Key events
England’s first job is to get a decent score on the board. Their second is to work out a way to winkle the imperious Shubman Gill out. Ramps has been scratching his head:
Andy Bull leans over from his laptop with a mischievous grin to tell me that the average first innings score at Lord’s this year is… 213. Ah. Stokes and McCullum have supposedly ordered a livelier pitch than we saw Headingley and Edgbaston but we’ll see what the ‘curator’ has been able to produce in about twenty minutes. There is a slight green tinge to the wicket at the moment… no you stop it.
I saw a security guard just rugby tackle a guy for having a northern accent and wearing shorts! Just kidding, that’s actually me. I’ve broken my no shorts in public rule for the first time in years,Bazball gets us all in the end I guess.
England win the toss and will… bat first!
Ravi Shastri has gone full man from Del Monte out on the field, creamy linen suit, fedora and MCC tie. Resplendent. A blue blazered Ben Stokes wins the toss and chooses to bat first. A cheer goes up around Lord’s! I think Stokes wanted to pull our legs for a moment there and pretend to elect to bowl, he’s a cheeky so and so.
Lord’s is an absolute picture, sun beating down and it is very warm already. I’ve taken my seat next to Messrs Bull and Martin in the press box where the air con is thankfully ramped up to eleven.
Simon Burnton has some more on Jofra’s return:
Preamble
James Wallace
Scorchio! That’s the weather forecast for the next five days and the level of excitement building for this third Test between England and India at Lord’s.
I’ve just waggled my way through the avalanche of chinos on the way down to the ground from St John’s Wood station, red trouser count already at seven but I’ll let you know if that changes before the start of play at 11am.
Today sees the return of Jofra Archer in a home Test match in six long years and his first anywhere in four. Archer burst onto the scene in 2019 and tore up international cricket in his first six months, emerging almost fully formed as a searingly quick fast bowler with a liquid action who had all the white ball skills in his armoury and a taste for the big moment.
He dazzled in England’s 2019 World Cup win, bling bouncing off his neck like a souped up Dennis Lillee he troubled nose and toes whilst slipping in skilful cutters and slower balls with a midas touch. Twenty wickets across the tournament and that Super Over integral to England’s first World Cup Win.
He dazzled in whites too, the 2019 Ashes Test at Lord’s saw one of the great battles between Steve Smith in the form of his life and Archer throwing everything at him, mostly at about 95 mph. Smith was eventually clonked on the helmet (as was his concussion substitute later Marnus Labuschagne) and forced to retire hurt and miss the next Test at Headingley. Surely you don’t need reminding what happened there?
A series of freakish and horrible injuries have plagued Archer since, a stress fracture of the elbow threatening to cut down his career before he was able to build on that most electric of beginnings. England have been managing his return with the utmost caution, another lengthy injury would be catastrophic.
Jasprit Bumrah also makes his return to the series after missing Edgbaston last week. His side did just fine without him, pummelling England into the Birmingham dust to level the series at 1-1.
To watch two of the most eye-catching fast bowlers going toes to toe will be a real thrill. Play gets underway at 11am and the toss will be at around 10.30am.
Please do get in touch if you are tuning in… it promises to be… scorchio!
