HOLLYWOOD FINISH AS ENGLAND PULL OFF MIRACLE VICTORY AGAINST ALL ODDS
In the evening light and as grey clouds circled Headingley, England pulled off another miraculous triumph with a performance that suggests Bazball has shifted into a new, mature phase.
Joe Root – of course it was Joe Root – guided them home to a five-wicket victory over India with a nerveless 53 not out after Ben Duckett’s 149 made the impossible possible. This win will be all the more satisfying because India were in the ascendancy for most of the Test and England made mistakes but still won.
They stuck India in at the toss in glorious batting conditions and conceded 835 runs in the match but still made 373 to win with 13 overs to spare. It is the second-highest total they have successfully chased down in Test cricket and the 10th highest successful chase of all time.
They were confidently in charge for most of the final day by batting with great control and at an easy tempo but there were scares when they lost two in two and needed 165 with six wickets left. When Ben Stokes was out there was still another 69 to be chipped away but Jamie Smith and Root put on an ice cool 71 stand. This being Stokes’s team there had to be a Hollywood finish. Smith whacked Ravindra Jadeja for six over long-on to win the Test at 6.28pm, just as the sun burst through to light up the finale.
England won by blunting the best bowler in the world, possibly of all time, with Jasprit Bumrah bowling 19 wicketless overs in the fourth innings and with a fifth-day pitch to exploit.
An enthralling Test match, only the third in history in which every innings was worth more than 350, was in the balance until an hour after tea on day five and if this is the template of what is to come, then buckle up for the rest of the summer – and the Ashes.
This will sit alongside this team’s other marvels against New Zealand at Trent Bridge in 2022 when they chased 299 to give birth to Bazball; the 378 against India at Edgbaston a few weeks later; and the 254 against Australia at Leeds two years ago when they made the highest score of the match to win and set up an Ashes comeback from 2-0 down. It was the sixth time this team have defied logic and chased more than 250 to win a Test.
Those wins were generally adrenalin-fuelled, seat-of-the-pants thrill rides but this was an outside-lane cruise in a Volvo set up by an unfussy 188-run opening stand between Duckett and Zak Crawley. They soaked up the pressure when Bumrah and Jadeja were on and seized opportunities to score when presented. With a nod to the Ashes, it is a hugely encouraging sign that this team has recognised that winning can be achieved more than one way, and ugly if necessary.
As a team, India were a shambles. No question that as a collection of individuals they are a talented crop despite recent retirements but they need time to click. They became the first side in Test history to score five hundreds and still lose. They collapsed twice, losing seven for 41 in the first innings when 600 seemed certain and six for 31 on the fourth day when they should have posted a 400-plus target that would have forced the Bazballers to contemplate the unpalatable; batting for a draw.
India made 11 single-figure scores in the match, England just four. Their fielders failed to back up the bowling with six crucial catches dropped, and some lackadaisical fielding that Virat Kohli would not have stood for. They missed his snarling in the field. Bumrah was a one-man band with the ball taking five for 140 in the match while his three other seamers took nine for 489. Everyone knew the game was up and the Western Terrace started partying when Bumrah did not take the second new ball with 22 needed; India opting to save his legs.
Tickets for day five were just £20 for adults, £5 for children bunking off school, and they bought a terrific day of drama. It may not have the Ashes sheen of 1981 or Stokes in 2019 but Duckett’s man-of-the-match innings deserves its place in Headingley’s history of heroic deeds.
From 170 balls he struck 21 fours to clock up a sixth Test hundred, that included an imperious six with a reverse sweep off Jadeja. His stand for the first wicket with Zak Crawley took them beyond 2,000 runs as an opening pair made at an unprecedented 5.03 an over. They really do have a special bond.
Crawley’s slowest Test fifty was a sign he too has shed some of his flakiness and knuckled down for this era-defining run of matches. He was content to let his partner dominate while he dropped anchor. His 65 ended caught at slip off Prasidh Krishna and when Ollie Pope inside edged on to his stumps two overs later, India had a way back in with 165 still required.
Duckett was the key man. He had signalled intent Monday night when he left the first two balls of an innings for the first time and was watchful against Bumrah, waiting for Krishna to come on and punishing him in particular before finding his range with his sweep against Jadeja.
On 97 he offered a catch to deep square leg but Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped his third chance of the match and bowler Mohammed Siraj cursed the heavens. Four balls later he hammered a sweep to bring up his hundred.
After a short shower, the ball started to swing more. England kept out Bumrah and relaxed when Shardul Thakur, the worst player in the match, ran in from the Kirkstall Lane End. Duckett drove a half-volley to cover, and first ball Harry Brook flicked a leg-side catch to the keeper; England were four down with 119 needed.
Ben Stokes was scratchy and his flirts with danger playing the reverse sweep to Jadeja was his downfall, caught at short third-man but Root was super cool. He has been here and done it before. Smith hammered Jadeja for 18 in the final over to speed up the finish.
Stokes hails ‘awesome’ win and laughs off criticism of the toss
Ben Stokes lauded his England’s team’s never-say-die attitude after they pulled off another staggering Headingley heist to take a 1-0 series lead over India.
Ben Duckett’s “unbelievable” 149 led the charge as England hauled down 371, by five wickets, with the 10th-highest chase in the long history of Test cricket to win a see-sawing match, much of which was dominated by India.
Stokes enjoyed having the last laugh after he was widely derided for asking India to bat first when he won the toss. As they racked up 359 for three on the opening day, Stokes was compared to Nasser Hussain at Brisbane in 2002 but he insisted he never questioned the decision.
“It’s a good thing Test cricket is played over five days,” he said. “Imagine thinking that way at the end of day one, when we haven’t even had the chance to bat on a wicket.
“You make a decision and you don’t know what is going to happen. We felt the best opportunity was on day one with a bit of grass on the pitch and moisture underneath. The opposition are allowed to play well.”
England have won their last six Tests at Headingley, many of them in thrilling fashion, including incredible Ashes meetings with Australia in 2019 and 2023.
“It’s been a very hard fought win,” he said. It’s been a long, tough old one, a proper effort from everyone. Being 1-0 up is a great start but there are four more games. We will celebrate this, then turn our attention to the rest of the series.
“We’ve been pretty good at this ground over the last few years. Going to the last hour on day five shows how good the quality of cricket was from both teams. We’ve come out with the win like we have done, to go all the way to the wire, it was two pretty good teams coming up against each other. We did what we needed to do in the crucial moments of this game. This win is not down to just the skill, but the attitude of this dressing room.”
Stokes was full of praise for Duckett and Zak Crawley, who shared an opening stand of 188.
“Chasing 371 like we were, you want to get a good start,” he said. “The way Zak and Ben play the game at the top of the order is huge for us, particularly at moments like this. Ducky got the 149 but Zak was so, so important and I thought he read the situation knowing Ducky was getting away. That opening partnership at the top has been very, very good for a couple of years for us.
”Chasing down totals does give you confidence as a team. Confidence in the dressing room to win against quality opposition gives you confidence. There’s four more hard games coming up.”
England are set to announce their squad for the second Test, which is at Edgbaston next Wednesday, over the next day or so, and could thrust Jofra Archer straight back into their XI based on a single County Championship match as he returns to Test cricket for the first time in four years. Archer has performed solidly in his red-ball return for Sussex, but there is one day remaining in their game at Durham.
Meanwhile, during a fiery press conference, the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir said defeat would not change their plans to only play fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah in three of the five matches in this series to manage his fitness. Bumrah ploughed a lone furrow in the first innings, taking another five-wicket haul, but went wicketless in the second.
”He is going to play three Test matches,” said Gambhir. “We won’t change it. For us to manage his workload is more important. There is a lot of cricket going forward. We know what he brings to the table as well. Before he came on this tour it was already decided he will play three Test matches. Let’s see how his body turns up. We haven’t decided which two other matches he is going to play.”
07:27 PM BST
Ratings: England’s batsmen shine but India have a glaring weak link
Only Usman Khawaja last winter in Sri Lanka has scored more runs in a Test innings with the reverse-sweep, though Andy Flower might have done before records began. But Ben Duckett’s brilliance extended all round the wicket, and he went on to a big hundred. He is giving himself time and even leaving a few at the innings start. Only a dropped catch marred his batting. 9/10
07:22 PM BST
Michael Vaughan on the ‘best all-format batsman in world’
That was a truly incredible win for England. The mindset England have is potent. The captain and coach have fostered a belief that they can win from any situation, no matter how bleak it might look.
India controlled the game, and played well for three-quarters of it. They scored five individual centuries and Jasprit Bumrah looked utterly unplayable at times. They were 430 for three on day two, and 339 in front, five wickets down on day four, and lost. If they had held some simple catches, they would have been out of sight on first innings.
At the heart of this win was Ben Duckett. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves in this team. Pound for pound, I reckon he is the best all-format batsman in international cricket right now. There may be players who are better at one of the formats, but none of them are as good at all three. Others in the conversation would be Travis Head or Aiden Markram, but on current form I’d have Ben over them, especially as he does it in such a tough position, opening, across all formats.
07:19 PM BST
Sir Geoffrey has his say . . .
07:02 PM BST
To put England’s achievement in perspective
06:59 PM BST
And finally Shubman Gill
A brilliant Test, we had our chances. But dropped catches [and collapses] cost us.
Yesterday, we were thinking of setting them 430, but our last wickets fell for 25. Even today, I thought we had our chances after the brilliant first wicket. Didn’t go to hand. We spoke about the first-innings collapse, They happens, We have to rectify that going forward.
Chances don’t come easy on wickets like this, but we have a young team that is learning. Hope to improve that.
The first session, we bowled spot-on. Didn’t give away runs, but it’s hard to stop runs once it gets old. Have to keep taking wickets when the ball got soft. Jadeja bowled brilliantly, created chances, had a pop-up Rishabh didn’t see. It happens.
06:56 PM BST
Ben Stokes speaks to Sky Sports
We’ve got some good memories here and here’s another one to add to it. Pretty special start to the series.
You don’t know what’s going to happen before a ball has been bowled so it’s a good job Test cricket is played over five days.
The wicket looked like it had grass on with moisture underneath., WE backed ourselves to take a couple of poles early but the opposition is allowed to play well.
[Did you ever regret bowling first during the game?] No.
It’s really difficult to open in England, Ducky got the big score but Zak was very important, too.
Chasing down totals do give you confidence as a team. To be able to win against quality opposition a number of times gives you confidence but we will have to bat first and bowl a team out, too, which also brings a lot of pressure.
There’s been a lot of skill contributing to win, we’ve been in the field for long periods, but we turned up each session with an attitude that we’ll blow the game open. Josh Tongue’s spells in both innings were game-changing.
06:48 PM BST
Ben Duckett is man of the match
Just an incredible game to be part of. India were superb. To go into day five and finish like we did was incredible.
It was really important that me and Zak got through last night without losing any wickets. Then today getting through Jasprit’s spell with the new ball and then playing our natural games.
We do believe. We’ve said that many times. We were behind the eight ball completely at times, huge credit to our bowlers who got the tail out quickly both times and they could have got another fifty or sixty.
Jasprit is a world-class bowler and he was superb in the first innings. To limit his impact and play him like we did today was massive.
I always believed Joe would get us over the line and Smith taking us home at the end was amazing.
06:44 PM BST
Fab stat from our friend Rob Smyth
That’s England’s sixth successful 250+ chase under Ben Stokes. Only three captains in history have managed two-thirds as many
- 6 Stokes
- 4 MS Dhoni
- 3 Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting
06:39 PM BST
Here’s how Smith finished the match
06:36 PM BST
No wonder they love chasing
Look at how many they have won batting last and how many they have made under Stokes and McCullum.
06:34 PM BST
Staggering
A truly staggering Test, one of the greats. What a start to this series, and to England’s epic run of 10 Tests. Crazy chase, because it was so calm and controlled. India will wonder how on earth they have lost this, given they controlled the game from day one.
06:32 PM BST
England win by five wickets
Well, they confound their critics again. All those lining up to berate them for their decision at the toss should be eating humble pie now. But they won’t because they never do. Opinionating is a consequence-free game because no one checks the receipts
06:29 PM BST
OVER 82: ENG 373/5 (Root 53 Smith 44)
Bumrah is on the field but Jadeja will begin the last hour bowling with the new ball from the Football Stand End. Smith accepts the invitation and slog sweeps for a four that came off the bottom edge followed by one off the middle that sails between the stands and out on to the concourse. England now need six.
Jasprit chases a midwicket flick down to cow corner and stops the boundary. Smith runs two.
Smith launches the last ball of the over into the stands at long-on for six!
What a way to end the match. England win by five wickets.
06:22 PM BST
This game…
They’re having drinks – with 16 required! Only cricket...
06:21 PM BST
OVER 81: ENG 355/5 (Root 53 Smith 26)
Root goes with the outswing from Siraj to glide the ball down to third man for a single that brings up England’s 350. Twenty-one needed.
Smith shuffles back to work a channel ball through midwicket with a stir of the pot and then Root drives and edges wide of gully for four to bring up his 66th Test fifty.
England need 16.
It’s new ball time, but England only need 22 to win. Jasprit Bumrah isn’t taking it, and he’s not even on the field. Is he injured? Being looked after for later challenges?
06:18 PM BST
OVER 80: ENG 349/5 (Root 48 Smith 25)
Jadeja comes back over the wicket which gives him more chance of bowling dot balls, pitching into the muck on leg stump. He duly bowls five of them, Root’s dab past slip for a single the only scoring stroke.
Mohammed Siraj is given the better end with the new ball and will run down the slope, a la Bobby Willis.
06:13 PM BST
OVER 79: ENG 348/5 (Root 47 Smith 25)
England would like to make a dent in the 30 still required off what will be Thakur’s last over. Root slaps a cut for a single but Smith’s attempt at a punchy drive slides off the face and into the pitch. England’s keeper uses his feet, looking to swipe it ton cow corner but Thakur pushes it wider so the batsman adjusts and drives it to mid-off.
Root walks across his stumps to whisk a half-volley through square leg for a single and curses himself for missing out on the boundary. Stokes, on the balcony in imperial purple, smiles at his mate. Gill posts three catching covers for Smith who responds brilliantly, opening the face instead of RSVPing the invitation to drive and smearing it past third man for four.
England need 23.
06:09 PM BST
OVER 78: ENG 341/5 (Root 45 Smith 20)
Ha! I know nothing. Jadeja rattles through his first maiden as soon as I made the last post. Smith plays the turning ball cautiously but solidly.
06:07 PM BST
OVER 77: ENG 341/5 (Root 45 Smith 20)
Smith strides across to drive Thakur for two and slices a cut deliberately for a single down to the point boundary rider. Root dabs a single down to the same fielder and then, after this Nabob of Dob oversteps, Smith has a swish at a wide one and nicks it wide of the slips for two.
India have got their pacing wrong here. The new ball will come too late to save them because they can’t stem the runs.
Ah Reidy, you never need an excuse for a bevvy.
06:01 PM BST
OVER 76: ENG 333/5 (Root 44 Smith 14)
Root’s soft hands guide an edge between slip and helmeted gully for four. I think he meant that. He certainly meant to play it with the loosest of grips. Triple Nelson!
05:59 PM BST
OVER 75: ENG 328/5 (Root 40 Smith 13)
Thakur replaces Prasidh presumably because Gill wants Bumrah and Siraj for the new ball but it might be far too late by then. Root defends a couple straight then pounces when the ball angles in, flicking it through midwicket for two. He does the same when the bowler strays on to middle again but can only pick up one this time. Smith picks up a single off the inside edge, extending the partnership to 26.
05:53 PM BST
OVER 74: ENG 324/5 (Root 37 Smith 12)
Venomous turn and bounce from Jadeja to beat Smith but it does not dampen his enthusiasm for the drive and ends the over by nailing one, creaming the left-arm spinner through the covers for four. Jadeja bravely tossed that up but it barely turned. The target falls below 50.
05:51 PM BST
OVER 73: ENG 319/5 (Root 36 Smith 8)
Nasser nicks Ravi Shastri’s catchphrase ‘it went like a tracer bullet’ to commemorate Smith’s rasping cover drive. After the cover version, Ravi obliges by saying it himself with the usual emphasis. ‘Like a TRACER bullet.’
Smith also carves Prasidh for a single while Root Harrow drives his, inside edging it to nutmeg himself.
England need 52 off 23 overs.
05:47 PM BST
OVER 72: ENG 313/5 (Root 35 Smith 3)
Jadeja wheels in, round the wicket to the right-handers. Smith judges the flight and length perfectly to chop a cut for a single. Root defends the rest with soft hands and an angled bat.
05:43 PM BST
OVER 71: ENG 312/5 (Root 35 Smith 2)
Glorious Root cover drive reduces the target to 59 as he holds the pose until the ball crosses the rope. He has been rocking a New Balance branded bat for years now but I think this is Smith’s first season with this sponsor. They dumped Ben Stokes when he had his court case in Bristol in 2017. I bet they wish they hadn’t.
05:40 PM BST
OVER 70: ENG 308/5 (Root 31 Smith 2)
Smith shovels the arm ball back through mid-on for a single and Root calmly extends his defensive push to take a single to cover. Then Jadeja has the ball on a string and mesmerises Smith beating him on the outside edge with a couple that skid on,.
05:38 PM BST
OVER 69: ENG 306/5 (Root 30 Smith 1)
Prasidh hangs one outside off, looking for the inswinger but it doesn’t move much and Root is up on his toes to glide it down through point off an open face for two. He taps one to cover and sprints down the other end. Smith gets off the mark with a midwicket flick.
05:33 PM BST
OVER 68: ENG 302/5 (Root 27 Smith 0)
That is Jadeja’s first wicket in the match but he has deserved it for his spell since an hour before tea when he found the right line. But with only right-handers left he will have to find a new line of attack.
05:28 PM BST
Wicket!
Stokes c Gill b Jadeja 33 Caught at short backward point reverse-sweeping. Gill had just put himself there, rationalising that he had to attack rather than defend. Stokes has been playing that shot constantly but it’s so diffciult out of the rough and that one spat up higher than he thought and he deflected it via the top edge on to his shoulder whence it spooned up. FOW 302/5
05:27 PM BST
OVER 67: ENG 300/4 (Root 26 Stokes 32)
Prasidh replaces Bumrah and Stokes, who treated the world’s best bowler with the utmost respect, charges his supporting act and clumps cross-batted through cover for four. Prasidh entices the edge next ball and the ball is chipped to first slip but India have stationed their solitary close catcher wider, almost at second slip and what would have been a sitter had he been positioned in orthodox fashion instead flies for four. Stokes smiles.
Obviously there are so many variables here, but the new ball is 14 overs away. If England keep up a decent scoring rate, the game should be as good as over by then. Looks like India are keeping Bumrah up their sleeve for it, but they need wickets now if they strategy is to work.
05:24 PM BST
OVER 66: ENG 291/4 (Root 26 Stokes 23)
Big chance when Stokes pops the ball straight up from his glove reverse-sweeping. Pant doesn’t move. He may have had to dive to the left and over the stumps but didn’t see it as he lost the ball and kept his head still instead of lifting it. Leg slip couldn’t get there either. Stokes connects with the reverse sweep next ball and strolls a single.
Root picks up four with another slice of luck as his dan hits a drainage cover and ramps over Nair’s hands to rattle down over the boundary. Nothing he could do about that at all.
05:21 PM BST
OVER 65: ENG 286/4 (Root 22 Stokes 22)
Bumrah is taken for a single when trying his booming, inswinging yorker to Stokes and lands it a couple of inches short. Stokes clips it for a single. It’s the only blight on the over for India as he keeps it tight.
05:19 PM BST
OVER 64: ENG 285/4 (Root 22 Stokes 21)
Stokes carries on reversing not that it is bringing him all that many runs. Stuart Broad points out that he is using it in lieu of forward defensive as it allows him to get his front dog out of the line. He connects with one of them as he would wish and scrapes it fine for a single.
05:12 PM BST
OVER 63: ENG 284/4 (Root 22 Stokes 20)
Stokes defends the first three balls of Bumrah’s over then taps the slower ball into the legside and pelts down to steal a single, beating the throw. Root defends the other two with an angled bat.
It’s after 5pm on a Tuesday. There’s a decent crowd, right into the game. Will we get a few more in?
Well they would if they opened the gates and let ’em in.
05:10 PM BST
OVER 62: ENG 283/4 (Root 22 Stokes 19)
After a few overs bowling exclusively over the wicket, he comes round to Joe Root and without the minefield Root reverse sweeps for four.
Root survives a very close call when it appeared that he had been pinned leg-before but Chris Gaffaney’s judgment proves better than India’s, the commentators’ and mine. The next ball whistles past the edge and off-stump and then Thakur makes a complete Horlicks of a routine stop at mid-on and lets them run three by refusing to spring up quickly and chase it. Jadeja, rightly, goes spare.
Stokes almost drags on reverse sweeping and nerves are fraying all round. In here, too.
05:05 PM BST
Not out
It was going over leg stump. India have no reviews left.
05:04 PM BST
India review
Root lbw b Jadeja Jadeja is certain he is plumb and races down to celebrate. No bat.
05:03 PM BST
OVER 61: ENG 275/4 (Root 15 Stokes 18)
Good pace from the off from Bumrah who pays tribute to Mark Wood by falling over when bowling round the wicket to Stokes who defends the first four balls. Bumrah almost always makes you play. He defends the last two, too. The trumpeter has run through his Root repertoire from Annie’s Song to Hey Jude.
04:58 PM BST
OVER 60: ENG 275/4 (Root 15 Stokes 18)
India are relaxed about Root taking a single, wanting to bowl at the left-hander. Root obliges by square-driving a single but Stokes also gets away from strike with a reverse sweep when Jadeja goes too wide outside off.
Right. Bumrah, surely? Yes.
04:55 PM BST
OVER 59: ENG 273/4 (Root 14 Stokes 17)
Stokes check drives the first ball of the evening session and the bowler fields but Thakur pushes the last ball wider and Stokes throws the bat at it with a bit of a hoick and cue-ends it between slip and gully for four.
04:52 PM BST
Set fair
Good news. Crack open the sunscreen and don the shades in Leeds. The sun is out and the covers are off. We are all set.
04:45 PM BST
It has stopped raining
And the covers over the bowlers’ run-ups have been removed. The main one is still there as they rope the square.
04:41 PM BST
Once they get back on
Presumably India will give Bumrah a spurt down the hill with his tail up and carry on with Jadeja now he has found his line to the left-handers.
The umpires’ umbrellas are still up as they stand by the covers.
04:37 PM BST
Weather report
A proper dump of rain has set in here. Don’t think we will be starting again on time in 10 mins, even though the wind is strong. Don’t think it’s a threat to getting a result, and we don’t start losing overs for a fair while after tea.
04:30 PM BST
Tea verdict
An early tea due to rain and we have another 40 minutes when they restart before we start to lose overs so don’t panic just yet. Two wickets in successive balls by the worst players of the match, Shardul Thakur, cracked open the innings just as Ben Duckett was writing his own page of history at Headingley. His brilliant 149 and an opening stand of 188 with Zak Crawley flattened India.
But a mid-session rain break juiced up the pitch and the ball started to misbehave more, Crawley edged to slip for 65 and Ollie Pope played on. Duckett reached his hundred with a trademark reverse sweep and plundered 49 from his next 49 balls as England started to cruise. But from nowhere he drove a Thakur long hop to cover and Harry Brook clipped a legside half volley behind as India came haring back into contention. Stokes looked all at sea against seam and swing and England needed the tea break to regroup.
04:27 PM BST
Duckett’s most outrageous stroke
04:24 PM BST
OVER 58.3: ENG 269/4 (Root 14 Stokes 15)
Thakur is reverse swinging it now. As Stuart Broad says, ‘Now we have the complete game, it was the only thing missing’. Root whisks a single off his toes through square leg and Stokes clips two into the onside but the rain is deemed too heavy after thyat delivery and the umpires call them off for an early tea.
England need 102, India require six wickets.
04:21 PM BST
OVER 58: ENG 266/4 (Root 12 Stokes 9)
Now Jadeja has located the minefield outside the left-handers’ off-stump it’s heart in mouth stuff every ball. It’s quite dark and the lights are on full. The mizzle is back too. Stokes is hit twice on the body outside the line as he tries to sweep and nurdle the ball away as it turns bit ends the over by nailing a reverse for two.
04:19 PM BST
OVER 57: ENG 263/4 (Root 11 Stokes 3)
Stokes drives at a fuller ball from Thakur and nicks it wide of gully for four. India are so engaged now, so cheerfully optimistic, so loud.
04:14 PM BST
OVER 56: ENG 259/4 (Root 11 Stokes 3)
Stokes survives the review but now Jadeja is finding the rough it is going to be an ordeal for the left-hander, the ball ragging in with a puff of dust. Stokes slaps a cut off one that doesn’t turn and Root reverse-sweeps off middle for a single.
Stokes goes for a big reverse sweep next ball but the ball turns, leaps and hits Pant hard on the heel of the right hand. He gives it a shake. The England captain collars the last ball with the reverse-sweep and cuffs it fine for a single.
One prime reason why Tests in England should be played at inner city grounds: spectators can walk up on the last day to see great finishes and thereby add to the atmosphere.
04:09 PM BST
NOT OUT
It was off his elbow. India are down to one review.
04:08 PM BST
India review
Stokes c short leg b Jadeja Did it come off arm or glove?
04:07 PM BST
OVER 55: ENG 256/4 (Root 11 Stokes 3)
After the two wickets in two balls, Stokes faces the hat-trick delivery and calmly clips it off his toes through midwicket for three. The last ball of the over spits up at Root and rattles the slice, making the funny bone thrum. The supporting cast of the Indian attack have chipped in with all four wickets. What a fantastic match this has been.
04:03 PM BST
Wicket!
Brook c Pant b Thakur 0 Golden duck. Strangled down the legside while striding down the pitch. Thakur’s on a hat-trick. FOW 253/4
Shardul Thakur has offered absolutely nothing with bat, ball, and in the field, all Test. And yet here we are - he’s broken it open again. If Jasprit Bumrah could keep his foot behind the line, Harry Brook would have had a pair...
03:59 PM BST
Wicket!
Duckett c sub b Thakur 149 Thakur rises to the occasion in similar fashion to Prasidh, swinging one away from the left-hander who slaps a cover drive and the sub, Nitish Kumar Reddy, takes a good catch diving to his left. FOW 253/3
A huge wicket in so many ways. Ravindra Jadeja will be particulalry grateful: he’ll now be able to bowl at two right-handers in tandem.
03:58 PM BST
OVER 54: ENG 253/2 (Duckett 149 Root 11)
Jadeja, over the wicket to the left-hander, now starts to target the rough with some success, the ball fizzing in to Duckett’s body for three dot balls but when one doesn’t turn he reverse sweeps very fine for four to take England past 250.
03:55 PM BST
OVER 53: ENG 248/2 (Duckett 144 Root 11)
Shubman Gill entrusts Shardul Thakur with a spell after ignoring him mostly during the match. And he starts well, conceding only a leg-bye and a single.
Can’t believe there has ever been a better exhibition of reverse-sweeping in a Test in England than Ben Duckett’s. Just as well for England that Ravi Jadeja keeps firing it through…
03:48 PM BST
OVER 52: ENG 246/2 (Duckett 143 Root 11)
Jadeja replaces Bumrah at t’Rhinos end. And both the right-hander and left-hander reverse sweep him for singles. Then Duckett mows a reverse sweep over cover for six. Amazing stroke, hit so hard. Landing on the concrete of the terrace has done some damage to the ball.
The umpires will change the ball and call on the drinks to minimise the delay to those already scheduled.
03:43 PM BST
OVER 51: ENG 238/2 (Duckett 136 Root 10)
Prasidh, at his best when pitching it up, errs too full and violates the covers with a blistering drive off a half-volley. Tiring in his sixth over of the spell, Prasidh bends his back to bounce Duckett who pulls him fine for four more.
03:40 PM BST
OVER 50: ENG 229/2 (Duckett 127 Root 10)
India give Duckett a single off the first ball to let Bumrah have five at Joe Root, the No1 Test batsman. Bumrah attempts to lure him into a mistake outside off but he leaves three, defends one and then finds midwicket with the one scoring opportunity.
03:34 PM BST
OVER 49: ENG 228/2 (Duckett 126 Root 10)
Joe Root drives Prasidh for two through cover and then drives to mid-on where Siraj tries to encourage him to have a run even though he hit it too crisply to give him time. Siraj is smiling broadly as he dares him to have a go.
If there are no more delays England have 47 overs to make 143 to win. India, of course, have the same to take eight wickets.
03:30 PM BST
OVER 48: ENG 224/2 (Duckett 125 Root 7)
In fact it’s Bumrah who is looking the easier to play but then he is bowling from the ‘wrong’ end. Root opens the face to smear a boundary behind point, the shot that has become synonymous with him. After Root whisks a single fine off his toes, Duckett is bounced by Bunmrah and leans towards the offside to pull for four off his ear, rolling his wrists.
It has started to rain again.
03:26 PM BST
OVER 47: ENG 215/2 (Duckett 121 Root 2)
The ball is swinging around now and, after swerving one away from Root, bends one through the gate, missing off stump by a whisker. The next ball is another inswinger though on a tighter line and hits Root amidships. They run a leg-bye and when mid-on misfields Duckett sets off for a second but Root sends him back. The run-out chance is ruined by slack throw once mid-on had recovered the ball.
Prasidh ends the over with another ripper, angled across the left-hander on to middle and off and nipping past the edge as it climbs and the centurion gropes after it.
If India lose this match at least they know Prasidh will be a threat for them henceforth now he has found an English length.
Prasidh Krishna is a strange bowler isn’t he? His raw attributes mean England would pick him, I reckon. He’s gone at six an over in this game, and yet picked up key wickets.
03:20 PM BST
OVER 46: ENG 213/2 (Duckett 120 Root 2)
Cometh the man, cometh Bumrah from the Football Ground End for the first time in the match, hoping to bag Root for the 11th time in Tests. Root squirts a single off the inside edge to fine leg and defends the rest after Duckett gives him the strike back with a steer down to third man.
03:17 PM BST
OVER 45: ENG 211/2 (Duckett 119 Root 1)
Duckett starts by climbing into Prasidh’s short ball and munching it through midwicket for four. Pope falls after a leg-bye and with Prasidh, crucially, pitching it up.
Root chisels out the yorker for a single. Duckett, whose eye has been in for four hours, gorges on width to carve it wide of gully for four. Don’t let him play shots with a horizontal bat!
03:11 PM BST
Wicket!
Pope b Prasidh 8 The commentators thought Prasidh would be a threat to India but he bags his second wicket of this spell with another peach that nips back to knock back leg stump via an inside edge as it almost sawed him in half. FOW 206/2
03:10 PM BST
OVER 44: ENG 201/1 (Duckett 111 Pope 8)
Duckett reverse sweeps Jadeja and collars him through point for four. There’s a sweeper down there bit he hit it so hard to his left that he could not get there. The left-hander whips another single off his pads and Pope ends the over with an elegant square cut. Jadeja is bowling a touch too quickly at times, not trusting that the rough will help, still skidding too many through rather than giving them some flight and a chance to turn.
03:05 PM BST
OVER 43: ENG 192/1 (Duckett 106 Pope 4)
Seemed like danger time for India as Gill goes with Prasidh instead of sticking with Bumrah and Siraj from the Kirkstall Lane End and he starts with a bouncer that comes out as a long hop to the totem pole Crawley. The right-hander pulls hard for four. But Prasidh makes the breakthrough next ball.
Ollie Pope leaves the first ball down the corridor but is treated to one sprayed on to his legs and whisks it for four.
03:00 PM BST
Wicket!
Crawley c Rahul b Prasidh 65 Well held at slip as Crawley drives one that swung away and flew off the edge. FOW 188/1
03:00 PM BST
OVER 42: ENG 184/0 (Crawley 61 Duckett 106)
Jadeja was turning it before the rain break. Crawley works a single off his toes to square leg, Duckett reverses his bat but then almost bumps the ball down to third man for a single without sweeping his bat through the line. Jadeja stays round the wicket to Crawley who steals a single to cover. India have not been sharp enough in the field.
02:56 PM BST
OVER 41: ENG 181/0 (Crawley 59 Duckett 105)
Duckett defends Siraj’s last ball as he completes his over.
Tea has been moved to 4.30pm.
02:50 PM BST
Here comes the sun
Good news. The covers are coming off. Rain has stopped and it’s much brighter.
02:43 PM BST
Livin’ on a prayer
These are the sort of conditions where you can’t say with any confidence how long we will be off. Could be a few minutes, could be hours. It’s still raining, but the general light has improved a lot since the players left the field. Fingers crossed, because England are fully on the charge and almost halfway there.
02:40 PM BST
The Bethell effect?
Off now and fair enough because it has been raining for sometime. There are no breaks in the cloud so we could be off for a little while. Superb from Duckett, his finest hundred for England, and this is also Crawley’s most responsible innings too. Bethell may not be playing but he has had an effect on Crawley, and Pope.
02:38 PM BST
Duck’s deluxe
Absolutely outstanding century from Ben Duckett. He’s become such an adaptable, smart player - whatever the format, a master of scoring briskly while minimising risk.
Since his Test recall in December 2022, only one Test batsman in the world – Joe Root – has scored more runs
02:35 PM BST
OVER 40.5: ENG 181/0 (Crawley 59 Duckett 105)
Siraj who swung his right leg to kick the turf when Jaiswal dropped Duckett gets in Duckett’s ear when the left-hander swipes fresh air when swinging through the line to try an outrageous lofted drive. The two exchange words but smile after Duckett takes a single off the next ball, almost digging each other in the ribs as part of their repartee,
The rain thickens considerably now and the umpires have seen enough.
Rain stops play.
02:30 PM BST
OVER 40: ENG 177/0 (Crawley 57 Duckett 103)
A sixth Test century for Ben Duckett and his second in successive Tests. Brought up in characteristic style with a terrific reverse-sweep, cuffed solidly. He takes off his helmet and embraces his partner.
The rain is quite heavy now.
The first ball of the over had also ragged square, missing leg stump, evading Pant’s dive and scuttling down for four byes.
A third drop for Jaiswal. He’s had a shocker in the field, and his bowler is not happy.
Remember the Lord’s Test in 2023? Duckett was out to the short ball on 98 there. Here, he gets a life on 97.
02:26 PM BST
OVER 39: ENG 168/0 (Crawley 57 Duckett 98)
Oh my goodness. Jaiswal has dropped his third significant chance of the match, shelling Duckett on the hook at deep backward square. He had to run in from the fence because it sailed off the top edge and had to dive but for an international player in this day and age, that should have been a cuckoo.
02:21 PM BST
OVER 38: ENG 165/0 (Crawley 57 Duckett 95)
Thanks, Ellen. Jadeja replaces Siraj and Duckett reverse-sweeps him hard for four through square leg and, two balls later, does it again. He has paced this innings with great intelligence and skill. Jadeja responds well with a huge spinning left-armer’s off break that spits up out of the rough and rags past Duckett’s ear.
Interesting stat there on balls per fifty for England: 99, 50, 65. They’ve gone up and down the gears based on whether Bumrah is bowling.
02:16 PM BST
OVER 37: ENG 156/0 (Crawley 57 Duckett 86)
Zak Crawley places a single to mid-on to bring up his half-century from 111 balls. Excellent work from Crawley, in testing condtions with drizzle and the floodlights on at Headingley.
Duckett then nails Siraj past Krishna at extra cover for a boundary. Then he finds the edge and it flies past slip for another four.
That boundary brings up England’s 150 – Crawley and Duckett look confident out there.
Terrific half-century from Zak Crawley. A let-off from a tough caught-and-bowled chance to Jasprit Bumrah, but otherwise this has been a strikingly calm innings. And useful timing with Jacob Bethell’s emergence, not that I could imagine England dispensing with Crawley before the Ashes.
02:10 PM BST
OVER 36: ENG 150/0 (Crawley 51 Duckett 86)
The hosts are not shying away from taking on Bumrah – Crawley is up to 49 after a sublime shot against Bumrah. The delivery was angling in towards him but he flicks it away for the boundary. Impeccable timing.
Bumrah offers a fuller delivery to Duckett – he drives it down the ground for four, beating mid-on.
Two dot balls finish the over, which means Crawley will have to wait for the following over to reach his milestone.
02:04 PM BST
OVER 35: ENG 138/0 (Crawley 49 Duckett 76)
England have started this session well – with a few singles against Siraj. Many of those runs in the over coming from Siraj bowling too full or into the pads.
Another delivery from Siraj hits Pant on the knee – causing the wicketkeeper some discomfort. He is up and running around trying to shake off the knock.
The hosts take a trio of singles off the over.
01:59 PM BST
OVER 33: ENG 126/0 (Crawley 44 Duckett 70)
The drizzle is coming down alittle heavier now – with umbrellas appearing in the Headingley crowd. England must remain patient and not get distracted with these conditions.
Duckett does well – tucking Bumrah’s delivery off his pads and through square for two before picking up another two with a fine drive through midwicket.
A good over from the hosts – six runs in total with Duckett and Crawley both getting on the board.
01:53 PM BST
OVER 32: ENG 120/0 (Crawley 43 Duckett 65)
Gill calls Siraj back into the attack – who is able to move the ball both ways. One delivery was driving into Crawley’s inside edge and then past the outside edge as he was trying to press forward.
Just a single from the over – Crawley getting it with an inside edge into the leg side.
01:49 PM BST
OVER 31: ENG 119/0 (Crawley 42 Duckett 65)
In these damp conditions, Bumrah is getting real movement with the ball. He then appeals to the umpire for Crawley lbw but India decide not to review with the in-ducking delivery clearing sliding on past leg stump.
England run a leg bye, with two runs off the over – these are testing conditions for Duckett and Crawley.
01:43 PM BST
Time for the second session
Right here we go, there are a minimum of 66 overs left in game, including the one that Bumrah is about to bowl.
As reported by Will and Tim, there was some light drizzle during the lunch break but this might be a good time to bowl.
01:37 PM BST
Stand down
Rain stopped, covers coming off, Bumrah warming up.
01:33 PM BST
Bad news: the covers are on
The covers are coming on as a bit of rain falls during the lunch break. Nothing heavy.
Looks like it will only be a 10 minute shower – we might be delayed after lunch slightly but shouldn’t lose overs.
01:28 PM BST
England vs India Test schedule
- First Test: Friday June 20-Tuesday June 24 – Headingley
- Second Test: Wednesday July 2-Sunday July 6 – Edgbaston
- Third Test: Thursday July 10-Monday July 14 – Lord’s
- Fourth Test: Wednesday July 23-Sunday July 27 – Emirates Old Trafford
- Fifth Test: Thursday July 31-Monday August 4 – The Kia Oval
01:22 PM BST
Butcher: England have played beautifully
Mark Butcher speaking on Sky Sports:
I think England have played beautifully. They had to be very watchful in the first hour or so with Bumrah and Siraj bowling excellently.
Defensively Crawley and Duckett were solid – Crawley keeping the bat face nice and square and Duckett doing what he does.
After that, things got a bit easier.
01:12 PM BST
Lunch verdict
That was the morning session England were dreaming of last night. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have made it through to lunch, and the target has been whittled down from 350 to 254. They have not scored at express pace, but they have cruised nicely, and a famous win remains possible.
As throughout this Test match, it has been a very different game when Jasprit Bumrah is bowling. He bowled four overs at the top, which England respected, then another two before the break. The openers went back into their shell then, too.
India’s other bowlers have not been nearly as dangerous. After 14 overs – while Bumrah was in the attack – England were 41 without loss. He was removed from the attack, and they accelerated, taking 65 runs from the next 11. Duckett has looked more fluent than Crawley, and notched his second half-century of the match.
England offered one chance, a very tricky caught and bowled off Crawley on 42 that Bumrah put down low to his left in the penultimate over of the session. But there were a few other iffy moments for England, which have mainly come when they have tried to overattack; Duckett’s attempts at reverse-ramps or sweeps have been problematic, while Crawley took a couple of big swipes at the seamers. India lost a review when Crawley had 21, for an lbw that just never looked right off Mohammed Siraj.
The pace of play is funereal, again, with just 24 overs in the session. As the players left the field, there was a bit of spice with Mohammed Siraj berating the umpires, and KL Rahul having a pop at Crawley. England slowed down the game in the final two overs, which is what India have done throughout the game. I suspect there will be more chatter after lunch.
All four results remain on the table, if the weather stays away. The forecast suggests more of the same: gloom, but not rain. The light could come into play later on, too. The wise sage Scyld thinks the draw is the favourite, but the WinViz algorithm gives England and India a 41 per cent chance each.
01:06 PM BST
LUNCH: ENG 117/0
Excellent morning for England which leaves them 254 short of victory with 67 overs to come. Two mad moments of testosterone frenzy from Crawley, one a mad charge, the other a three-ball spell of swinging to pull balls that weren’t there for that stroke followed by a very loose square drive that flew past gully, apart these two have batted with great measure and composure. Nothing is truly in the opposition’s hands while Bumrah is about but England are very well set and will dine in good heart. India need stronger support from Prasidh, Siraj and Jadeja.
01:01 PM BST
OVER 29: ENG 117/0 (Crawley 42 Duckett 64)
With the changed ball, Gill calls Siraj back into the attack for one over before lunch. Duckett pats a single off his pads down to square leg.
Crawley blocks solidly, Siraj fields it and runs back to his mark to squeeze in another over and has to do so again as Crawley backs away as Siraj hits his delivery stride. Siraj is livid but when he delivers the final ball that’s the end of the session. Siraj is chirping the batsmen, as is KL who did the same thing at least twice yesterday.
WinViz has the two sides at 41 per cent each and 18 per cent the draw.
12:57 PM BST
OVER 28: ENG 116/0 (Crawley 42 Duckett 63)
Duckett turns Brigadier Block against Bumrah, defending the opening two deliveries. Bumrah pins him above the knee with the inswinger as he shaped to flick but, having burnt a review this morning, keep their powder dry. HawkEye shows it would have trimmed the leg bail and hence umpire’s call.
Duckett bunts the low full toss down the ground for three, putting Crawley on strike and he is given a life by Bumrah who shells a difficult return catch in his followthrough. It was hit hard and maybe nine inches above the ground. Bumrah was still bent double and threw forward his left hanmd but it struck him on the wrist.
Bumrah finishes the over with a hooping, wuick inswinger that sails past Carwley’s hip and goes down for four byes.
12:52 PM BST
OVER 28: ENG 109/0 (Crawley 42 Duckett 60)
Jadeja makes Chris Gaffaney smile, a rare sight, by celebrating the ball change with a biceps curl/punch of the air, rather like Malcolm MacDonald used to do. You can hear that the ball is harder than the previous spongy one.
Duckett chops a cut off the back foot straight and Jadeja sprints after it to field off his own bowling. They run a single. As well as cranking up the crowd, India’s fielders are hamming up the threat of Jadeja with lots of chirp and encouragement. Crawley tries to break the manacles of dot balls with a lap-sweep that comes off the top edge and hits him on the helmet. Cries of ‘Catch It’ but Pant would have had to be 9ft tall.
12:46 PM BST
OVER 27: ENG 108/0 (Crawley 42 Duckett 59)
Siraj is conducting the crowd, getting them up to roar Bumrah in after two quiet balls at the start of the over. Duckett cuts him for a single. It’s not the explosive start Gill hoped for but maybe soon because at the end of the over the umps agree to change the ball at last. All smiles from India.
You can sense that the Headingley crowd is starting to believe. In terms of required run rate, England are fine. But there’s a long way to go. Even if England were starting now, 265 would seem a mega chase.
A thought I’ve had throughout this Test: the competition for places created by Jacob Bethell’s arrival is really helping England. Ollie Pope has responded positively to the selection pressure, and so far, Zak Crawley is too (despite a slightly iffy over there). Bethell is batting for Warwickshire right now, but it’s hard to see him breaking into this side imminently without an injury.
12:42 PM BST
OVER 26: ENG 106/0 (Crawley 42 Duckett 58)
Only a single off Jadeja’s third over, Duckett scraping one off the bottom edge as he reverse sweeps. Loudest cheer of the day from the crowd as Bumrah is summoned to have another spell before lunch.
Big cheers from the Indian fans: Jasprit Bumrah is back. Will be two or maybe three overs from him before lunch.
How about a five-run penalty for the bowling side every time they ask the umpire to put the ball through the gauge and it goes through? In most cases it is time-wasting…
12:39 PM BST
OVER 25: ENG 106/0 (Crawley 42 Duckett 57)
Crawley unfurls a glorious square drive for four to bring up their fourth hundred partnership (and second in successive Tests) and then shows why he infuriates at least as much as he delights by having a big whirl at a pull that clips his ribs, top edges a pull over midwicket that beats the fielder and plugs for two and then drives loosely and uppishly wide of gully for two more.
They are now showing the required run rate on the scoreboard. England going along at 4.0 an over at the moment. They need 3.4. Just turns the pressure up on Gill a little. Out of 17 run chases England have won 11 under Stokes, losing six.
12:35 PM BST
OVER 24: ENG 96/0 (Crawley 34 Duckett 56)
Gill turns to Jadeja and Crawley drives a single down to long off and shuffles back to plant another through cover. Duckett, so beloved of the sweep he should come out to Chim Chim Cher-ee, reverse sweeps for a single. So fond is he of the broom and all its varieties, Gill has placed a fielder there to stop that going for four.
12:31 PM BST
OVER 23: ENG 92/0 (Crawley 32 Duckett 54)
Crawley claws an on drive for a single, Duckett whips a pair of twos off Prasidh through midwicket.
Following on from Nick’s point about Crawley and Duckett, they are fourth on the list of England’s opening partnerships this century but scored at 15 runs per hundred balls quicker than the next best dashers, Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick.
12:24 PM BST
OVER 22: ENG 87/0 (Crawley 31 Duckett 50)
Fifty for Duckett with a leg glance off Thakur’s inswinger. A 15th half-century in his 34th Test (to accompany five hundreds). India press their case for a ball change. The umpires press the ball successfully through the gauge.
Crawley eases a cover drive for four off a rank half-volley.
The crowd boos when Thakur asks for the ball to be changed again. Again the umpire tosses it back to him after a quick check
Duckett and Crawley have just passed 2000 runs together for the first wicket in their 48th partnership. The remarkable stat is they have scored at 5.03 an over for most of those innings while opening the batting in England against the Dukes ball, Making good progress here. Clear plan to see off Bumrah and Siraj and plunder against Krishna and Thakur. We await Jadeja.
12:18 PM BST
OVER 21: ENG 81/0 (Crawley 26 Duckett 49)
Duckett cover drives Prasidh for four when tempted with width but the right-arm seamer beats him outside off next ball. The left-hander jumps across to scoop for the second time this morning and for the second time this morning can’t make his bat keep up with the ball.
Prasidh tries the bouncer and gets it above Duckett’s neck on a leg and middle line but he swivels and pulls it hard, rolls his wrists and flays it for four.
12:15 PM BST
OVER 20: ENG 72/0 (Crawley 26 Duckett 40)
Crawley takes a couple of singles into the offside off Thakur, Duckett a couple into the legside. Dinesh Karthik points out that India would be more than a hundred runs better off if they hadn’t buttered their fingers in the first innings.
12:11 PM BST
OVER 19: ENG 68/0 (Crawley 24 Duckett 38)
Prasidh, who consulted Stuart Broad this morning for some advice about bowling with such a strong breeze, tries to set Crawley up for the inswinger and when he does unleash it in an over that starts with three outside off, he hits him on the pads with one that did too much and then Crawley inside-edges the next into his pads for a single. Duckett, almost a foot shorter, is able to pull balls that are only slightly back of a length and when Prasidh obliges, he pummels it through midwicket for four.
12:02 PM BST
OVER 18: ENG 63/0 (Crawley 23 Duckett 34)
Shardul Thakur is given the opportunity to stake a claim to retain his place. Stuart Broad, who is 39 today and has just covered his trousers in chocolate crumbs having been given a cake by Sky Sports to commemorate his day, says England will see him as the weak link to attack now.
Crawley taps an on-drive for a single, Duckett skelps the inswinger off his pads fine for four then works a single through midwicket. Gill gives him a catching midwicket and short mid-on just in front of the non-striker for Crawley and the right-hander picks out the former from the big inswinger but mercifully hit it all along the ground.
That’s drinks.
It does feel like these are the kind of conditions Sharul Thakur could have an impact in, especially as England will likely want to get after him. He’s had a horrible match but still could have a say.
Indeed, Sky has just shown his dismissals of Ollie Pope, Rory Burns and Joe Root at the Oval in 2021.
11:57 AM BST
OVER 17: ENG 56/0 (Crawley 21 Duckett 29)
No luck for India as Prasidh has Duckett playing and missing, the ball flirting with the edge without consummating their relationship. Between those two fine deliveries the ball shoots low, hits something like a divot in front of Pant and vaults over his shoulder for four byes.
Duckett is getting a bit twitchy at the slow pace of his scoring and tries to go for a scoop, squaring himself up in a chest on stance and again playing and missing. But the next delivery should calm the jumping beans as Prasidh goes full and Duckett absolutely belts a drive through cover for four.
11:52 AM BST
OVER 16: ENG 48/0 (Crawley 21 Duckett 25)
India burn a review. Gill has let the clock tick on all his reviews in both innings, wanting to find consensus but that seemed a bit desperate given how far down Crawley was.
11:50 AM BST
NOT OUT
It was umpire’s call on impact and missing leg stump.
11:48 AM BST
India review
Crawley lbw b Siraj He was a long way out of his craese and he’s a very tall lad.
11:47 AM BST
OVER 15: ENG 46/0 (Crawley 21 Duckett 24)
Prasidh replaces Bumrah after a four-over spell from the Kirkstall Lane End. Unlike in the first innings when he largely went for back of a length stuff, he starts full today… and it almost pays off quickly when Duckett flashes at the wider one and chips it over the slips for four. Not in control of the shot at all but if it’s in the slot, Duckett is going to attack it.
Can’t help thinking that India would be far closer to victory had they got their team selection right. Shardul Thakur, ostensibly picked to balance the side, mustered scores of one and four at number eight – and bowled only six overs, which leaked 38, in England’s first innings. England fare poorly against high-quality wrist spin in the Bazball era; Kuldeep Yadav, who was brilliant in the 2024 series in India, would have been a much better option.
11:42 AM BST
OVER 14: ENG 41/0 (Crawley 20 Duckett 20)
Crawley plays tip and run to cover then Duckett thumps the ball off the back foot uppishly close to mid-on. Prasidh tries to get there but it falls to earth before he could conceivably catch it and yorks him to go for four. India contend Duckett has knocked the ball out of shape but it goes through the rings straight after that delivery and again two balls later when they ask the question again.
11:37 AM BST
OVER 13: ENG 36/0 (Crawley 19 Duckett 16)
Maiden for Bumrah to Duckett, mixing up his lengths. Duckett takes on the opportunity to cut but doesn’t cover the movement sufficiently and the ball clips the cue-end, hits the deck then carroms to slip. Chalk, please!
Yorkshire switch the lights on. In the words of my Indian father who spent 52 years in the West Riding: ‘It’s like Diwali in here. Do you think I’m made of brass?’
The weather looks fine at the moment. It is cloudy, breezy and cold, so a normal summer’s day in Leeds. Stands are filling up. It is £20 for adults and £5 for kids so good value. In the first summer of Bazball, grounds offered free entry but counties found that people snapped up tickets online and then didn’t show up forcing them to turn away people at the gate who could see the ground was half full.
11:33 AM BST
OVER 12: ENG 36/0 (Crawley 19 Duckett 16)
Siraj’s turn to send down a peach, using wobble seam to get the ball to jag through Crawley’s gate on the drive, whistle past the inside edge and the top of off. Crawley moves his guard a foot further forward. Lots of noise from the fielders. They’re a young side and seem a happy, supportive gang. In the last series in India 18 months ago, one always got the feeling that Rohit could be a bit headmasterly with the younger players, showing his exasperation in face and gesture.
Siraj nips another back in at the end of the over, pinning Crawley on the top of the three cross-fingers of the knee roll. Crawley’s height kept Chris Gaffaney’s index finger holstered.
Please spare a thought for Dilip Doshi, the Indian left-arm spinner who has died. He was the gentlest of men – a Jain by religion – and gentle of pace, a flight bowler, who took 114 Test wickets. In 1980 he not only took 101 first-class wickets for Warwickshire – a spinner taking a hundred wickets in an English season! – he also helped them to the Sunday League title. A very successful businessman too but he never flaunted it, except for a fine suit, or his cricket achievements.
11:28 AM BST
OVER 11: ENG 35/0 (Crawley 19 Duckett 15)
After taking a single to mid-on off the last ball of Siraj’s over, Crawley now faces Bumrah for the first time and he watches a shooter that was fortunately to wide to hurt him go by. It does hurt Pant, though, as it hits him on the end of a finger as he tries to scoop the ball up. Pant, the ICC has ruled this morning, has been given a demerit point for his show of dissent on Sunday when chucking the ball into the ground after the umpires refused to change it.
Crawley square drives Bumrah for three and Duckett picks the inswinger and turns it with the movement through square leg for a single.
Steady start today. The ball has misbehaved a bit from the Kirkstall Lane End, but the good news for England is that it’s all been a bit far outside the right-hander’s off stump, so far.
11:22 AM BST
OVER 10: ENG 31/0 (Crawley 16 Duckett 14)
Crawley opens the face to drive Siraj who is troubled by the gale as he fulfils the second best quick’s eternal, infernal duty of ‘uphill into the wind’. He doesn’t commit to the stroke and it slides off the face for two through point.
After a couple of cautious, conservative pushes and pokes, Crawley dances down and has a might wipe across the line, looking for cow corner. I would say he’s obviously watching Pant but that’s not the case with Zachary Quack, he can have a rush of blood and launch a solo counter-attack at any moment.
11:15 AM BST
OVER 9: ENG 27/0 (Crawley 13 Duckett 14)
The heavy roller cannot neuter Bumrah who pulls another jaffa out of the bag to Duckett. Perfect length from round the wicket then ragging off the upright seam to screech past the edge. His pace is good, breaching 89mph now. Duckett is concentrating diligently, defending well, looking to hit anything fullish on middle through midwicket but reining back the power so as not to chip the ball with his bottom hand or close the face too soon. Maiden.
11:10 AM BST
OVER 8: ENG 27/0 (Crawley 13 Duckett 14)
Siraj starts proceedings from the Football Stand End where Ravid Jadeja will get through plenty of work today. Crawley gets off strike firts ball with a thick inside edge, squirting to square leg as he jabs his bat down on a near-yorker outside off.
Ravi Sahstri informs us that Dilip Doshi was a great friend of Sir Mick Jagger. There’s a book in that.
Duckett gets up on his toes to steer a shorter one from Siraj through point for a single.
Because there’s so many fewer people in the ground, you can hear things out in the middle quite clearly. And after those first two balls, India’s fielders are very chatty.
11:07 AM BST
OVER 7: ENG 25/0 (Crawley 12 Duckett 13)
Now the trumpeter plays his version of Jerusalem. Bumrah starts round the wicket to Duckett, fast and full and he plays with soft hands, blocking and nudging until Bumrah pulls his length back and Duckett punches it through the covers for four off the back foot. Lovely shot.
Michael Atherton, with the help of Sky’s stats wiz Benedict Bermange, says that no side that has scored five individual centuries has ever lost a Test before.
Goodness me! Bumrah pulls out an absolute ripper, a fast off-break that angles in to Duckett, squaring him up and then jagging a good six inches to beat the edge. It moved so violently that the bowler is certain Duckett edged it but there was actually a big gap. Too good for thee, me and Bradman.
11:02 AM BST
Right, we’re ready
Jasprit Bumrah is at the top of his mark at the halfway up the hill at the Kirkstall Lane End. Ben Duckett on strike.
10:58 AM BST
The players are out
And observing a minute’s silence for DR Doshi.
Now comes Jerusalem over the Tannoy.
10:54 AM BST
Latest update
The heavy roller has had another trundle up and down the pitch, which should take a bit of life out of it for the first hour or so. It’s a bit gloomy, but the lights aren’t on.
10:53 AM BST
More sad news
We will have another minute’s silence this morning, in honour of Dilip Doshi, the very fine Indian left-arm spinner, who died of a heart attack in London yesterday. He had lived in the UK for many years. Sad news, and follows the death of the former England quick David Lawrence over the weekend.
Such a shame. I remember him bowling beautifully at Old Trafford in 1982.
10:49 AM BST
The three wise men
The weather could play a part today but we’ve been quite lucky so far with showers skirting round the ground. But the over rate has been atrocious and it could be that factor which prevents a result. We have been short every day of the 90 overs because of faffing by both batsmen and the fielding side. Both sides are likely to be punished after the game.
If it turns out to be a draw, only the second of the Ben Stokes era, then we can blame the poor standards of catching on both sides. India’s five dropped catches in England’s first innings were their most in recent years. Harry Brook dropping KL Rahul on 58 added hours to this game.
I’m now in my seat in the press box, and the covers are not on the pitch as the players warm up. It’s kind of threatened to rain all morning, but hasn’t, which is good. Lovely bowling conditions, mind.
Yorkshire tell me 8,000 tickets have been sold in advance, and walk ups are welcome all day. It could be the best £20 you’ve ever spent…
10:46 AM BST
Good morning
Thanks to Ellen McLaughlin for opening up. She’ll be back after lunch. There are raindrops on the lens of the main, panning camera but all reports suggest we will start on time.
Speaking of reports…
10:26 AM BST
Josh Tongue: England can chase anything
Fast bowler Josh Tongue discussing whether England would be happy with a draw.
No. I think we’ll just go for the win. That’s the clear message in the changing room. It’s just being as positive as we can.
They’re going to bowl well at times, so it’s just crucial we soak up that bit of pressure and reapply it again on their bowlers.
I don’t see why we can’t chase that down. With our batting line-up I feel we can chase anything down.
I remember Stokes’ innings here against the Aussies.
10:21 AM BST
Is Rishabh Pant the best keeper-batsman of all time?
‘On Monday, in his first 23 deliveries alone, Pant charged down the wicket and edged Chris Woakes over second slip and backed away to the leg side to make room. Most recklessly of all, Pant fell away to the off side as he tried to ramp Carse over his shoulder, needing an inside edge to save him from being dismissed lbw. Pant’s approach resembled a professional blackjack player who was now constantly hitting on 18.’
‘He is rapidly compiling a record fit to compare to any wicketkeeper in Test history. Had he converted all his 90s into centuries, Pant would have a staggering 15 centuries in 44 Tests. But his eight hundreds include four in just 10 Tests in England; Rahul Dravid is the only Indian to score more here. For all the scrutiny about Pant’s early method against pace bowling, he is the only wicketkeeper in history to score centuries away in Australia, England and South Africa.’
This is an excerpt from an article. Continue reading here.
10:08 AM BST
Who will win the first Test at Headingley?
Have your say by casting your vote below.
10:01 AM BST
Listen: Sir Geoffrey Boycott’s preview
10:01 AM BST
From our man at Headingley
Just walking in with Nick Hoult, and there’s a few specs of rain in the air, but nothing that would stop us starting on time. The various apps are quite contradictory, so who knows what the weather gods in store.
If we do lose some overs, winning becomes very difficult for England. But you never know…
09:54 AM BST
Weather update from Headingley
Rain could spoil the party during day five of the first between England and India. The match is on a knife edge with India needing 10 wickets to win while England are 350 runs away.
According to AccuWeather, rain could interrupt play multiple times during the day. There is a 90 per cent chance of cloud cover with humidity levels reaching 83 per cent.
The current weather at Headingley is overcast and light rain and if the weather does not clear up, we could be in for a delayed start.
09:48 AM BST
Can England finish the job off in ‘blockbuster’ finale?
England are hunting for another Bazbell-esque Headingley miracle and their first Test against India hangs in the balance.
India’s KL Rahul hit his ninth Test century whilst Rishabh Pant became the first Indian to score centuries in both innings of a Test against England as the hosts closed day four on 21-0, chasing 371.
England need 350 runs to beat India in the first Test. If Ben Stokes’ side pull it off, it would be their second-highest successful pursuit ina Test and the the second-best at Headingley.
Fast bowler Josh Tongue has said there is no situation in which England would see a draw as a good outcome from their thrilling first Test against India.
If Ben Stokes’ side pull it off, it would be their second-highest successful pursuit ina Test and the the second-best at Headingley.
The odds favour India on a fifth-day pitch but England in its ‘Bazball’ era will be confident of chasing down the target.
Tongue said England’s players have not even uttered the dreaded “D” word: draw. England have drawn just one of their 33 Tests under captain Ben Stokes, who is on record saying he hates drawn matches. That draw was a severely rain-affected Ashes match against Australia in 2023.
Under Ben Stokes, England have also built a formidable record chasing, especially at Headingley where the last six Tests have been won by the team batting second. In 2019, Stokes led England to an extraordinary one-wicket heist against Australia chasing 359. In 2022, England chased 296 to beat New Zealand and in 2023 they chased 251 to win a nervy Ashes Test. They also have form for chasing a massive target against India, having hauled down 378 at Edgbaston in 2022 to win by seven wickets.
However, a mixed forecast in Leeds today, could potentially complicate England’s run chase. But asked if sharing the spoils in this series opening would be acceptable, Tongue said: “No. Just go for the win.”
“That’s the clear message in the changing room. It is just being as positive as we can. They’re going to bowl well at times, so it’s just crucial we soak up that bit of pressure and reapply it again on their bowlers.
“I don’t see why we can’t chase that down. With our batting line-up, I feel we can chase anything down.”
Many would consider needing 350 runs to win – with all 10 wickets in tact mission impossible. But it was just three years ago, in the early days of Ben Stokes’ captaincy, that they hunted down a record of 378 at Edgbaston against the very same opponents. Better yet, they did it for the loss of only three wickets and roared home in the 77th over.
Can England finish the job in this thrilling finale? Stay with Telegraph Sport to find out.
2025-06-24T18:29:07Z