th over: England 227-2 (Pope 20, Root 13) Mohammed Siraj opens up from t’other end and he bustles in to Pope, honing in on pads and stumps. Five dots are stitched together before the last ball of the over scuds through at no more than shin height and nearly scuttles Pope! That did not bounce at all, if that was straight then Pope was a goner and there’s nowt he could do have done about it. Pope wanders down and gets his Monty Don on, trust me, this pitch is going to go more up and down than a hormonal teenager on a paternoster.
47th over: England 227-2 (Pope 20, Root 13) Righto, the players are out there and let’s be havvin it. Shardul ‘Lord’ Thakur has the ball with two slips in place. This might just be a solitary over for ‘Lord’ so that Bumrah can switch ends. I’d be surprised if Gill has given Thakur the ball straight away though he does have something of a golden albeit military medium arm.
Root flicks for two off his pads to start England off, no doubt making Jacques, Ricky and Rahul (and Sachin!) a little more twitchy in the process.
Well, it turns out the downright doleful Robert Heath is in luck. John Stedman emails to say Zaltzman has been crunching the numbers (been emailing the Beeb too Bobby?)
Those numbers look prettay good to me:
Joe Root:
72 innings when not out overnight
3227 runs added
Average 53.7 added to overnight score (12 not outs)
Shubman Gill is currently on the outfield practicing his slip catching, he’s pouched everything FYI.
India need to make inroads this morning after their least incisive day with the ball yesterday. If England are still batting post tea then they’ll have a hefty lead and the series could well be slipping out of view for the visitors.
Catch up on yesterday’s action with Ali Martin’s report and Simon Burnton’s analysis:
Robert Heath pings in the first email of the day and its given me heavy boots:
“I promise I’m not predicting anything or tempting fate, but – I’d love to see the stat of how many times Joe Root has been not out overnight but has been dismissed in the first half an hour next day. It seems to me that it’s a thing for him!”
You’d love to see it eh Bobby? Well, you’re bang out of luck on this OBO. Smyth might indulge your entirely hunch based statistical pessimism later in the day. I won’t stand for it.
Ben Stokes has been a bowling colossus in this series:
Wonder how Rishab Pant’s foot is this morning? Bag of Petit Pois and couple of Ibruprofen pronto?
Taha Hashim was on hand to cover yesterday’s biggest sub plot:
Preamble
James Wallace
Welcome to Manchester. They do things differently here.
Alighting at Piccadilly Station this morning there was a gaggle of Crusading Knights, a handful of Hulk Hogans and four Richie Benaud’s queuing for a Greggs Breakfast. They were all headed to the same place…
It’s day three of England v India from Old Trafford. Moving Day. The sun is shiiiining and England are Definitely/Maybe going to enjoy batting in these conditions.
Ben Stokes’ side are 133 behind with eight first wickets in hand and will be looking to bat once and big on a wicket that has got some life in it and will likely offer some up ‘n’ down bounce and keep the spinners interested as the match goes deeper.
Ollie Pope is currently at the crease with plenty to prove to himself and the doubters after his average has once again turned thin and gruelly after a century earlier in the series.
At the other end there’s this fella called Joe Root, he’s got Messrs Dravid, Kallis and Ponting in his sights on the all time Test run scorers list.
Rob Key is currently playing keepy uppies with the England team (Hello fellow kids and mind those toes Brydon Carse!) play begins at 11am and as always do get in touch with your thoughts and theories. You and I are gonna live forever OBO till an hour after lunch before the Supersonic Rob Smyth takes over. Know what I mean?
