Key events
Summary
As they tidy up the stands at The Oval, and the players let it all sink in, time for us to say goodbye. It’s been thrilling, from first ball to final yorker. To the walking wounded, the victorious and vanquished – Rishabh Pant, Ben Stokes, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj, Harry Brook, Joe Root, and the supporting cast – thank you all.
Those results in full:
First Test (Headingley) : England won by five wickets
Second Test (Edgbaston) : India won by 336 runs
Third Test (Lord’s): England won by 22 runs
Fourth Test (Emirates Old Trafford): Draw
Fifth Test (The Kia Oval): India won by six runs
Series tied 2-2
Thanks too for your company and emails throughout the series. We’ll be back for the white-ball stuff in September and, on 21 November, for the first ball of the Perth Test. Till then, have a wonderful summer.
“People, your colleagues included, are in raptures about Prince Harry’s 111 yesterday. Actually in the end it meant diddley squat and he might as well have scored nothing. A proper Test batter would have turned that into a 150 and more and seen his side home, knowing that they were a man down and with a fragile lower order. Jury still out….”
The jury still out on Harry Brook? Come, come Jeremy Boyce in the south of France. A cafe au lait in a glorious village square says Brook and his audacity will win, has won, far, far more games for England than he’ll lose.
A last tidy up of the inbox, apologies to those whose message became out of date before I got to them. “WTF is cricket’s problem with subs?” asks Alison Keys. “I’m not really a fan, and have only been tuning in because my late husband was a Test cricket lover, so I’ve been keeping an eye on things for him, so to speak.
“First that Indian player came out with the broken foot, now there’s a pic of Woakes playing with his arm all strapped up. I gather Ben Stokes has been playing while injured too. From the casual viewers pov, can I just say it’s ridiculous!Why aren’t there any subs?”
Hello Alison, a hat off to you for your commitment to the Test cricket cause, and to your late husband. Cricket and subs are a hot potato. Ben Stokes, bowling with one arm in the last Test, is (predictably) very much against. He said the conversation should be “shut down and stopped. There will be too many loopholes for teams to be able to go through. You pick your 11 for a game, and injuries are a part of the game”
Gautam Gambir, India’s head coach, is all for them.“If the umpires and the match referee see and feel that it’s a major injury, I think it’s very important”
So pick your side and your reasons, which are probably a heady, historic mix of masochism, distrust, and war. Although, just to be difficult, you are allowed a concussion substitute. Just not for a dislocated shoulder.
Jim wrote about it last week.
Reflections from the ECB’s chief exec Richard Gould, a very happy man.
“This summer has showcased the very best of Test cricket – 25 absorbing days where two outstanding sides gave everything on the field. The quality, resilience and commitment on display have been clear for all to see.
“Today’s dramatic finale – with Chris Woakes bravely coming out to bat through injury and taking the match to a Hollywood-style finish – encapsulated a series of remarkable intensity and fine margins. While the series ended tied – a result that feels fitting given the quality on both sides – there will of course be disappointment for England, who came so close to a famous win.
“There are moments that will live long in the memory – from England’s record chase at Headingley to Shubman Gill’s double-century at Edgbaston, and Joe Root’s masterclass at the Oval. Ben Stokes’ inspirational leadership, Jofra Archer’s return at Lord’s, the fire of Mohammed Siraj, Rishabh Pant’s celebration – and the composure of Woakes in adversity – all reminded us why Test cricket continues to pack stadiums across England and Wales.”
Paul Nickells stirs the pot: “From the sublime to the ridiculous – The Hundred starts tomorrow.”
A three course meal, followed by a Sherbet Dib-Dab. A place for them both. Hope the crowds find as much pleasure, (well, nearly as much pleasure) from it as we all have from the last six weeks.
Stuart Broad on Jacob Bethell. “He needs to play some cricket. I like to play games, play cricket. As a batter you need to know, if you play a loose shot, you don’t just throw it back to the net bowler. He looked out of his depth in Test match cricket in these two innings, but it doesn’t mean he won’t be a great Test player in years to come.”
As the heavens open outside the window, OBO readers chew over the remnants.
“A draw is a fair result for the series but I agree with Julian,” writes Alan Park. “It’s completely self inflicted. Bazball has meant that time and time again in this series we’ve had to perform heroics. So many bad team and individual decisions. Bethel selection, Smith’s appalling shot selection this morning, Stokes wanting to bowl 5000 overs and nobody brave enough to tell him he might get injured (he did). Any level of self reflection from the England camp would be welcome.”
As if he was reading your minds, Baz McCullum is interviewed by Ian Ward Should Bethell have played more f-c cricket? “I guess you never know. We see a talent whose best years are ahead of him. He’s not overshadowed by the situation. When he went out yesterday, he was challenged by the conditions, that even challenged Joe Root. He’ll be better for the experience, he took the positive option, sometimes you have to brave enough to take the positive option.”
The batting yesterday evening/this morning? “Retrospectively we probably could have been braver, but Siraj was getting the ball to swing beautifully. It’s tough batting conditions, you need a couple of things to go our way. We dropped six catches, lost seven for 60 [66] at the back end of the game, you don’t win too many games like that.”
Hello, Myles Nester Harwood !“No one could predict the Woakes injury but the Bethell call up was a bit of a disaster. Picked as a batting all rounder when he’s never scored a first class hundred, barely played this year, a spinner on a seamer’s paradise pitch, bowled 4 overs, 11 runs in the match, and completely halted the momentum of England’s second innings. Stokes and McCallum really do play favourites with who they pick.
“India deserve the drawn series especially after England’s antics at the end of the previous Test.”
Giving Bethell so little first-class cricket this season but throwing him into a deciding Test was a huge gamble. England took the call that he would learn more with them in the bubble than with Warwickshire against the Kookaburra ball. It certainly didn’t come off this time, though tbf they weren’t expecting to be a seamer down.
England’s Ben Stokes reflects on the Test
“It’s been awesome, there are always going to be moments when emotion comes out from both sides. I don’t think any of my lads are going to be going to bed crying about what was said, and I don’t think any of India’s players are either.
“[Personally] Very happy how it went with the ball, hopefully those years of sliding under the knife are behind me. Though very disappointed not to contribute in this game.
“When one of your bowlers goes down so early in the game, the whole role of those three seamers completely changes. The heart and desire that the big fellas showed running in, all we ask for of those guys lucky enough to be selected for England is to leave everything out on the field.”
He and Gill are both presented with a Pataudi medal and shake hands in front of the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar trophy.
India’s player of the match: Shubman Gill
On Siraj “He is a captain’s dream. Every ball, every spell, gave us everything. Two-all is a fair reflection, this shows how passionate both the teams are.”
Pleased with your performance personally? “Feels very rewarding to be able to get the runs, always a combination of things to work on. Once you are sorted mentally, you are in a good space, but you are only sorted mentally when you are technically correct.”
What has he learned about his team? “That we never give up.”
England’s player of the series: Harry Brook
“We came this morning very confident, I thought would we would win. But the way Siraj bowled this morning, he deserved every success. The overcast conditions, ball zipping around a bit, Siraj has bowled five Test matches and over 85mph every ball. Amazing.
“Credit to Woakes, he was always going to play. HE was in a lot of pain, you could see by his face. Shame we couldn’t get it across the line, that’s cricket isnt it.
“My thought process was to try and hit as many runs as quickly as possible, and get it done, obviously it didn’t work. Hindsight is a beautiful thing, obviously now I wish I didn’t play that shot. I played alright, just sorry I didn’t win the game yesterday.
“It’s been an awesome series, very intense, after every game absolutely knackered. Even that finish there, such a good advert for Test cricket, I hope people will carry on watching it.”
Player of the match: Mohammad Siraj
It could be no-one else. His smiles a huge smile. Did he think India were favourites this morning. “When I woke up, I believed we could do it, then I took a screen shot of something on google that said believe.”
“Well done to Harry Brook he played very well.”
Off screen, Gill and Brook chat and laugh.
The crowd are waiting, soaking in every moment. The players are all out on the pitch, Indian smiles broad as the ocean, England rueful.
“Why do people knock this format, it is just so wonderful.” says Nasser. “If we let this go, we will have done the game a great disservice.”
“I’m sitting in a garage on a Greek island while my car is being fixed and there’s no reception !” writes Julian Birkby. “My last update was the Overton wicket and I’m losing my mind with the stress of it all. Thanks for keeping me updated – I guess it will all be over when I can drive back over the hill to where there is reception.”
I’ve got bad news for you Julian…
“Sorry to be that guy Tanya.. England F***ed it up…Cannot wait for us (Aussie supporter here) to crush Bazball in the Ashes…”
Oh Pramith Pillai, too soon.
Time for your emails, at last:
“At The Oval.” writes Ronald Grover. “A great match, needless to say. And as for India keeping the field out at the end of each over at the end, the only answer is that it must have been sporting, surely They didn’t want to win by bowling at Woakes.”
That would be astonishing, if right.
Suzy (over 83) is not pleased “As Simon’s American wife, you can rest assured that he will be sleeping on the couch tonight.”
This six-run win is India’s closest victory in their Test history.
Jaiswal blows kisses to the crowd. Siraj, with his arm around Gill, waves the match ball, Krishna brandishes a stump. They are applauded round the ground. What a match. What a series.
Siraj, still clutching the ball, speaks to DK, who translates. He says “when he dropped that catch yesterday he felt very guilty, he wanted to be the guy who came here to finish it off. “ He sure did. Finishes with five for 104.
With seven wickets in hand yesterday, England needed 73. Now India do a victory lap of the ground.
Siraj leaps six feet in the air, raises both arms to the sky. Gill goes straight to Woakes and gives him a heartfelt handshake. Atkinson tucks his bat under his arm.
WICKET! Atkinson b Siraj 17 India win by six runs!
Off stump dances into the past. The match! The series tied! What a game.
85th over: England 367-9 (Atkinson 17, Woakes 0) England need 7 to win A low full toss first ball, and they run two. Woakes grimaces in pain, looks as if he might be sick. Atkinson is the calmest man in the ground. Swings and misses. Gill and Krishna have a long chat. Atkinson misses again. And again. India keep the field out to the last ball and once again, England sneak the single. Woakes yet to face a ball. Huge applause from the crowd.
“What’s the cricketing equivalent of Alex Ferguson’s famous Squeaky Bum Time? I don’t think I’ve unclenched for 15 minutes.”
84th over: England 364-9 (Atkinson 14, Woakes 0) England need 10 to win Woakes at the non-striker’s end. Atkinson is going to have to do this in boundaries. Siraj with the ball. Every fielder on the rope. Woakes, left arm tucked inside his jumper, the crowd have their hands over their eyes. No!!! Atkinson heaves at Siraj on one knee, a slog sweep, the ball flies to long on where Akash Deep paws it over the rope. Could he have held on? On a good day with a following wind. But he didn’t. With two balls left, a long talk between bowler and captain, they keep the field out. A full toss is missed by Atkinson, slides past leg stump, but is stopped by the keeper. Siraj falls to his knees. India keep the field out, for reasons I can’t explain. It’s wide, they go for a the run, the keeper throws at the stumps, but misses. Woakes completes the single in some pain.
WICKET! Tongue b Krishna 0 (England 357-9)
A yorker for the ages!
83rd over: England 357-9( Atkinson 8, Woakes 0) England need 17 to win Atkinson doesn’t take a single to the first three balls of the over. They risk the fourth, a miscued hook, but a wild throw from Siraj is rescued by his teammates. And then Tongue’s stumps are splattered. Enter a one-armed Chris Woakes.
“I wish to formally apologise to all of England and my American wife who supports England cricket (and plays for Germany), for jinxing this,” writes Simon B. “Yesterday, with Root and Brooks set, I messaged my old cricket team chat and said: I don’t want to jinx it, but England are going to win this.In retrospect I was a fool.”
Simon, the fat lady is yet to sing (though I can hear her warbling in her warmup).
82nd over: England 356-8( Atkinson 7, Tongue 0) England need 18 to win Siraj from the pavilion end. Atkinson takes a single first ball, leaving Tongue to play and miss. And play and miss. Oh bravo, an immaculate forward defensive. Siraj finishes with an outswinger to serve on a silver platter. Tongue survives.
81st over: England 355-8( Atkinson 6, Tongue 0) England need 19 to win Krishna. Atkinson goes for broke, cutting with feeling, but cut off at deep third. In the dressing-room window, Chris Woakes, left-arm tucked into his jumper, smiles. Then – the tension – an lbw appeal against Tongue. Given out! Hit on a lunging front pad. Tongue reviews, missing leg. Woakes smiles again. Ball to boot next ball, another appeal, not out. And now the rain starts.
80th over: England 354-8( Atkinson 5, Tongue 0) England need 20 to win Siraj delivering the ball on a thread. Atkinson beaten by three in a row, a leg bye gets him up the other end – which is not great news for Overton, who is done by a big pad and a coat of varnish. Enter Josh Tongue, Test average of six. Winviz now makes an Indian victory 76 per cent likely.
WICKET! Overton lbw Siraj 9 (England 354-8)
Overton stretches his huge pad forwards and is hit midway up the shin. Umpire Dharmsesena eats a full meal then slowly raises his finger. Overton reviews, but it is umpire’s call!
79th over: England 353-7 ( Overton 9, Atkinson 5) England need 24 to win Krishna has re-found his mojo. A desperate dive by Jadeja saves a run on the rope. He limps back to position.
78th over: England 349-7 ( Overton 8, Atkinson 2) England need 25 to win My heart is in my throat, Atkinson’s first ball is edged to second slip where KL Rahul has it in his finger tips. It is unclear whether it quite carried, but Rahul crouches and looks at the ground, dismayed. Then a leading edge by Atkinson, just wide of cover. A good stop by Jurel to an Overton swipe. It had to be Siraj. The new ball is due in two, but he is making it move like a boomerang.
“Sitting in Brittany,” writes Tom Banks. “TMS overseas on. Kids want to go to the beach but I have informed them we are not going anywhere for the next hour. The anticipation is killing all of us (for different reasons obviously).”
WICKET! Smith c Jurel b Siraj 2 (England 347-7)
A fat outside edge. The umpires check it – to calm everything down? And yes – a clean catch from an advancing prod. Oh my.
77th over: England 347-6 (Smith 2, Overton 8) England need 27 to win Krishna to finish off the four balls of last night’s over. Overton pulls the first, a short ball, for four. Bang. The next also greets the boundary – an awkward inside edge, scything past leg stump. Has a dirty swipe at the next, misses. And plays back carefully at the fourth.
Morning session – England need 35 to win
A full house, a huddle for India, chewing gum for Jamie Smith. Jerusalem the soundtrack.
A welcome flurry of emails land in the OBO box – hopefully things last long enough to get through them all. Ant sized trousers on an elephant, that’s the kind of tension we’re after.
“Greetings from Ithaca where the weather is balmier than Manchester and the Oval.” Enough already Colum Fordham.
”This series has been a bit of an Odyssey, with both teams striving to the limits to bring their team success – Pant, Bumrah, Stokes and Woakes putting their bodies on the line. To quote Homer, “Be strong – saith my heart: I am a soldier. I have seen worse sights than this”. Rather appropriate for Woakes in a sling yet willing to bat for his country.
One more quite from the Odyssey: “ The blade itself incites to deeds of violence.” Surely, Homer was writing about Harry Brook?
This morning promises to be a thrilling denouement to a wonderful test series which could end up 2-2, probably the fairer result, or 3-1 to England, which would flatter the home team. Though I wouldn’t mind!”
John Starbuck rolls back the years. “Some of us can recall the drama of Colin Cowdrey facing Hall & Griffiths whilst batting with a broken arm in plaster. It didn’t work then and, if a repeat has to happen, I doubt it will work now. Cue monster celebrations if it does.”
From the MCC website. “The crowd held its breath and the BBC delayed its regular evening news bulletin to stay with the live coverage. Hall began the last over with England needing eight. Two singles were scampered off the first three balls, but off the fourth, calamity. Shackleton swung and missed and looked up to see Allen chasing down the wicket towards him. Desperately, Shackleton urged his 39 year-old frame towards the non-striker’s end; he was in a race of the veterans against Worrell, running back from silly mid-off. He lost. Cowdrey, wearing a glove on one hand and a plaster cast on the other, smiled as he walked out through the Pavilion gate.
“He took his place at the non-striker’s end as Allen prepared to face Hall. Two balls left to survive for the draw, and surely six to win was too much. Worrell was not so sure – whatever you do, don’t bowl a no-ball, he told his shattered fast bowler. Twice more, Hall charged in off his 40-yard run, hurling the ball down fast and straight. But Allen’s bat was just as straight and twice he kept it out. It was all over and the match drawn. Cowdrey’s bat had not been needed, but his courage had been.”
The heavy roller is out, Lee Fortis is on it. The new ball is due in 3.4 overs. Nerves?
Siraj is signing autographs. Intensely.
“Bought my son a day five ticket several weeks back,” you clever man David Adam, “and he’s been watching the whole match hoping for wickets to stop and rain to start. As much as yesterday’s crowd were rightly gutted not to see the conclusion, I’m selfishly delighted that my son will get his first taste of Test cricket this morning, even if it’s only half an hour. Surely the series deserves to end with a third ever tied test? Siraj sending an spectactularly unsporting bouncer down at Woakes?”
Absolutely! Overhead cameras show that your son isn’t the only lucky ticket holder, the crowds are pouring in through the Hobbs gate and more. Hope he, and they, gets a thriller.
“Good morning, Tanya.” Hello Richard O’Hagan.
“Can I please say another HUGE thank you to all of the OBOers who so generously supported my club’s 24 Hour Netathon in aid of Opening Up Cricket. With the help of this wonderful community we smashed our fundraising target. We are very, very grateful indeed.
In other news, I have just realised that I have a meeting at 11am, so I am off for a sulk.”
Wonderful news about the fundraising, less so about the meeting. Commiserations. Any chance of bad light postponing flow charts?
Woakes ready to bat if needed for England
“If I don’t go out today, I won’t be able to forgive myself,” is what Chris Woakes told Joe Root this morning. I think you can rely on him having a bat if needed.
Joe Root is chatting to Stuart Broad and Ian Ward. He plays tribute to Graham Thorpe, then Harry Brook, his partner in that incredible partnership yesterday.
“Brooky is not a big talker out in the middle but we have played a lot together and complement each other. I can be a bit busy and he can really upset bowlers’ rhythms and before you know it they’ve got a long off, everything seems to happen at a completely different pace [when he’s batting.]”
Pictures from The Oval, where the skies are dirty, but the players are out, practising. Pictures of England arriving, Jamie Smith in a white T-shirt like a teenager off for a kickaround; Jamie Overton brooding largely in maroon, Chris Woakes outrageously handsome in a sling.
If you’re at The Oval, do let us know what the atmosphere is like. And the clouds.
And Simon on Mohammed Siraj, India’s rubber band of energy, and his fatal step back.
Some great writing by the team at The Oval yesterday:
Ali’s match report:
Barney’s homage to Harry Brook:
Preamble
After five Tests of high-class and at times chaotic cricket, it all comes down to this – half a session, if you’re lucky, 35 runs and four wickets.
With every sinew of every body in these two weary teams stretched to an E, it is almost-cruel to make them do battle again. But for us, fat in our armchairs, it is an umbrella on the cocktail – a last chance to see Siraj, eyes wild, at the top of his mark, to watch Jamie Smith setting sail for series victory at his home ground. Whether last night’s high tension quickly dissolves to bathos, we find out when play starts, at 11am.
At least it should start at 11am. While it is chucking it down here in Manchester, as Storm Floris takes hold, things look better in London. Our man on the ground Jim Wallace reports that a sunny morning has turned grey, but there is no rain yet.
Do join us for this final morning of nervous anticipation, to chew over the series a last time, or to look forward to what it means for England’s Ashes hopes or Shubman Gill’s young Indian team.