What a thrilling morning of cricket. I’m going to get some sleep and I’ll be back soon to check out some of your emails.
RAIN STOP PLAY – early lunch.
The grill is so fascinating that no one noticed that the clouds were gathering, the rain is coming and the players are approaching, it looks more like a shower, so an early lunch is being made, my sources told me they say the restart will be at 12:55 if the rain stops.
There was drama, more drama at the end before the break, as Bairstow passed a direct ball from Thakur and Aleem Dar gave him lbw. Check faster than you can say “inner edge friend” and of course the hot spot shows a snick. NOT OUT. Bairstow chews the gum indifferently, no doubt.
Here comes the rain. Photography: James Marsh / Shutterstock
Updated at 12.31 BST
45th final: England 198-6 (Bairstow 88, Billings 6) Only a couple of finals. Bumrah managed to reduce the score, albeit briefly.
And here’s Virat and Johnny talking about trash in the early hours of the morning.
44th on: England 196-6 (Bairstow 88, Billings 6) Atherton seems right, this is Jonny’s IPL bat: smear Thakur in the middle of the harbor in the Hollies’ bleachers for a big six! A rotating roll also carries four more, perfectly dividing the limit riders.
Here’s the story of Stokes ’dismissal which is fair to say he’s causing some ripples in emails.
43rd on: England 185-6 (Bairstow 78, Billings 6) Shades of Trent Bridge while Bairstow draws Siraj into the stands for six!
OBO guru Tim de Lisle sends an email with a JonnyStat:
“Bairstow had 13 balls out of 63, now 72 out of 93, so his last 59 have come out 30”
He is now 78 years old with 99 balls. And he has only asked for a bat change. “This is for six seniors,” Mike Atherton points out in the comment.
42nd envelope: England 178-6 (Bairstow 72, Billings 6) Bairstow makes a bold late cut that goes up and over the cordon. It’s a brilliant shot, as there are men on the edge of the side of the leg, making the pull / hook a much riskier proposition. He then leans back on his leg and slides a long ball of Thakur through the covers for four more. This is a weird way, the kind that you really have to get the most out of and Bairstow is doing it.
41st more: England 169-6 (Bairstow 63, Billings 6) Not for long, though, as Bairstow makes a esque film of Viv Richards from the stump that flies in the middle! Some shot this. It made it seem so simple, Sam Billings at the other end is playing a “normal” (What’s more normal?) Test touch that only serves to accentuate the bottle shape in which Bairstow finds himself. Nine races come out.
Photography: Stu Forster / Getty Images
Updated at 12.00 BST
40th more: England 160-6 (Bairstow 55, Billings 5) A free ball adds a single to the scoreboard and everything calms down a bit as Thakur throws an orderly ball to a vigilante Sam Billings.
39th more: England 159-6 (Bairstow 55, Billings 5) Bairstow climbs to the top again and grabs four, again! England didn’t get their foot out of the gas as Stokes walked away, just shrugged his shoulders and smiled sadly and it was all smiles on McCullum and Collingwood’s balcony of England. It is worth noting that England still has 256 runs.
38th Over: England 153-6 (Bairstow 50, Billings 4) Sam Billings is the new man and pulls his first ball out of his pills for four!
WICKET! Stokes ct Bumrah b Thakur 25 (England 149-6)
Disappeared! In a frantic step of the game, Stokes is caught in a dive by Bumrah halfway through the time after the Indian skipper had made a much easier catch just the ball before. Thakur also atoned for his gout.
Shardul Thakur celebrates with Virat Kohli while Ben Stokes leaves. Photography: Rui Vieira / AP
Updated at 11.38 BST
37th over: England 148-5 (Bairstow 50, Stokes 25) England is running well and catching up. Stokes gets three for a leg-side hack and Bairstow grabs a couple of singles to get his FIFTY out.
Jonny Bairstow is in his fifties. Photography: Ben Whitley / Shutterstock
Sriram sends emails to:
“I write from Chennai, India, in defense of the new‘ attack cricket ’strategy (I can’t call myself Baz … to call it THAT). But I worry that it only took two missed sessions for the journalistic knives to show up against the strategy, even after all he did for English morale and fortune just a few weeks ago. I see too many articles pointing out that the new strategy had failed on days 1 and 2.
Give it time, I say. When Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri’s India started playing this cricket mark a few years ago, it didn’t turn out great for them from the first moment either. In 2018, India played exciting cricket, but fell, heartbreakingly, 1-4 in England, with many of the same players on the team: Kohli, Shami, Bumrah, Jadeja, Pujara, Pant, Rahul, Ashwin.
Looking even further back, remember that the Lloyd’s West Indians played fluid calypso cricket and fell 1-5 in Australia in 1976. And then he will pull it out into the world for the next ten years. Give it time. The strategy is good. “
Updated at 11.35 BST
36th over: England 141-5 (Bairstow 48, Stokes 20) FALL! GOTA GRAN! Stokes skies Shami and Shardul Thakur ho vessa! Shami turns with disgust, has thrown 18 overs on the rebound and has grafted for that opportunity. It was an easy catch, the ball went so high that the audience got involved with some “Woooaaa-ing” when the ball went down and Thakur grabbed it with his fingers raised. Bairstow then makes a couple of good shots for four, a clip on the leg stump, and a ground-checked control. Some of their prey has been a bit agricultural this morning, but those two were all time and class.
Shardul Thakur drops Ben Stokes. I could have taken it in my pocket. Photography: Steve Bond / Shutterstock
Updated at 11.31 BST
35th: England 130-5 (Bairstow 39, Stokes 18) Siraj enters the attack to replace Bumrah and Bairstow takes him for a pair of fours, a wrist pull to the side of his leg and another air cover boost.
Updated at 11.20 BST
34th more: England 121-5 (Bairstow 31, Stokes 17) 11 runs come from Shami over – Stokes makes a violent four-point shot whistling at the fence and Bairstow climbs over and over to get four on the ground. Then the two batters run a fast two, Bairstow in particular is a lightning between the ports. Shami throws a beauty finale that goes away late and Bairstow follows him. Every ball feels like an event.
33rd above: England 110-5 (Bairstow 25, Stokes 12) Bumrah fits one into Stokes and an inside advantage saves him. Bairstow goes on strike and his short arm hits Bumrah on the ground for four. The Yorkshireman then leans on one of the decks to grab two. Absorb that first half hour.
Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow take a quick single. Photography: James Marsh / Shutterstock
Updated at 11.09 BST
32nd over: England 100-5 (Bairstow 16, Stokes 11) Everything gets a little spicy out there, as Virat and Bairstow seem to have concise words and the referees intervene. I’m not sure what’s going on, probably Kohli trying to get into Johnny’s noodles. . As a result, the Bairstow beans are well up and have a few wild beats before connecting with a point above three. Bairstow is up and running.
31st more: England 97-5 (Bairstow 13, Stokes 11) OUCH. Bumrah fits one into Stoke’s “stomach” and lands the pattern of England. Deep breaths and finally an ironic smile. An inner edge almost cuts into the stumps, but makes Stokes blow out. Bairstow is then defeated by consecutive deliveries out before throwing a single ball from the final ball.
John Little has the first email of the day:
“Good morning James, good choice of music to start the day. Kristofferson often used a key shift to augment things after the first chorus. Take note, Johnny Bairstow and Ben Stokes.”
There are notches and there are Joan notches. Will we have an exciting heart or a storm of feedback fading in this entrance of England?
It has been lucky that Ben Stokes drank a glass to protect his ‘stomach’. Photography: Mike Egerton / PA
Updated at 10.59 BST
30th more: England 95-5 (Bairstow 12, Stokes 10) Bosh! Stokes pours in and re-sticks Shami over his bald pate for four. Shades of Rishabh Pant on that dam. Then he raises a single one to get out of the strike. Ayayayay – Then Shami bites one again at Bairstow, who loses his stumps to a mosquito tab. It’s not boring.
Updated at 10.48 BST
29th more: England 90-5 (Bairstow 12, Stokes 5) Stokes goes down to Bumrah, but the fast bowler holds his long and beats Stokes by the outside edge. It seems the two men are enjoying this battle and backwards. Sure Stokes takes Bumrah out of the middle of the harbor for four! It is underway.
28th Final: England 84-5 (Bairstow 12, Stokes 0) Shami is finding some movement and there is a bit of hesitation when the ball goes to Pant behind the sticks, he spills one and does well to hold on. if to another. Shami starts with a maiden. Stokes v Bumrah then!
The players leave the field in the Birmingham sun, Bairstow is scratching his guard, Shami has the ball. PLAY!
Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes of England go out on the field. England need these two to stay to have any chance. Photography: James Marsh / Shutterstock
Updated at 10.42 BST
And that of Jonathan Liew, provides a fairly overwhelming reality check:
Here’s Andy Bull with these upbeat Anderson quotes:
Preamble
Going down Sunday morning.
Welcome to the third day of England’s OBO against India, Jim here with the call on Sunday morning before the mighty Rob Smyth takes control this afternoon. And in what position could the party be at that time?
England punished us yesterday the Indian giant and if they want to return from this far …