key events
Inning 32: England 155-4 (Crawley 60, Bairstow 1) Two of Al-Aqsa’s men came over. mercy.
Inning 31: England 154-4 (Crawley 59, Bairstow 0) The game is moving at dizzying speed.
Standout Ravichandran Ashwin moves to 499 Test wickets. Root came down the track, was finished in flight and chipped the ball high to Axar Patel at short third man. It was an ugly shot, a rude strike, to end an extraordinarily inconsistent 10-ball 16. Perhaps Root’s fingers just aren’t there for a longer, more orthodox innings.
Let’s look at the bright side: at least Bumrah didn’t catch him again.
wicket! England 154-4 (Root c Axar b Ashwin 16)
No need for a third umpire this time: Root is gone!
Root hasn’t come out yet! It’s much closer than I thought, though: pad first and then referee’s call at the point of contact. coin.
Over 30: England 140-3 (Crawley 55, Root 13) Root charges towards Aksa and hits Muscle out of midfield six. Whether it was due to dodgy fingers or just a tactical decision, he was wobbly.
LBW review for Root in India Even though I’m pretty sure it was out of bounds, it went beyond the last ball of the game. It could also be the inner edge.
Round 29: England 140-3 (Crawley 53, Root 8) Root reverse-swept his first and third balls for four runs. The first glove is smooth and stylish, the second glove is a bit slippery. I don’t know what type of Test cricket it is, but it’s certainly exciting to watch. I can’t remember the last time I was so wide awake at 5am.
drinks
It’s the final act of a breathtaking, glorious first hour. Joe Root comes in as the new batsman; we’ll find out soon what condition his fingers are in.
Rohit’s defensive captain came in for criticism this morning But he changed the mood of the game, and maybe the whole series, and one stretch of his defense could go viral as we speak. Pope tried to force Ashwin off the back foot but his ball slipped slightly and Rohit made a stunning reaction catch on the left side before stretching out his arms in celebration. He was rarely so exposed, but he knew how important that wicket could be. Pop looks dangerous.
wicket! England 132-3 (Pope c Rohit b Ashwin 23)
What a haul for Rohit Sharma!
Round 28: England 132-2 (Crawley 53, Pope 23) Look, this might not last, the end of the world might be coming for all we know, but now England are batting Excellent. Pope danced and drove Patel through mid-wicket for four, a brave and well-placed shot. He made 23 of 19 balls and Crowley made 53 of 92 balls.
Round 27: England 126-2 (Crawley 52, Pope 18) “Say it quietly, but Zach Crowley looks like he’s in the game,” Brian Withington said. “He played the great Bumrah very well. A very sporting looking wicket…”
Crawley is England’s best high-tempo player, isn’t he? He treated Pat Cummins like a net bowler during the Ashes and is one of the few players in cricket history who would rather face Martial, Holding and Garner than Larson, Harris and Latham one.
Game 26: England 125-2 (Crawley 51, Pope 18) Crawley lifted Aksa over his head as he charged and struck a majestic four-shot half a century 83 balls. Ravi Shastri on commentary for TNT Sports spoke positively about how good Crawley has become.
England are trying to get as many runs as possible before the pitch deteriorates and/or the ball starts to reverse. Pope swept consecutive boundaries, this morning’s game was already the 13th over, and the 12th over was the 58th over.
Round 25: England 112-2 (Crawley 46, Pope 10) Ashwin replaced Bumrah, who would come back when the ball started to reverse.he has a Huge shouts were chased behind When Pope attempted a reverse sweep and got stuck, he was denied. Accusations were made but Rohit Sharma chose not to comment. We haven’t seen the replay yet.
Round 24: England 109-2 (Crawley 45, Pope 8) Pope always acted crazy at first, but now he seemed very calm. He came back to sweep Patel for four and defended the rest of the match with confidence – and, most importantly, on the front foot after what happened to Raihan.
Round 23: England 105-2 (Crawley 45, Pope 4) Bumrah continued, probably because Pope had just arrived at the crease. Crawley, now on strike, drew a stylish boundary at Midwick. By some measures, he is England’s best Bumrah player so far in the series.
It’s a good game. Bumrah beat Crowley down with a bit of low elastic, then stared at him – not threateningly, since his soul was too optimistic for that, but certainly intentional.
“What’s SmythViz’s win rate for England?” asked Paul Harrison.
SmythViz fell into disrepute a long time ago when it was discovered that it was the first algorithm with built-in pessimism. With that in mind, I’d estimate it to be about 10%. Waiting for you?
Lei Han is almost outside the line, But it’s the referee’s decision, so he’s out anyway.
Game 22: England 99-2 (Crawley 39, Pope 4) Rayhan played his part well, although the prelude to his dismissal was a bit ominous for England. He was dropped at slip and it was a very sharp diving opportunity for Rohit, with the ball deflecting to long off. The next three deliveries were all with arms and, more relevantly, all kept low.
New batsman Ollie Pope decisively swung his first ball towards the cover boundary.
wicket! England 95-2 (Rehan LBW b Axar 23)
Reyhan’s useful, chaotic cameo ends with him wielding a larvae from Aksa and getting trapped LBW. He walked away without discussing the comment, but there’s a good chance he crossed a line.
Inning 21: England 91-1 (Crawley 39, Rayhan 19) Bumrah’s control was impressive and you wrote the report bravely and bleary-eyed before he stabbed four byes down the leg side. I guess he’s off to find a Yorkie.
Two balls later, Crawley hit a thrilling classic four-pointer. The ball doesn’t really move for Bumrah, although you expect it to reverse in his next spell.
Game 20: England 83-1 (Crawley 35, Rayhan 19) Fast and prosperous from Al-Aqsa. You know, these are moments to cherish. England could easily have been bowled out for 180, and if that happened our brains would slowly misremember how the game unfolded. But for now, while India remain favorites, there is a pleasant tension in Vizag.
Game 19: England 82-1 (Crawley 34, Rayhan 19) Shreyas Iyer saved four with a brilliant stop at the gully as Rehan thick-edged Bumrah. Raihan struggled with Bumrah in this series but was beaten late in the game. Another girl. Never mind the speed, swing, setup and unusual moves: Bumrah’s control of line and length is impressive.
“Good luck to the OBO today,” Andre Crossley wrote. “Everything is possible, even if India has the best chance of winning at some point in the evening game.
“The game started at 9pm Colorado time and the dilemma I faced was to decide how many wickets would allow me to eliminate any hope of temptation and go to bed at an almost reasonable 11pm. If the morning game was only an hour or two Door, I would love to stay up until the wee hours of the morning.
“I might ask Chat GTP, since that seems to be the solution all my students go to at the first sign of uncertainty…”
Please do this. By 2030, artificial intelligence will kill us all. But if there’s anything that could make it malfunction, it’s Bazball’s illogic. As for wickets, trust your instincts. If England score 190 for nine at lunch but Ben Stokes is still in the lead, we all know you’re going to stay up late.
Round 18: England 82-1 (Crawley 34, Rayhan 19) Rayhan charged towards Aksa and sent the ball to the corner for four. It was an ugly shot but very effective and he followed it up with a brilliant cover shot for four more balls. India is ready for Raihan, but Raihan is really too defensive at this stage.
“Good morning, Rob!” chirped Martin Wright. “We’re all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, aren’t we?!” Me neither. It’s all going to end today, isn’t it, one way or another? “
Oh yeah, probably tea.
Round 17: England 73-1 (Crawley 34, Rayhan 10) Crowley was defeated twice by Bumrah. The first was a slightly loose hit and the second was a snort kick from distance. Bumrah gets off to a flawless start as he gets closer to outside off-stump and to the outside edge of Crawley. After 11 penalties, Crawley scored his first of four penalties with a thump to the left of midfield. Lovely trip.
“Hello from the airport (the only reason I got up at this inopportune hour),” said Eva Maaten. “I’m completely amazed at how England have managed to build this series, this series flew a little under my radar, so exciting! I’m probably not the only one with low expectations, but so far It’s been engaging so far and I’m looking forward to another exciting chase and a close finish.”
Round 16: England 69-1 (Crawley 30, Rayhan 10) Axar Patel starts at the other end with two right-handers at the crease. Rehan Ahmed swung his first pitch near midfield in a statement of anarchic intent before hauling a big lift to the mat.
Game 15: England 67-1 (Crawley 29, Rayhan 9) Bumrah bore a virgin to Crawley, who Crawley retained on each of his final five deliveries. One curved slightly backward; the rest slipped harmlessly away from the stump. As the spell progressed, Bumrah would work towards the stumps.
The players are on the field and Jasprit Bumrah is ready to bowl.
399 wins? One less trip.
Mood music (3.55am)
Today is a day of strong will. A great day is coming. India need to capitalize on the early campaign that has been so evident. India should win this match but their body language will be a mirror of their beliefs.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 5, 2024
Mood music (3.41am)
At the end of last night’s gameShubman Gill said that India’s win rate in this match was about 70/30, and this offhand comment exposed the mental state of the Indian team. I doubt even the most hopeful (and sane) England fans would think their chances were 30% today. India knew they should win this game and almost certainly would, but they were a bit intimidated by England’s escapees. The life of the mind, hmm.
You can understand Gill’s caution: he is one of three players in England’s hunt for 378 at Edgbaston in 2022. (The others were Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah, yes I was also surprised that there were only three players. Even England had only three players) There were six survivors from that match. Life moves fast…)
Highlights from yesterday’s gameShubman Gill paid tribute to Ben Stokes’ genius in the field with a captivating century. Tanya Aldred writes as Jill Bat with unparalleled grace and elegance, so this book is well worth a read.
Preface
All things being equal, England will lose a Test match today. However, they entered the fourth and final day of Vizag with full optimism, believing that they could create history by chasing a majestic target of 399. Even England supporters, many of whom have spent their adult lives terrified of hope, were filled with joy.
England would restart with 67 runs and needed 332 runs to take a ridiculous 2-0 lead in the series. The last time India trailed 2-0 at home was in 2004-05 against Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Friends. It will definitely not develop to this point. All logic suggests that they will win comfortably, probably by around 162 runs, especially with Joe Root’s badly injured finger. But Bazbol has an injunction against logic.
