Key events
Ali Martin’s report is in, so that’s enough from me. Thanks for reading and messaging in. That was great fun.
Zak Crawley speaks to Sky about Ben Duckett’s knock: “I don’t think people maybe quite realise how special a knock that was. For a left-hander it was probably harder than the right-hander with that rough and Jadeja.”
On a slight change in approach by England: “The conversations have tweaked a little bit about being a little bit more clinical and winning more games … There’s certain times in the last few years maybe where we’ve thrown away winning positions and that’s what we’re trying to tweak a little bit now and be a fraction more clinical.”
Many thanks to Tommie E for finding the answer to Colum Fordham’s question (see over 81).
Rishabh Pant is the 12th man to hit two hundreds in a Test and be on the losing side. Here’s the full list if you’re interested.
Ben Duckett is named Player of the Match after scores of 62 and 149. His last knock before this Test was a 46-ball 84 in a T20 against West Indies. At the age of 30, you’d say he’s at his peak, thriving across all forms.
This team plays some pretty staggering cricket.
They’ve ended up doing it with sublime ease. I was ready for a last-over nipper. It’s England’s second-highest successful chase in Test cricket, done against a side that racked up 471 in the first innings. India had four centurions, with Pant doing it twice. And somehow they go to Edgbaston 1-0 down.
England win the first Test by five wickets!
Oh, this is a surprise. It’s Jadeja to continue, not Bumrah. Smith sweeps away for four before launching over deep midwicket for six! And then, with the final ball of the over, he swats another to close the match. A ridiculous victory by this ridiculous England team.
The players take drinks. It’ll surely be Bumrah to bowl when we resume. Even he can’t save India now … right?
Fifty for Joe Root!
81st over: England 355-5 (Root 53, Smith 26) Siraj returns with the second new ball. He’s a fighter but knows he’s well up against it. Root punches immediately for one to bring up 350 for England and Smith rotates the strike, too. Root gets a thick, flying edge to evade the cordon and bring up his half-century.
Colum Fordham writes in:
Impressed by the cool, collected demeanour of Jamie Smith who is providing great support to Joe Root as England appear – repeat appear – to be guiding England home. On the stats front, how many teams have lost a test match with a player making a century in both innings? Pant must consider himself a tad unlucky.
A great question that I’ll look into once this wraps up – regardless of the result. England need 16 to win.
80th over: England 349-5 (Root 48, Smith 25) Jadeja, probably bowling his final over of the match, limits the damage to a Root single. England need 22 to win.
79th over: England 348-5 (Root 47, Smith 25) Root cuts Thakur for one and Smith will look to give it a wallop, cut down what’s left before the new ball arrives. He jumps to the offside but has to make do with a single after shaping up for something bigger. Root whips away for one and is frustrated with not finding the boundary. A lovely guide to the third-man rope – all touch, little power – gives Smith four.
England need 23 to win.
78th over: England 341-5 (Root 45, Smith 20) Jadeja does his job: bowling a maiden to Smith. England need 30 to win.
77th over: England 341-5 (Root 45, Smith 20) Am I missing something here? India don’t really have the runs to wait for the second new ball and reintroduce Bumrah then. Thakur is persisted with and Smith and Root easily guide the singles. Smith inside-edges for two after coming down the pitch. England need 30 to win.
76th over: England 333-5 (Root 44, Smith 14) Jadeja tosses one up and Root leans in … an edge beats the two slips and runs away for four. England move to the Gooch score. England need 38 to win.
75th over: England 328-5 (Root 40, Smith 13) It’s Thakur who gets the ball from the other end. It’s all about getting to that second new ball for India now, but they could end up being out of it by then. Root and Smith tick over. England need 43 to win.
74th over: England 324-5 (Root 37, Smith 12) Smith, looking more and more at ease, thumps Jadeja through the covers to bring it under 50. England need 47 to win.
Guy Hornsby sends this in:
Evening Taha, from the M62 to Liverpool with my family to catch Dua Lipa at Anfield (there’s a joke somewhere about the best use of that stadium). Following here and on TMS trying to play it cool but my nerves are pretty chewed up already, ever since Brook went first ball. But I’ll always feel safe with Chris Woakes still to come. Not only is he the lad every mum wants their daughter to bring home (and rightly so, he’s a dream) but he’s the man you want in the hutch in a chase. I believe!
73rd over: England 319-5 (Root 36, Smith 8) Smith gets in on the act, punching Krishna beautifully through cover-point off the back foot for four. He’s got a responsible role to play but he’s thrilling to watch when the levers get pumping. England need 52 to win.
72nd over: England 313-5 (Root 35, Smith 3) Jadeja runs through his six in quick time.
Andy Bradshaw asks: “Should we be worried about how many empty seats we can see?” Administrators should always be asking themselves why there are empty seats at a ground. It’s a Tuesday – maybe the final day should’ve simply been free entry?
England need 58 to win.
71st over: England 312-5 (Root 35, Smith 2) Root drives for four through the covers off Krishna, a release that was needed.
England need 59 to win.
70th over: England 308-5 (Root 31, Smith 2) Jadeja has some serious rhythm as he twirls past Smith’s outside edge.
England need 63 to win. Twenty-six overs remain.
69th over: England 306-5 (Root 30, Smith 1) Smith takes a single to close Krishna’s over and get off the mark. The second new ball, 11 overs away, is likely to still have a say. India will surely have to bring Bumrah back before then, though.
England need 65 to win.
68th over: England 302-5 (Root 27, Smith 0) Jamie Smith joins the circus. England need 69 to win.
WICKET! Stokes c Gill b Jadeja 33 (England 302-5)
The reverse-swat eventually goes wrong for Stokes. He launches again but gets the edge, and the ball bops up for an easy grab at short third, Gill the jubilant taker. The contest remains alive.
67th over: England 300-4 (Root 26, Stokes 32) Prasidh Krishna replaces Bumrah and Stokes sees a release: he moves down the pitch and slaps the ball through the covers for four. An outside edge follows but it beats the wide gap between Pant and Nair at slip. Four more, every boundary now so precious.
England need 71 to win.
66th over: England 291-4 (Root 26, Stokes 23) Stokes, reverse-sweeping again, gloves Jadeja and the ball lobs up … but somehow lands safe by the close fielders. Root benefits from a misfield by Karun Nair behind point, a bobble confounding him, the ball running away for four. Just as India were beginning to build some real pressure.
England need 80 to win.
65th over: England 286-4 (Root 22, Stokes 22) Bumrah tempts Stokes with a wide delivery and it nearly works: the bat is thrown at it, but there’s no contact. A clipped single keeps Stokes on strike for the next over.
Paul Griffin is questioning reality: “I suppose one way of looking at this is that it is an astonishingly disciplined, gutsy, gnarly performance by England, against unbelievably talented opponents. I am going with an alternative: that this merely confirms we are living in a simulation. This doesn’t happen in real life.”
England need 85 to win.
64th over: England 285-4 (Root 22, Stokes 21) Stokes continues to reverse-sweep away against Jadeja, who speeds though his over.
England need 86 to win.
63rd over: England 284-4 (Root 22, Stokes 20) Stokes steals a single before Bumrah gets one to stay maybe a touch low to Root – the defence remains intact, though.
England need 87 to win.
62nd over: England 283-4 (Root 22, Stokes 19) Jadeja goes back to around the wicket and Root greets him with a reverse-sweep behind square for four. But then a huge lbw shout from India after the ball goes straight on – it’s a no from the umpire but Gill reviews. That looked plumb in real time. But it’s projected to go over the stumps. India have lost all their reviews.
The next ball is a stunner from Jadeja, biting off the surface to turn past the outside edge. Root sprints for three with the next delivery after a slip by Thakur at mid-on – Jadeja is fuming with the fielder. Even with a misfield, you’d expect just two there.
England need 88 to win.
61st over: England 275-4 (Root 15, Stokes 18) Bumrah, refreshed after the break, takes the ball, two slips waiting for Stokes to err. The left-hander shows off his forward defence as Bumrah goes down in his follow-through. A maiden.
Here’s Andrew Goudie on how good life is Down Under (regarding ticket prices): “I recently bought tickets for the Perth test in November for about £20 per day. Feels like a bargain.”
60th over: England 275-4 (Root 15, Stokes 18) Jadeja settles in as Root and Stokes exchange singles, with the lights on at Headingley. England need 96 to win.
59th over: England 273-4 (Root 14, Stokes 17) Stokes begins with a sweet straight drive but Thakur gets a hand on it. The England captain throws the bat at a wide one and sees a bottom-edge run away to the ropes. The target goes under 100.
Play resumes
The sun is out at Headingley as are the players. Let’s get back to it – India need six wickets, England 102 runs.
Lovely from Matthew Hill: “Perhaps it’s time for Jos B to write Duckett on his bat.” Context here, if you require it.
It’s looking a bit clearer at Headingley … from my screen. Can’t be long before we’re back at it.
