Openers go from breaking Spirit of Cricket to breaking spirit of India

It turns out that one of the worst things you can do as an opposing captain is to question the morals of the England openers. Accused of breaking the Spirit of Cricket at Lord’s, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett responded by doing their best to break the spirit of India.

Thanks to them, England are potentially one good batting day away from their biggest series win under Ben Stokes, whose first five-wicket haul for eight years did so much to put them in control.

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At 225 for two, England are 133 runs behind India’s 358 all out and it is a priceless opportunity their long batting line-up cannot waste if they are to convince us they are on the right road to becoming a top-quality team.

They have enjoyed luck in this series. For all the dramatic power and emotional pull of Rishabh Pant selflessly limping down the steps of the dressing room to help his team out, the fact is for the second match running India’s superstar free spirit has been hampered by injury. They have also lost two seamers from Lord’s and a back up in Arshdeep Singh. Jasprit Bumrah is not 100 percent either.

But England are ahead in this series because they have seized the moments that matter and won the crucial passages of play. Pant’s half-century will go into India cricketing folklore but England ensured the glory was relatively shortlived by grabbing four for 21 after lunch before piling on the runs at express pace.

Duckett and Crawley’s 166-run stand at five an over took England almost halfway to India’s total and at times evoked memories of the Ashes Test here two years ago. India did not quite end up as totally scrambled as the Aussies did because neither Duckett nor Crawley went on to make a big hundred but for a while their dominance made their opponents look limp.

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Crawley’s 84 was controlled, he left well but played some trademark sumptuous straight hits, while Duckett punished anything leg side. This was their fifth hundred stand in 105 innings, and at an average of 45 they are a consistent pair despite Crawley’s feast-or-famine nature. It is not just the runs they score but the pace of their batting. No opening partnership has scored as quickly as their 5.18 an over.

Duckett knows his own game inside out and has matured into one of world cricket’s most reliable batsmen while Crawley must have immense mental strength to shut out the detractors and ignore his own numbers. It cannot be easy to look at his average and not be bothered by it but this innings was him delivering on the promise that Stokes and Brendon McCullum insist he offers.

India’s total was competitive but the dark, gloomy morning was replaced by the best weather of the Test when England batted.

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India’s attack was also shorn of pace. Debutant Anshul Kamboj was given the new ball and wasted it while Bumrah bowled his slowest opening spell of the series at 83mph. Mohammad Siraj was off the boil, leaking runs at six an over in his first spell. Shardul Thakur was worse, going at seven an over as Duckett in particular was fed easy runs on his legs: eight of his first 12 fours were flicked on the on side. Captain Shubman Gill went into his shell in the field. There was no spark without Pant behind the stumps and Bumrah off colour.

Crawley took 14 balls to find his first run but two easy four-balls on his legs from Kamboj settled him and an on-drive off Siraj on the stroke of tea was the surest sign this was going to be one of his good days. He greeted Ravindra Jadeja’s second ball by slotting it down the ground for six but the slight worry for England batting last in this game is how much grip there was for the spinner. He found a little bounce to take Crawley’s edge, England one wicket down from nowhere.

The match officials almost had to pull out the shepherd’s crook to drag Duckett off when he edged behind attempting to cut Kamboj for his third career dismissal in the 90s; and it was a tricky final few overs for Joe Root and Ollie Pope as Bumrah probed away sensing an opening.

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It will appeal to Stokes’s sense of defiance that he became the bowler to record the longest gap between five-wicket hauls. His five for 72 was remarkable considering his bowling days looked over in Hamilton last December when he tore his hamstring for the second time in five months.

At 34, to recover from that setback and take more wickets in an English summer than ever before, 19 and counting, is credit to Stokes’s unyielding spirit.

Now he is the series’ leading wicket-taker and perhaps the biggest bonus for Stokes the captain, is to have Stokes the bowler fully back on board. For a long time since 2017, he filled the role as England’s battering ram. But now he has Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Jofra Archer to do that so he can concentrate on taking wickets. He now has 229 of them, level with Darren Gough, and it is not impossible that he will be in the top 10 all-time England wicket-takers by the end of the Oval Test.

Three of his wickets were from pitched-up seaming deliveries, two banged in and caught off top edges in the deep on the leg side. The best was Kamboj nicking off behind three balls after Stokes had Washington Sundar caught pulling as England looked to break India’s backbone that had been stiffened by Pant’s Long John Silver act.

Zak Crawley: I am loving the needle in this series

Zak Crawley is embracing his status as England’s pantomime villain among India fans and admitted he is “loving” the needle between the two teams.

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Crawley found himself at the centre of a “spirit of cricket” storm after the third Test at Lord’s, when the India captain Shubman Gill accused him and Ben Duckett of intentionally delaying their arrival at the crease on a vital passage on the third evening.

Gill told Crawley to “grow some balls” and the pair pointed fingers at one another, sparking the series into life. Crawley denied that he and Duckett had intentionally arrived late, and said he was “enjoying” the niggle in the series.

“I’ve always enjoyed that part of cricket,” he said. “Especially when you’re batting, it’s two against 11 and they are desperate to get you out and are chirping you. Most of the time I probably let it slide. Other times it’s good to put it back on them. At Lord’s I loved that passage. No one stepped over the line, it was all good spirits and it was just competitive cricket.

“I sit in my spot until the umpires go out. I saw them go out, and walked out. I wasn’t aware that we were 90 seconds late.”

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Crawley, who made 84 in an opening stand of 166 with Duckett at Old Trafford, admitted that his returns in recent times have led to pressure on his place, which he feels acutely despite avoiding social media. Crawley made 65 in the series opener at Headingley, before his returns fell away at Edgbaston and Lord’s, in part because he believes he was “premeditating” too much.

“Definitely,” he said, when asked if he was feeling the heat. “I have high standards and I work very hard on my game. I always want more for myself. I have certainly wanted more than what I’ve got in the last year or so. That is an internal thing, I don’t feel that pressure from anyone else. I owe it to myself to have a few more good performances. It makes days like today, the practice and the tougher times, feel a bit more worth it. I would have liked more runs today but I’ve worked hard on it and earned it.

“It’s difficult. When you’re short of runs, there’s a lot of things going through your head. That’s always what you’re trying to strive for, a clear head and not too much going on there. I managed to do that today and the more you do that, the better.”

07:07 PM BST

Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain on the possibility of injury substitutes

“There was a debate about substitutes this morning and I am anti [non-concussion] substitutes. I just think you have got to be very careful.

“Say a seamer is having a tough day, you could say he has got a slight hamstring, so we are going to bring in another. Or, if there is not a lot of finger spin going on, you could try to get your wrist spinner in.

“Rather than your batting all-rounder, you could decide you need your bowling all-rounder to take 20 wickets. For the Rishabh Pant incident it is perfect, with an obvious dodgy foot, but players will push the rules and the laws to the limit, I can tell you that.”

07:02 PM BST

Dinesh Karthik on Ben Stokes

06:59 PM BST

Good day at the office for England, bad one for India

06:53 PM BST

Michael Vaughan on BBC Test Match Special

“India just bowled so poorly against Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. This England side look to score runs. I did not see too many bouncers from them, there were certain things that were not right.

“Those two are very difficult to bowl against though because of their height difference, it is hard to get it right straight away. But India are not out of this game yet.

“The ball did not move much when India were bowling. The confidence that it gives you as a batsman is huge. They did not have to worry about it nipping back or anything, all they had to do was bowl straight and could just focus on that.

“It is not fair to ask why Zak Crawley did not bat like this in previous games because it is a completely different situation. On these pitches, he is a very, very difficult batsman to play against.”

06:50 PM BST

Duckett and Crawley combination

06:49 PM BST

Sir Alastair Cook on BBC Test Match Special

“No side has managed to nail the opposition down throughout the series but India were really poor in that first hour of England’s innings.

“Ben Duckett got off to a flyer but once this England side get going, they are very hard to stop. Using Anshul Kamboj for the new ball was a big ask, even if it is his speciality. I would take experience first over the skill in this case.”

06:46 PM BST

Michael Vaughan on BBC Test Match Special

“It has been a great day from England. Rishabh Pant wobbling out there was remarkable. When England desperately need a breakthrough, they somehow find it. There has not been as much lateral movement but India have bowled poorly. On a day like this, England will go after you.”

06:44 PM BST

Zak Crawley speaking to Sky Sports

“We bowled really well today. We did not get a lot of luck yesterday but it was a good team effort.We knew it would be tricky with the quality of bowlers they have but we are happy with the position we are in. He [Ben Duckett] is just extremely good. We talk a lot in the middle about how we are going to go about it. I try and stay with him at the other end! He is the leader of that partnership.

“Today I was just trying to play each ball on its merit. I have to trust my instincts. I was happy with my knock. Sometimes you are looking for something too much. I was pleased that when it was there to hit I did it. There is a bit more pace and carry here, which suits my game. It is a great ground to play and usually a good deck to bat on. A first-innings lead would be massively important as batting last may be difficult.”

06:34 PM BST

England finish day two on 225/2

Bumrah will send down the final over of the day. Pope looks for a quick single from the first ball that was never on and is immediately sent back correctly by Root.

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Off the penultimate delivery, Bumrah goes for the yorker but Pope digs it out and gets good timing on it as the ball races through mid-on for four.

One more ball to face for Pope and he ducks under a short ball.

That is it for day two and England close on 225/2, trailing by 133 runs.

06:28 PM BST

OVER 45: ENG 220/2 (Pope 16 Root 11)

Kamboj bowls too full and Root drives through mid-on for four, despite Siraj’s last-ditch effort to dive and stop it. Kamboj then finds the edge of Root’s bat but it falls well short of the slips and Root was in control of that.

There will be time for one more over.

06:24 PM BST

OVER 44: ENG 216/2 (Pope 16 Root 7)

Bumrah bowls an absolute beauty that comes back into Root. There are appeals but I am not sure whether the Indian players know whether they are appealing for LBW or caught behind. There was no bat but the impact was outside the line as Root was late getting his bat down. This is a real test for Root late on day two. Probably time for two more overs unless we see some more antics! Seven minutes left!

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England trail by 142 runs.

06:18 PM BST

OVER 43: ENG 214/2 (Pope 16 Root 6)

Root needs just 25 runs to go past Dravid and Kallis in the highest run-scorers in Test cricket. He will not get those tonight but England fans will be hoping he does so tomorrow.

Kamboj sends a delivery down the legside and it moves a fair bit after going past Pope. Jurel cannot get across and the ball races away for four byes.

06:13 PM BST

OVER 42: ENG 210/2 (Pope 16 Root 6)

Bumrah is coming back on, with 20 minutes to go. He will probably get three overs and this feels like a crucial phase. How will Pope and Root navigate this spell?

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Just the one leg bye from the over.

06:09 PM BST

OVER 41: ENG 209/2 (Pope 16 Root 6)

Still no Bumrah; that surprises me with Root only just in and only just over 20 minutes left in the day. Kamboj is still going from the Brian Statham end and it looks like he will bowl a maiden. However his final ball strays onto the pads and Root flicks away fine for four.

A bowling change is now coming from the Sir James Anderson End…

06:04 PM BST

OVER 40: ENG 205/2 (Pope 16 Root 2)

Jadeja will continue as we enter the final half an hour of play. Three from the over.

England trail by 153 runs.

06:02 PM BST

OVER 39: ENG 202/2 (Pope 14 Root 1)

Joe Root is in at number four to a great reception from the Old Trafford crowd. He is tempted by a very wide delivery first up and ends up leaving it alone. He gets off the mark third ball with a single into the legside.

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Pope plays a delightful shot through wide mid-on that ends up going for four as Thakur was in contact with the boundary rope as he flicked it back. That boundary brings up the England 200.

With Root and Pope fresh to the crease, will Gill turn to Bumrah for a late spell on day two?

05:57 PM BST

Wicket

Duckett c Jurel b Kamboj 94 Kamboj gets his first Test wicket and Duckett will not get his century. Width is offered and Duckett goes for the cut shot, only for there to be a little more bounce and the edge goes through to Jurel. Duckett has gifted his wicket away there and a Test century was waiting for him. Both set batsmen have gone in fairly quick succession. FOW 197/2

05:55 PM BST

OVER 38: ENG 197/1 (Pope 10 Duckett 94)

Bowling to Duckett, Jadeja has no-one positioned at mid-off so Duckett takes advantage by hitting straight through that region. Jadeja is forced to run after it and Duckett comes back for three to take him to 94.

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Pope goes back to a delivery that skids through and just gets his bat down in time. That could so easily have got through and crashed into his stumps.

Pope gets a couple through the covers after some slightly sloppy fielding by Bumrah.

05:51 PM BST

OVER 37: ENG 192/1 (Pope 8 Duckett 91)

Kamboj is coming back into the attack as the Barmy Army burst into a rendition of Wonderwall. Kamboj offers up some width to Pope, who tries to get on top of the bouncer as he cuts away. He cannot keep it down in the way he wanted but it goes right between two fielders in the gully region for four.

05:46 PM BST

OVER 36: ENG 186/1 (Pope 4 Duckett 90)

A single from a sweep shot takes Duckett to 90.

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Good running allows Pope to come back for two as he flicked into the legside. Jadeja finishes the over with a superb delivery that spins past Pope’s outside edge. There was a check for a possible stumping but Pope’s foot was safely in his crease.

Around 45 minutes of play left on day two.

05:42 PM BST

OVER 35: ENG 183/1 (Pope 2 Duckett 89)

Siraj strays onto Duckett’s pads and he flicks it away. The two fielders out in the deep did not pick it up and Duckett picks up four. 42% of Duckett’s runs in this innings have come behind square on the legside.

India’s seamers have been very messy. Far too straight, and not bowling to their field. It’s time for Bumrah to come back for a burst before stumps.

05:38 PM BST

OVER 34: ENG 178/1 (Pope 2 Duckett 84)

Pope gets off the mark third ball as he flicks through mid-wicket for a couple.

05:34 PM BST

OVER 33: ENG 175/1 (Pope 0 Duckett 83)

Ollie Pope is in at number three but he will not be on strike straight away.Siraj finds the outside edge of Duckett’s bat but it goes to ground and Duckett has some control over the shot. The ball races away through the slips for four.

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A couple of balls later Duckett drives through mid-on for four.

England trail by 183 runs.

05:28 PM BST

Wicket

Crawley c Rahul b Jadeja 84 Jadeja’s no-ball pays dividends. Off what should have been the final ball of the over, Crawley swept hard for four but it is a no-ball so Jadeja will have an extra delivery, which he takes advantage of as he gets one to turn a little bit away from Crawley. It takes the edge and Rahul takes a good low catch at slip. There is an umpire review but that catch looks fair and legitimate. Crawley has to go. FOW 166/1

Crawley will be fuming with that, not least because it came from the seventh ball of the over. No-ball, and then dismissed off the extra ball. It might seem like sacrilege, but I think free hits are terrific in white-ball cricket because of the huge incentive they provide not to bowl no-balls. I reckon there’s a very good case for having them in Test cricket, too.

05:23 PM BST

OVER 31: ENG 158/0 (Crawley 79 Duckett 72)

A tighter over from Siraj, that goes for just two runs. The over ends with a joke appeal from Gill for a catch, full well knowing Crawley had drilled his drive straight into the ground.

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England trail by 200 runs.

05:15 PM BST

OVER 30: ENG 156/0 (Crawley 78 Duckett 71)

The Barmy Army decide it is time to sing the Mitchell Johnson song at Mohammed Siraj:

He bowls to the left
He bowls to the right
That Mohammed Siraj, his bowling is…

I don’t think I need to tell you what the final word is. Three from Jadeja’s latest over and it is time for drinks.

Mohammed Siraj is getting the Mitchell Johnson treatment from the Party Stand. Bowls to the left, bowls to the right etc.

05:12 PM BST

OVER 29: ENG 153/0 (Crawley 76 Duckett 70)

Siraj bangs one in short and, despite having two men out on the pull, Duckett smashes one right between those two fielders for four to bring up the England 150.

The runs are flowing with ease and India cannot contain England currently. The Barmy Army are also in full flow in the Old Trafford sunshine.

05:07 PM BST

OVER 28: ENG 145/0 (Crawley 74 Duckett 64)

Jadeja appeals for LBW as Duckett attempts a sweep but the England opener got outside the line of off stump. The ball in fact got lodged up the front of his pad!

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Crawley finishes the over trying to slash the ball away through the offside but gets an inside edge. He needs to be careful with that shot and the ball from Jadeja that goes on with the arm.

Just the one run from the over.

05:03 PM BST

OVER 27: ENG 144/0 (Crawley 74 Duckett 63)

Before the next over begins, we have a delay (shock horror!) as the ground staff are back on to do some work around the foot holes. The Old Trafford crowd are being treated to some beautiful sunshine.

Once we get back under way, Duckett guides late under complete control in between the slips and gully for four. Quality shot from Duckett, who used the pace and width on offer well.

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England making hay while the sun shines.

During this Siraj over, Duckett has been stood at the non-striker’s end practising his sweeping an reverse-sweeping: a statement of intent on his plans to Jadeja in a few minutes at a time.

04:57 PM BST

OVER 26: ENG 139/0 (Crawley 74 Duckett 58)

Shubman Gill turns to spin for the first time today as Ravindra Jadeja is brought into the attack. Off just his second ball, Crawley charges at Jadeja and launches him over long-on for six. It was also a no-ball Immediately he is putting the pressure on Jadeja and Gill.

A couple of balls later Crawley deploys a clever lap sweep and gets four fine down to fine leg.

A leg slip is then put in place but he cannot prevent four leg byes down the legside.

04:53 PM BST

OVER 25: ENG 124/0 (Crawley 64 Duckett 58)

Mohammed Siraj is brought back into the attack, replacing Thakur at the Brian Statham End and immediately his line is off, giving Crawley an easy flick off his pads for a couple.

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This England pair have to cash in now, with conditions set fair, the Indian seamers not firing on all cylinders and the ball not doing much.

04:48 PM BST

OVER 24: ENG 121/0 (Crawley 61 Duckett 58)

Just two runs from Bumrah’s latest over, who is the only Indian seamer to keep the runs down a little, and even he has not been at his best today.

04:43 PM BST

OVER 23: ENG 119/0 (Crawley 60 Duckett 57)

How many times in this innings so far have we said that the radar is all over the place from the Indian seamers. Thakur strays onto Crawley’s pads and the latter gratefully accepts the invitation to flick away fine for four.

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Thakur does then find the outside edge but Crawley played it straight down and it goes through the vacant third-slip region for four. Not a catching opportunity even if a third slip was in place.

England’s run rate is over five.

04:38 PM BST

OVER 22: ENG 111/0 (Crawley 52 Duckett 57)

A tight, probing over from Bumrah, who went past the outside edge of Duckett a few times with some beauties.

04:33 PM BST

OVER 21: ENG 109/0 (Crawley 52 Duckett 56)

Crawley drives one aerially through the point region but, fortunately for him, there is no point in place, instead Jadeja is positioned at deep point. That is probably a reward though for the rate England are scoring at and India’s difficulty in stemming the flow of runs.

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Thakur later in the over bowls one short and wide, which Crawley tucks into by cutting away for four to bring up his 18th Test fifty.

Not many saw this coming when the ball was hooping around earlier. India – yet again – are missing Kuldeep Yadav. Yes, Shardul Thakur batted well, but Kuldeep’s wrist spin would be such an asset on this pitch.

04:29 PM BST

OVER 20: ENG 102/0 (Crawley 47 Duckett 54)

Bumrah sends down a maiden to Crawley, who seems to be playing Bumrah with slightly more caution. Some adaptation to his usual style.

Rishabh Pant’s replacement as keeper Dhuv Jurel has just taken a pace forward to make his mark of where to stand – for Jasprit Bumrah. This pitch is placid now, at its best for batting.

04:24 PM BST

OVER 19: ENG 102/0 (Crawley 47 Duckett 54)

Duckett guides a ball under complete control through backward point and comes back for two, taking him to his 15th Test fifty in just 46 balls.

Thakur later in the over offers up just way too much width and Duckett tucks into it, crashing the ball through the covers for four to bring up the 100-run partnership.

04:20 PM BST

OVER 18: ENG 96/0 (Crawley 47 Duckett 48)

Crawley gets a leading edge on a shot he attempted to play through mid-wicket that ends up at point. A wry smile from Crawley, who will know he needs to be careful there.

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This time when Bumrah strays onto Crawley’s pads the England opener turns his wrists at the right time and times it to perfection as the ball races away just in front of square for four.

Zak Crawley must wish he could play every Test at Old Trafford. This is his first Test here since his 189 in the 2023 Ashes, having missed last year’s game with a nasty broken finger.

04:15 PM BST

OVER 17: ENG 92/0 (Crawley 43 Duckett 48)

Thakur bowls a beauty to Crawley, as it rises on the England opener and goes away. A few balls later Thakur bowls a hit-me delivery outside off that sat up to be thrashed through the covers for four and Crawley delivers a terrific cover drive to do so.

The over finishes with Duckett fishing at a ball very wide of his off stump and it nearly finds the outside edge.

04:11 PM BST

OVER 16: ENG 86/0 (Crawley 38 Duckett 47)

Jasprit Bumrah will also open up after the tea break from the Sir James Anderson End and he concedes just one run from the over. The camera pans to India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel; I wonder what he said to their bowlers at the tea break?

04:06 PM BST

OVER 15: ENG 85/0 (Crawley 38 Duckett 46)

For the first time in this innings, Shardul Thakur will bowl and start proceedings off after the tea break. He finds the outside edge of Crawley’s bat, the ball lands safely far in front of the slip cordons and goes through the slips. Rahul attempts to flick it back in before the boundary but makes a mess of it as the ball hits the boundary rope.

Duckett then gets some width and pushes one through the covers for three.

04:02 PM BST

Evening session

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett head back out to the middle as more and more blue sky is emerging. I wonder if Crawley is a little superstitious as he has not changed his jumper, which got very dirty in the afternoon session diving into his crease.

03:57 PM BST

Hosts’ dominant few hours

A fine session for England, possibly their most dominant of the series. Pant’s 50 was pure sporting theatre, his heroics on one leg sure to command the front pages in India but it is England that are on top. Stokes’s first five for in eight years rewarded another rousing captain’s performance but in good bowling conditions the openers had a job to do against Bumrah.

Duckett picked off fours on the leg side, Crawley helped himself too to some easy boundaries as India wasted the new ball; Bumrah bowled his slowest opening spell of the series and debutant Kamboj leaked runs at six an over. India, at the moment, are in danger of repeating what happened to Australia here two years ago, with England rampant and boundaries seemingly impossible to stem.

03:55 PM BST

Ricky Ponting on Sky Sports

03:51 PM BST

Weather getting better

Hold your hats, the sun is bursting through! England had some favourable bowling conditions earlier today and this evening will have some nice batting conditions.

03:49 PM BST

Good timing for India

With the way the England openers were motoring in that session, you would imagine Shubman Gill and his men are relieved to be heading back to the pavilion for a 20-minute break.

03:42 PM BST

England head into tea on day two at 77/0

This could well be the final over before tea. A major part of why the Indian seamers have struggled with their line is because Crawley and Duckett keep rotating strike so one minute it is the short left-handed Duckett on strike and then the next it is the tall right-handed Crawley.

That is one of the best shots not just today but of the Test match so far as Crawley plays a powerful, elegant on drive for four.

It is the final over before the tea break and England head into it at 77/0. That was a good session for England.

03:36 PM BST

OVER 13: ENG 69/0 (Crawley 27 Duckett 41)

The radar from the Indian seamers continues to be suspect as Duckett flicks Kamboj off his pads for four.

Not only is this pair regularly scoring boundaries, they are also making sure the scoreboard continues to tick over.

03:31 PM BST

OVER 12: ENG 62/0 (Crawley 26 Duckett 35)

We have seen all three Indian seamers straying too straight and once more Siraj commits that offence, with Crawley gratefully accepting the gift and flicking away fine for four.

Siraj’s radar is all over the place and this time gives Crawley the chance to drive through the covers for four like he did in the previous Siraj over.

Crawley could be in trouble here as he leaves one that comes back into him. It thumps into his pads and Siraj is convinced, however umpire Ahsan Raza is not. Siraj is desperate for a review and captain Gill agrees quickly.

Hats off to Ahsan Raza as that ball was clearly going over the stumps and he was not sucked in by Crawley offering no shot.

03:25 PM BST

OVER 11: ENG 54/0 (Crawley 18 Duckett 35)

Bumrah’s first spell is done as Kamboj has now switched ends. A single from Duckett through point brings up the England 50 as the sun is starting to burst through. There are some very dark and ominous clouds around but they seem to be passing around the ground.

Good running between this pair and England get five runs from the over. England’s run rate is in and around five-an-over.

England took Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed on their last tour of India, and they have had very interesting, similar weeks in the County Championship. Both of them have made a hundred, and then followed it up with a five-wicket haul. That is very encouraging indeed, because both of them have struggled to bring their talent to bear in the Championship.

03:19 PM BST

OVER 10: ENG 49/0 (Crawley 16 Duckett 33)

It is Siraj’s turn to bowl too straight and Crawley has an easy opportunity to flick fine for four, which he takes. India are struggling with shifting their line to the right hander and then the left hander, showing the value of having that combination at the top of the order.

Crawley plays probably his signature shot, using his height to get on top of the bounce and crashing Siraj through the covers for four. Shots like that are why Crawley is a very frustrating batsman.

03:14 PM BST

OVER 9: ENG 41/0 (Crawley 8 Duckett 33)

Bumrah has struggled with his line to the left-handed Duckett and it is easy pickings for Duckett as he flicks away once more through square leg for four, an area he has already scored a lot of runs today.

Bumrah does though end the over with a beauty that narrowly goes past Duckett’s outside edge.

03:09 PM BST

OVER 8: ENG 36/0 (Crawley 7 Duckett 29)

First bowling change as Mohammed Siraj is into the attack from the Sir James Anderson End. Crawley attempts a pull shot to a ball that was slightly too full and it is not far away from the top of off stump as it went under Crawley’s bat.

Just the two runs from Siraj’s first over.

03:04 PM BST

OVER 7: ENG 34/0 (Crawley 6 Duckett 28)

England did have some very favourable bowling conditions earlier but the weather is improving and we could even get some proper sunshine soon!

Crawley finally gets off the mark but not without encountering some pain as he is struck on the glove by Bumrah and coming through for a single. That hurt!

Crawley finishes the over with his best shot of the day, crashing one through the covers. Kamboj does brilliantly to flick it back just befire the boundary rope but Crawley and Duckett come through for a fully run four. Crawley did need to get a full dive in to make sure he made his ground.

02:59 PM BST

OVER 6: ENG 26/0 (Crawley 0 Duckett 26)

Duckett pushes off the back foot for a couple and he still has scored all of England’s runs so far.

02:55 PM BST

OVER 5: ENG 24/0 (Crawley 0 Duckett 24)

Duckett will face up to Bumrah for the first time in this innings but before he does the ground staff are called on to hammer down parts of the wicket right around Bumrah’s landing spot.

Bumrah strays onto the pads and Duckett aerially flicks away just behind square for four. He now has three boundaries already through that region in this innings. Duckett was superb in the first Test at Headingley but has struggled since, not getting past 25.

It is four more as Duckett flicks away fine with ease. Two gifts from Bumrah, which is very unlike him. Duckett has every single one of England’s runs so far.

02:49 PM BST

OVER 4: ENG 15/0 (Crawley 0 Duckett 15)

Duckett smashes the first ball of Kamboj’s second over in Test cricket straight but it hits Crawley’s bat at the non-striker’s end. That would have gone for four but at least Duckett and Crawley, good mates that they are, can have a laugh about it.

A few balls later Kamboj offers too much width, allowing Duckett to cut away but with Jadeja positioned out on the boundary at deep point it is just two.

Three from the over.

02:45 PM BST

OVER 3: ENG 12/0 (Crawley 0 Duckett 12)

Bumrah sends down another maiden over to Crawley, who is still yet to get off the mark.

02:41 PM BST

OVER 2: ENG 12/0 (Crawley 0 Duckett 12)

Who will take the new ball with Bumrah? It will be debutant Anshul Kamboj, who averages just under 23 in first-class cricket.

He nearly gets a wicket second ball as the ball goes down the legside and it comes off Duckett’s glove. Jurel dives to his right like a goalkeeper but he cannot grasp it and the ball runs away for four, the first runs of the England innings. UltraEdge shows the impact on Duckett’s glove.

Then Duckett loses control of his bat as he played into the offside and it so nearly went onto his stumps. Duckett was panicking for a moment there but his nerves will have calmed now as Kamboj strays onto the pads and Duckett flicks through square leg for four. Duckett finishes the over with another four in the same way.

02:35 PM BST

OVER 1: ENG 0/0 (Crawley 0 Duckett 0)

Jasprit Bumrah will start proceedings from the Brian Statham End. From the fourth ball, Crawley goes for a loose drive that could so easily have led to his downfall but fortunately for the Kent opener the ball misses the edge.

A probing maiden over to begin with from Bumrah.

It’s almost exactly two years since Zak Crawley’s phenomenal 189 at Old Trafford: the innings that seemed to be the ultimate vindication for his selection. Now, with his place under growing pressure, he has to find a way to get through the new ball. That was a very testing opening over from Jasprit Bumrah; we’d expect nothing less.

Yashasvi Jaiswal has been brought back into the slips cordon for the first time since Leeds, where he had a mare, because Karun Nair has been dropped.

02:30 PM BST

England’s reply

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett stride to the crease, knowing in particular these first 20 overs are going to be tough against Bumrah et al. Is Shubman Gill keeping an eye on the clock? As India reported earlier, Dhruv Jurel will keep wicket in place of Rishabh Pant. As Crawley comes out to bat, he will be under immense pressure.

02:25 PM BST

Alterations to Stokes’ bowling

The week before the start of this series, I was in Durham to write a feature and when sitting in the office of the club’s director of cricket, Marcus North, Stokes was in the nets working on his bowling. The injury break allowed him time to study footage of his action and run up, which he felt had been affected by his hamstring and knee problems. He lengthened his run up, and straightened his approach to the crease. There have bene noticeably fewer no balls from Stokes and he is bowling closer to the stumps, ideal for a swing and seam bowler. He looked at footage of his bowling in 2020 when he bowled England to victory in Cape Town.

The old soaks think he should have been bowling in county cricket but Stokes prefers to work away from a match scenario and go through situations he will face in Test cricket. Can’t really argue with the results. “To be able to do some really, really good technical work and getting myself back to sort of where I feel like I was before I had my injuries is really good, because there was naturally quite a few changes that crept into my actions how I was landing, how I was approaching the crease, because of my knee or because of my hamstring,” he said before the Leeds Test. “So it was nice to be able to sort of get rid of those and just really focus on the technical side of bowling, because there’s a first there’s a lot that goes into it.”

02:21 PM BST

India all out for 358

Bumrah c Smith b Archer 4 What a strange moment that was. Archer bowls one down the legside and Bumrah misses it. Root is the only one who thinks he has heard an edge but no-one else seems convinced. With one review left, Stokes decides to review and in fact there was some glove on it so Bumrah is gone. Archer even has a laugh to himself as no-one bar Root thought that was out. It was and that is the end of the Indian innings. India will probably be content with that score. FOW 358 all out

That’s the first wicket of a right-hander that Jofra Archer has taken since his return to Test cricket last week. He’s been absolutely brilliant to the left-handers.

It feels to me like 358 is a pretty good score..

02:18 PM BST

OVER 114: IND 358/9 (Bumrah 4 Siraj 5)

Siraj is moving around his crease, eventually getting his bat on one. He hits a full Stokes delivery back over the England captain’s head and gets four.

02:13 PM BST

OVER 113: IND 354/9 (Bumrah 4 Siraj 1)

As Pant hobbles his way back to the dressing room, Mohammed Siraj is the last man in and he gets off the mark with a single into the legside after coming across his stumps. That brings up India’s 350.

Bumrah is swinging hard and is lucky an thick inside edge does not crash into his stumps, instead racing away for fine down to fine leg.

02:10 PM BST

Wicket

Pant b Archer 54 Take a bow, Jofra! That is unplayable, injured or not. That was very similar to the way Archer got Pant out at Lord’s, clattering into the top of off stump. FOW 349/9

02:07 PM BST

OVER 112: IND 349/8 (Bumrah 0 Pant 54)

Stokes bowls wide outside off stump and Pant manages to get very good bat on it, despite his limitations. It flies away through cover for four to take Pant to his 18th Test fifty.

Pant takes a single off the fourth ball. Bumrah survives the final two balls of the over.

02:02 PM BST

OVER 111: IND 344/8 (Bumrah 0 Pant 49)

Pant picks the Archer slower ball bouncer out of the back of the hand and pulls away over Dawson’s head for six. He then takes a single through square leg to take him to 49, giving Bumrah just one ball to face at the end of this Archer over.

Bumrah defends the final ball of the over.

01:59 PM BST

OVER 110: IND 337/8 (Bumrah 0 Pant 42)

Jasprit Bumrah joins Pant in the middle. Two wickets in the over for Stokes, who is bowling superbly. Some interesting Stokes stats here, courtesy of Mr. Smyth:

• First Test five-for since 2017

• 16 wickets in the series – the most he’s taken, beating the 15 he took in his debut series in Australia in 2013-14

• 19 wickets this summer, the most he’s taken in an English summer. He’s never taken 20 in a season. This equals the 19 he took in Bangladesh and India in 2016-17.

01:56 PM BST

Wicket

Kamboj c Smith b Stokes 0 What a delivery! Kamboj, with a first-class average of a tick over 16, comes in at number nine but his debut innings lasts just two balls. Stokes bowls a beauty, which nips away from Kamboj, who was forced to play in the corridor of uncertainty, and Smith takes the simple catch. That is also Stokes’ five-for, his first in Test cricket in eight years. Bravo captain Stokes. FOW 337/8

01:53 PM BST

Wicket

Washington c Woakes b Stokes 27 The short-ball tactic works. Washington is lured into going after a Stokes bouncer and it goes high in the air, with Woakes taking the simple catch on the boundary down at fine leg. Considering how players have lost sight of the ball over the past couple of days, Woakes and Stokes will be relieved that did not happen on this occasion. FOW 337/7

01:49 PM BST

OVER 109: IND 336/6 (Washington 27 Pant 41)

Archer bowls a full toss that Pant tries to whack out of the ground but only succeeds in spooning it not very far over Archer’s head and comes through for a single.

Three from the over.

01:45 PM BST

OVER 108: IND 333/6 (Washington 26 Pant 40)

Well that was a little wild. Pant attempts a huge swipe but the delivery from Stokes is way down the legside, beating Smith and running away for four byes. Pant then does get a very slow single, finding space through square leg.

After a single for Washington, Stokes fires in a full delivery towards Pant’s injured foot. Stokes goes for it again and strikes Pant once more but the latter manages to hobble through for a single down to fine leg as it hit the bottom of his pad rather than his foot.

Washington finishes the over by slashing at a wider delivery and getting a thick outside edge which flies wide of the slip cordon and away for four.

I reckon that England have been a little too passive around this Pant situation. Their fielders should be absolutely all over him when he tries to run between the wickets, and Jamie Smith or the bowler straight up to the stumps. He’s been able to walk his singles pretty easily. Why not deny him singles, and tempt him into the big shot?

01:40 PM BST

OVER 107: IND 322/6 (Washington 21 Pant 39)

England’s two best bowlers in this Test match start proceedings after lunch as Jofra Archer will bowl from the Sir James Anderson End. Archer strikes Washington on the pads but umpire Ahsan Raza shakes his head. No real contemplation of a review from Ben Stokes with height cited as the reason but that looked close. It was going over so a good decision by Stokes not to review.

Archer then hits Washington on the pads again with an absolute beauty but again his appeals are turned down. England have just one review remaining and Stokes decides this time to review. This is very, very close on impact. The ball is crashing into off stump but it is umpire’s call on impact so it remains not out. England can feel very unlucky and aggrieved with that decision as, let’s be honest, that is out.

Terrific maiden over from Archer.

01:34 PM BST

OVER 106: IND 322/6 (Washington 21 Pant 39)

Ben Stokes will start proceedings off after lunch from the Brian Statham End. We are in this rather strange situation where there will be no running between the wickets unless there is the easiest of singles. How does Washington play it? We know how Pant will play because that is his usual style but what approach does Washington take?

Washington does manage to get a single through point as it had gone past Dawson, who had to run back towards the boundary to fetch it. That proves just how much Pant is lacking in mobility.

01:29 PM BST

Afternoon session

The players are back out on the outfield. Pant slowly heads out, a bit behind Washington.

01:27 PM BST

Nearly ready for action

The lights are still on but the cover on the wicket has been removed and play should get back under way at 1.30pm, effectively with no time lost.

01:24 PM BST

Lunch verdict

India fight on and Rishabh Pant, their vice-captain, exemplified their spirit by hobbling out to bat with a suspected broken foot. Quite how he plays it from here will be fascinating. He and his partner, Washington Sundar, seemed content to pat back balls and pinch the odd slow-footed single.

Surely it would be better to play some shots in this situation and get bowling as soon as possible in good conditions for Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj to exploit and put England’s shaky top three under pressure. Ben Stokes again has been the best seamer while Jofra Archer was superb with the second new ball. England have aimed for the channel outside off stump and extracted some extravagant movement but only took two wickets in that session.

01:17 PM BST

Stuart Broad on Sky Sports

“There was a lot happening [in the morning session] and England started superbly, particularly [Jofra] Archer, getting [Ravindra] Jadeja in his first over with a beauty. I just wonder whether England got a bit wide after that.

“I think, with the amount that new ball was doing, England realistically would have been thinking – clouds in, lights on – they should have picked up four or five wickets.

“Credit to India with how they played. They are getting themselves in a pretty strong position. Anything over 350 will be a good score on this surface, with the likes of [Jasprit] Bumrah and [Mohammed] Siraj to come charging in later this afternoon.”

01:10 PM BST

What is Pant’s true status?

India have already confirmed he will not keep but he did come back out to bat before the lunch break. His movement, unsurprisingly, is very limited, and you would imagine during the lunch break that he will be receiving plenty of treatment on his foot during the interval. Stuart Broad has suggested on Sky that England could hide the ball outside off stump and bowl some slower balls to take advantage of Pant’s limited movement.

12:58 PM BST

Timings

The players left the field at 12.50, which is when the lunch break officially begun. Should it not be raining and the conditions are suitable for play, the afternoon session will begin at 1.30. There is just the one main hover cover over the wicket so that is hopefully a good sign. Looking at the radar there is not really any proper rain forecast now or for the rest of the day so hopefully we will resume at 1.30, which would mean that things are pretty much normal, other than lunch being taken 10 minutes early. Surely it was only a matter of time until it rained in Manchester!

12:50 PM BST

Early lunch

The rain is getting heavier and the umpires have decided to take an early lunch. It was an odd little session: India scored 57 runs in 22 overs for the loss of the overnight batsmen Ravinda Jadeja and Shardul Thakur.

Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer beat the bat time and again in the first hour, but Washington defended well and received courageous support from Rishabh Pant, who received a standing ovation after hobbling out to bat with a fractured foot.

12:47 PM BST

OVER 105: IND 321/6 (Washington 20 Pant 39)

There’s a bit of rain at Old Trafford, not enough for the umpires to take the players off. Pant shapes to assault a Carse delivery that follows him and hits high on the bat. Pant hobbles through for a single, and then back for another when Washington turns Carse off the hip. That second run (sic) was quite tight.

12:42 PM BST

OVER 104: IND 317/6 (Washington 18 Pant 38)

Stokes shows no mercy with a short ball that thumps Pant on the glove. England want to get him out of there as soon as possible because even on one leg he could do some damage. Pant gets his first run of the day with a well-timed cut stroke.

12:40 PM BST

Stokes goes past Harmison

That was Stokes’s 14th wicket of the series. He is now the leading wicket-taker on either side and has just gone past Steve Harmison’s tally of 226 career Test wickets (he took 223 for England, four for the Rest of the World). For a period Stokes took on the battering ram role because nobody else could do it. But with Archer and Carse giving England genuine pace in place of Broad and Anderson, Stokes can go back to bowling with his skills of moving the ball laterally through the air and off the pitch.

12:35 PM BST

OVER 103: IND 315/6 (Washington 17 Pant 37)

A brutish bouncer from Carse hits Washington on the arm and knocks him off his feet. He played it quite well in the end, as he does the rest of the over. Carse might be starting to find some rhythm.

12:35 PM BST

Pant brings the house down

Remarkable scenes as Rishabh Pant hobbles to the middle. I would have thought he would have batted No 11, but he’s in at the fall of the sixth wicket! He must have been pretty close to being timed out…

12:32 PM BST

OVER 102: IND 314/6 (Washington 17 Pant 37)

Pant hobbles slowly to the middle, clearly uncomfortable. I thought he would bat today – but not, effectively, at No8. He’s beaten by both deliveries he faces, the second a jaffa, and winces down the pitch to chat to Washington.

12:30 PM BST

Wicket!

Thakur c Duckett b Stokes 41 Ben Duckett has taken a blinder! Thakur couldn’t resist a seductive, full-length outswinger from Stokes and threw himself into the drive. The ball flashed off the edge and was brilliantly caught by Duckett, leaping to his left in the gully. And here comes Rishabh Pant to a standing ovation! What a man. FOW: 314/6

12:26 PM BST

OVER 101: IND 314/5 (Thakur 41 Washington 17)

Carse is straining to find the rhythm he had in that game-breaking spell on the fourth evening at Lord’s. His third over is better, with a consistent full length, but there is little of his usual snap and menace. It might be time to turn to Liam Dawson.

12:22 PM BST

OVER 100: IND 313/5 (Thakur 40 Washington 17)

Washington survives a run-out chance after backing up too far. Thakur clipped Stokes to mid-on, where Carse picked up smoothly and whistled a throw just past the stumps.

Thakur almost falls as well, cutting Stokes just short of Pope at backward point. The ageing ball isn’t going past the edge much now but Stokes always makes something happen.

12:17 PM BST

OVER 99: IND 312/5 (Thakur 39 Washington 17)

Thakur and Washington have done an admirable job to survive the new ball, which was only 11 deliveries old when they came together. Another quick wicket and India could have been rolled for under 300.

12:12 PM BST

OVER 98: IND 310/5 (Thakur 39 Washington 15)

A beautiful inswinging yorker from Stokes is dug out, just, by Washington. The ball rolls behind him and fractionally wide of off stump.

How well is Stokes bowling right now? I cannot wait to see him go to work on the bouncier Australian pitches.

12:09 PM BST

OVER 97: IND 309/5 (Thakur 39 Washington 14)

Brydon Carse replaces Archer. He was well short of his best on day one, and his first ball is a rancid half-tracker that Washington slaps up and over for two. The outfield is quite soft, otherwise it would have gone for four.

The rest of the over is better, with Washington forcing another run off the hip.

12:03 PM BST

Drinks break verdict

It feels like England are well on top – but the score says a different story. 400 would be an excellent total for India. As the ball gets a little older batting will get easier.

12:02 PM BST

Every cloud…

Frustrating as this late-order resistance by India may be for England supporters, it is better that they are bowling this cloudy morning rather than batting against Jasper Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. That task should be easier after lunch…

11:57 AM BST

OVER 96: IND 306/5 (Thakur 39 Washington 11)

Ben Stokes, on for Chris Woakes, bowls a snorter to Thakur that ends up in the gloves of Jamie Smith. It’s given not out, but there was certainly a noise and Stokes eventually reviews with a couple of seconds remaining.

Replays show that that ball brushed the shoulder of Thakur, not his bat, so he continues. That’s a brilliant decision from the umpire Rod Tucker.

Thakur adds something salty to England’s disappointment by panelling the next ball to the cover boundary. Drinks, and the end of a pretty good first hour for India.

11:56 AM BST

Pant ‘available to bat as per team requirements’

It looks like Rishabh Pant is going to bat at some stage. He’s in the Indian dressing-room and has hit whites on.

11:55 AM BST

OVER 95: IND 302/5 (Thakur 35 Washington 11)

Archer moves around the wicket to Washington. He thick edges for four then plays and misses at successive deliveries, the second of which elicits a gesture of frustration from Archer. England have had no luck this morning.

11:50 AM BST

OVER 94: IND 298/5 (Thakur 35 Washington 7)

Yikes. Woakes bowls a ball to Washington that curves a long way down the leg side for five wides. Handy runs for India because these are not easy batting conditions.

Woakes goes past Washington’s defensive push later in the over; England have beaten the bat or found the edge at least 10 times this morning.

11:45 AM BST

OVER 93: IND 290/5 (Thakur 35 Washington 4)

Archer hurries Thakur with a perfectly pitched bouncer. His pace has been slightly down this morning, in the low 80s mph; the Sky commentators think that’s a deliberate tactic to get the most out of conditions He did something similar during his six-for against Australia at Headingley in 2019.

Washington starts to play at a tempting outswinger and then thinks better of it. Not sure whether that counts as a play-and-miss or not. The smile on Archer’s face suggests he thinks it was.

11:41 AM BST

OVER 92: IND 288/5 (Thakur 34 Washington 3)

Washington gets off the mark from his 19th delivery. He and Thakur are playing low-risk cricket, content to see the opening bowlers out of the attack.

Thakur is beaten again, feeling for a classic delivery from Woakes that nips away sharply.

11:36 AM BST

OVER 91: IND 284/5 (Thakur 33 Washington 0)

A short ball from Archer gets so big on Smith that he can only help it on its way for five wides. That’s a rare loose delivery in what has been an excellent spell.

Archer is back on the money next ball, beating Thakur with a full ball outside off.

11:34 AM BST

How to make friends and influence people

You have to say this is a truly bizarre tweet from Old Trafford. Fans shouldn’t have to turn up super-early in order to make their seats by the start of play at 11! Nick and I walked in at about 10am and overheard various fans commenting on how much earlier they’d arrived than yesterday.

11:33 AM BST

OVER 90: IND 279/5 (Thakur 33 Washington 0)

Washington is leaving well outside off stump, prompting Woakes to move around the wicket for the last ball of the over. It slips harmlessly down the leg side. Washington has 0 from 18 balls. With some players that would be a concern but he looks perfectly calm.

11:27 AM BST

OVER 89: IND 278/5 (Thakur 32 Washington 0)

Archer beats Thakur with another delicious outswinger. On the first day he struggled to find any sideways movement; he’s having no such trouble this morning. I wouldn’t say Archer is making the ball talk, but theer’s enough to make the drive a particularly dangerous shot.

Even the defensive push isn’t safe. That’s how Jadeja fell, and in this over Washington edges a not dissimilar delivery along the ground to slip. Another excellent over ends with a play and miss from Washington.

11:24 AM BST

OVER 88: IND 277/5 (Thakur 31 Washington 0)

Washington, pushing defensively, is beaten by a beauty from Woakes. There’s a little bit of uneven bounce with the new ball, so facing Jasprit Bumrah might not be a festival of joie de vivre for England’s openers – especially Zak Crawley, who a) needs runs and b) was peppered on the fourth morning of Lord’s.

11:21 AM BST

Brook’s fitness the key to his superb catching

Harry Brook is climbing up there to join the ranks of the best England slip fielders isn’t he? The key is that now he is so much lither and fitter than when he started in the England side. For his catching of Ravi Jadeja he was agile enough to swoop low and get his eyes right over the ball.

11:20 AM BST

OVER 87: IND 276/5 (Thakur 30 Washington 0)

A single from Thakur allows Archer to bowl at the left-handed Washington. On Sky Sports, Nasser Hussain makes the point that Australia have a few left-handers in their team: Khawaja, Head, Carey, Starc and Hazlewood.

Back in the present day, Washington plays out the remainder of the over without alarm. He’s an unobtrusive player, easy to forget, but his burgeoning Test record is outstanding: he averages 39 with the bat, 26 with the ball.

11:15 AM BST

OVER 86: IND 275/5 (Thakur 29 Washington 0)

Thakur gloves an unpleasant delivery from Woakes down the leg side for four. As at Lord’s in the third Test, this feels like a new-ball pitch.

Half-trackers are slappable on any pitch. When Woakes sends down an inexplicable piece of nonsense, Thakur larrups it to the cover boundary with a flourish.

11:14 AM BST

Jofra Archer: scourge of left-handers

That’s a phenomenal opening over from Jofra Archer, with the threat of a wicket just about every ball. Six wickets in this series, all of them left-handers. Here comes another, Washington Sundar.

11:11 AM BST

OVER 85: IND 266/5 (Thakur 20 Washington 0)

That was a classic Archer dismissal to the left-hander, pitching on middle and leg before seaming away to take the edge. It was such a good catch from Brook, who swooped to his right and grabbed the ball two-handed just above the floor.

11:10 AM BST

Wicket!

Jadeja c Brook b Archer 20 An awesome start from Jofra Archer! In the space of five balls he could have struck three times. Jadeja edged on the bounce to gully, Thakur snicked even closer to second slip – and then Archer got his reward. Jadeja was squared up by a peach that took the edge and was brilliantly caught by Harry Brook at second slip. FOW: 266/5

11:04 AM BST

OVER 84: IND 264/4 (Jadeja 19 Thakur 19)

Chris Woakes, second new ball in hand, starts with an accurate maiden to Shardul Thakur. There was a lot of sneering when Thakur failed twice with the bat at Edgbaston but he can play; Woakes was in the England team at the Oval in 2021, when Thakur’s two half-centuries were central to India’s victory.

11:01 AM BST

A handy stand-in

10:56 AM BST

No repeat of Wednesday’s queues at Old Trafford

Full house at Old Trafford today. Lancashire did not cover themselves in glory on day one. It was not a sell out, despite the stellar opposition, and the queues at the gate did not reflect well on the club’s organisation. To later blame fans for turning up late was an interesting strategy for luring them back in the future.

It was a lovely touch to see Farokh Engineer and Clive Lloyd honoured with a stand named after them which was needed because Old Trafford had lost its feel as a cricket ground in the hunt for making money on the side, which is essential in this era but makes it a difficult blend for clubs to manage.

10:34 AM BST

Ten-man India need monumental effort

Rishabh Pant’s injury has cast a big shadow over this series. It is not official yet but reports in the Indian media say he is out of the series and India are down to ten men for this Test. It does become hollow when one team is incapacitated so badly. There is nowhere to hide in a sport that is played across five days and it will take a monumental effort for India to keep the series alive.

10:33 AM BST

Chris Woakes talks to Sky Sports

I feel a bit sore but the body is coping pretty well. The first waddle to the bathroom in the morning can be a bit tricky! Once you get going, you find something from somewhere, and it’s often when you’re stiff and sore that you bowl your best.

I’ve bowled most of my deliveries to Jaiswal over the wicket in this series. I made a commitment to myself that I’d go around in this game. I challenged him – I had a couple of nicks that dropped short and beat the edge – and it’s just unfortunate it didn’t go my way.

[On hitting Rishabh Pant on the toe] He’s quite unpredictable. He doesn’t give you many cues but sometimes you get a gut feel that he’s about to do something. He’d played five or six deliveries normally so I had a feeling … I didn’t think it would be a reverse sweep! I thought he might run at me and I tried to bowl a slower ball; it came out full and hit him on the foot. It wasn’t a play to go in the blockhole but it was a ploy to take pace off.

10:27 AM BST

A dank morning in Manchester

Morning from Old Trafford, where it’s a dank day, a little like yesterday. Earlier it was a bit brighter, but the sellout crowd are filtering in to low clouds. New ball time when England resume.

No official update from India, but our Indian counterparts are reporting that Rishabh Pant has broken his foot and is out for six weeks – so the rest of this series and a fair bit beyond. Sad news, both for him, his team, and the series, really. Obviously he can be replaced by a sub keeper, but it means England only need 18 wickets to win this match.

10:22 AM BST

On today’s agenda: another trial by Bumrah

10:18 AM BST

England announce 2026 fixtures

10:03 AM BST

Boycott’s Briefing

09:59 AM BST

Dawson’s return is bad news for Bashir

Liam Dawson’s seventh ball in Test cricket, after eight years away, drifted in the air and then landed on an immaculate line outside Yashasvi Jaiswal’s off stump. The left-hander then shaped forward to defend, only to be deceived by the turn: there was not too much but too little.

Jaiswal had expected the ball to turn back into him, as is customary from a left-arm orthodox spinner’s angle. Had Dawson spun the ball accordingly, his delivery would have met the middle of Jaiswal’s bat. Instead, the lack of turn was the difference between the middle and an edge. It felt like a very apt way for Dawson to mark his Test return.

Dawson is not the ostentatious sort. But after Harry Brook completed a routine catch at slip on the first day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Dawson raised his left hand in celebration, leapt away in joy and punched the air, revelling in a moment that he never thought would come. After 102 matches away, Dawson finally had his eighth Test-match wicket.

Read more…

09:53 AM BST

Good morning

Good morning and welcome to Telegraph Sport’s live, over-by-over coverage of the second day of the fourth Test between England and India. Are you ready for a big first cliché? Yep, we’re in Big First Hour territory at Old Trafford, where India will resume on 264 for 4 after an unyielding arm-wrestle on day one.

India’s position isn’t quite as strong as the score suggests. There are reports that Rishabh Pant suffered a fractured metatarsal when he tried to reverse sweep Chris Woakes. If so, he will miss the fifth Test at the Oval but may bat here in an emergency.

England would like to force India’s hand before lunch. The second new ball is available and India’s tail has been blown away a few times in this series. First England have to dismiss two of Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar. Jadeja, aiming for his fifth consecutive fifty, and Thakur will resume on 19 not out apiece.

Chris Woakes feels like a key man. His performance yesterday was arguably his best of the series and he deserved more than figures of 1 for 45. Jofra Archer was down on pace from Lord’s, though his accuracy rarely wavered, and Ben Stokes continued his thrilling renaissance with the ball by dismissing his opposite number Shubman Gill and the top scorer Sai Sudharsan.

The feelgood moment of the day didn’t involve the quick bowlers. Liam Dawson, back in England’s Test team after an eight-year absence, dismissed the dangerous Yashasvi Jaiswal with his seventh ball. “I was nervous,” said Dawson. “I’d not played for a number of years. “It’s one wicket, I’ve done nothing special. Hopefully I’ll get a couple more.”

England will hope not, at least not in the first innings. If Dawson bowls today, it’ll mean things haven’t gone to plan with the new ball.