England v India: fifth men’s cricket Test, day one – live | England v India 2025

48th over: India 148-5 (Nair 21, Jurel 14) During the last over, we saw Mick Jagger in the crowd; I’d be interested to hear what he makes of Tongue’s bowling today. In comms, meanwhile, Punter praises Atkinson’s bowling today, noting that if he pushes harder off his front foot, he can get even better. Three dots are then followed by a three, Nair driving towards cover, then a ball is directed into the pads and the bowler likes it, but when umpire says no, the England players contemplate a review for as long as it takes for no-ball to be signalled. A single then completes the scoring from the over, and that is drinks.

47th over: India 143-5 (Nair 18, Jurel 13) Jurel is, as we know, a proper batter, and he waits for Woakes’ first delivery, then helps it to the fence at deep backward square – India have been offered far too many release-balls today. And, after four dots, there’s another, into the pads and flicked away for two.

46th over: India 137-5 (Nair 18, Jurel 7) There’s something about Atkinson that I can really believe in in which I can really believe: I don’t think he’s a special bowler, necessarily, but the confidence, certainty and attitude are elevating, and make facing him a constant challenge with nowt given for nowt. His latest over yields three singles.

45th over: India 134-5 (Nair 17, Jurel 5) I’ve just had to flick on a light and I’m not facing 85mph bowling; I wonder if we’ll get to 7.30 with quicks, or if it’ll take Root and Bethell to keep us going. As I type, though, the sun comes out in the ground and Nair takes a single to midwicket, then one keeps low for Woakes and Jurel does pretty well in the end, going back to dig out, before adding a single himself. Batting does not look easy, and there’s a strangulated appeal when the final delivery of the over hits Nair on the pad, but the ball was going down.

44th over: India 132-5 (Nair 16, Jurel 4) Atkinson replaces Tongue and refrains from both the sublime and ridiculous, sending donw his six maiden of the day. Bo-ring.

Re: Simon McMahon’s ice lolly preferences, beings David Wall, “I too used to be a big fan of Mini-Milks when I was a kid but haven’t been able to have one for almost 30 years since going vegetarian. I don’t think i’ll ever get over the deprivation. I mean, why would you put gelatine in an ice lolly!”

I guess it’s how you get that slight but unmistakeable soft stretchiness. They’re a bit bland for me as it goes, though how any of them it’s possible to consume is not unredemptive.

43rd over: India 132-5 (Nair 16, Jurel 4) Enjoyable malapropism from Broad, he praises Woakes’ “prestigious swing” though, in his defence, I guess it is. Jurel then turns two to deep square before snaffling a single, but Nair is slow to take off and Bethell, having to run around his right hand, dives to shy with left … missing, though the batter would’ve made it home in any event. An edge for for follows, Woakes pushing one straight knowing the batter expected outswing.

42nd over: India 125-5 (Nair 12, Jurel 1) Another amusingly dreadful delivery from Tongue, Smith diving to collect – but the umpire still signals wide. Now, though, two wickets to the good, the bowler can see the funny side, and with 2-33 off eight-and-a-bit, his figures aren’t even bad. I’m not sure, though, that his bosses will consider his behaviour acceptable, and he needs a fine dive from Bethell at backward point to save three when Jurel drives another full toss.

“Tongue’s danger for batsmen lies partly in his utter unpredictability,” reckons Colum Fordham. “spraying the ball all over the place and then, just when the batter feels comfortable, bowls an absolute jaffa that surprises the bowler, let alone his started victims (Sudharsan and Jadeja).”

I agree – though it’s worth noting that Tim Bresnan did that too, but without the spraying.

41st over: India 123-5 (Nair 12, Jurel 0) Woakes is, perhaps, a good partner for Tongue, nagging away in classical style while his partner does the opposite – not unlike when, say, Pietersen and Bell were batting together. And after three dots he finds a beauty, the ball jagging away off the seam, far to good for Nair’s shuffle across, before completing his first maiden of the innings.

40th over: India 123-5 (Nair 12, Jurel 0) India are in big trouble; Josh Tongue is a punchline (and an REM song).

Chortle! Cackle! After another disastrous start to an over, Tongue again reaches into his toolbox and removes a jaffa therefrom; what’s it even doing there?! This delivery is very similar to the one which lozzed Sudharasan, swinging in from around, cramping the batter, then straightening, fading away a little, demanding the edge, and you can only laugh.

40th over: India 123-4 (Nair 12, Jadeja 9) Gosh, Tongue again sends one down leg side, it swings late, and Smith is powerless to prevent the ball zipping away for four byes; the next delivery is wide of off, so Jadeja unloads the suitcase, lashing four more over the slips, terrific shot.

39th over: India 115-4 (Nair 12, Jadeja 5) Roundhead Pope has had enough of avant-garde line and length, restoring Woakes to the attack. He sends down three sots, then Jadeja pushes to mid-off, the stand-in skipper fumbles, and they run three. And goodness me, more noteworthily than that, it incites the nicest man in the world to dispense anger – it’s like Elmo vandalising Hamleys.

“I do have a strong suspicion/fear they will find a place for Woakes in the team in Australia,” emails Laim Crowley. “They seem to like the idea of an elder ‘leader of the attack/ which to me has always been more about the quality of the player rather than experience, it just happens that Anderson was both the best and most experienced for so long. As a Bears fan I should be happy about this, but we do this dance with Woaked every year. Half-decent to outstanding English summer, then bowl him for little to no result abroad.”

I’m sure they’ll want him around, but given Stokes, Archer and Wood will be three of the frontline bowlers, I’m not sure how they get him in because I reckon they’ll want Atkinson.

38th over: India 112-4 (Nair 12, Jadeja 2) Back comes Tongue, he overpitches, and Nair turns a full ball into a half-volley, stepping down to time four through cover. The response isn’t bad, but then he angles into the pads and Nair gives the delivery what it deserves, flicking four to fine leg. I know Stokes likes Tongue, but we’ve seen over the last few weeks – consider his words with Archer and Dawson, for example – that he also like bowlers he can set a field for.

37th over: India 104-4 (Nair 4, Jadeja 1) Jadeja nurdles a single into the on-side and an leg bye follows; if England can get rid of him, they might just rustle India out this evening.

“A Day for Thorpey,” begins Andrew Benton. “Did you see Norwich City’s suicide awareness video last year, it’s powerful.”

I did, but it bears rewatching. At this stage of human history, I imagine most of us have either struggled with mental health or know people who have; on which point, my email is at the top of this piece. If ever you need a friendly ear or a chat, please don’t be shy about getting in touch and know you’ll not be the first or second.

36th over: India 100-4 (Nair 4, Jadeja 1) Once again, India need Jadeja to save them, and he gets going with a shove to point, Sudharasan – who was playing well – left in the hutch, contemplating the ultimate futility of existence, our brains and those of others governed by a series of chemical reactions over which we have no control whatsoever. How else to explain Josh Tongue?

Ahahahahaha! This game! After a morning wayward nonsense, Tongue resumes where he left off … then conjures a jaffa of hilarious proportions, slanting in an outswinger that’s full and straight, then spits away as the batter comes forward, stealing his outside edge. Ridiculous behaviour.

36th over: India 101-3 (Sudharsan 38, Nair 4) Tongue, who sprayed all over the show this morning, returns … and beings with leg-side filth. So he aims wide of off and Nair stretches not to miss out this time, just about poking a toe-end to cover; they run one.

35th over: India 100-3 (Sudharsan 38, Nair 3) Overton is not dissimilar to Carse in his ability to extract bounce, sometimes surprisingly so; first, he hits Sudharsan on the glove, then forces a fend off the hip, then incites an edge … which races away for four between third slip and gully. They’re the only runs off the over.

34th over: India 96-3 (Sudharsan 34, Nair 3) England have not bowled especially well today – the pitch is helpful, so are the overheads, and they’ve taken three wickets, one a run out, while giving away 22 extras which include 15 wides. Really, only Stokes and Archer have proved themselves as reliable, though of course there’s Mark Wood to come back soon – all being well – to give the attack a different dimension, perhaps with the old ball as much as the new. Atkinson, though, is staking a claim for a place in the side, and he sends down another maiden, his fifth; 1-15 off 12 is a pretty respectable return on return.

“Horace Brearley? Pah” begins Andrew Thomas. “My grandparents were Horace and Doris. I was given his middle name and luckily that was a rather more reasonable Stephen.”

Hoz and Doz, superb.

33rd over: India 96-3 (Sudharsan 34, Nair 3) A single to Nair, then Overton incites extra bounce and Sudharsan, who might just be cementing himself into the side, prances, rising with the ball and cutting hard to third man for four. That was very, very good – the eyes and hands necessary to play that shot are not available to all.

As regards the below, incidentally, this is lovely:

32nd over: India 91-3 (Sudharsan 30, Nair 3)With Atkinson coming around, Sudharsan opens the face and forces away to deep third for a couple, then a pigeon “Speckled Jim, says Ian Ward – flies across his eye-line as the bowler releases; he’s so focused he doesn’t appear to notice.

This scene reminds me of a lovely word the Blackadder lot used to use – “plumpening” – which they used to describe the process they went through when they had a gag, then sat about together trying to work out its funniest form.

31st over: India 89-3 (Sudharsan 28, Nair 3) Good loosener from Lil Overton, lifting off a length, but behind it is filth, short, wide, and ignored by Nair, who opts not to risk getting out by leaving along. He then gets off the mark tucking a leg-stump half-volley towards midwicket for two, then the bowler again hits his length – there’s plenty in this track – and Nair removes his bat at the last second. Decent judgment, that, and he gets his rewards when another poor delivery, too straight, allows him to turn around the corner for two more.

30th over: India 85-3 (Sudharsan 28, Nair 0) Atkinson’s on the money immediately, and the more I see of him, the more I’m interested to see if he can insert his bustle, confidence and sense of timing into an Ashes contest. After three dots, he lands one on the seam, Sudharsan comes forward as the ball scrambles, it hits the pad and there’s an appeal, but I think there was an edge and even if not, it was going down. Maiden.

Our teams are out, it looks a pleasant afternoon, and there’s a decent chance we get two-and-three-quarter hours of undisturbed cricket. Oh, and now it’s sunny! Atkinson has the ball, and … play.

“Listening to cricket,” begins Ian Davis. “One of my maths teachers was Horace Brearley, father of Mike and the school’s cricket coach. During the Test-Match season, it was compulsory someone at the back of the class to be listening to TMS on a new-fangled tranny with the sound turned down so that only the owner could hear it. Every so often, Horace would stop what he was doing and ask for the latest score.”

Horace Brearley is a sensational name. We had a similar teacher, who also let us bring in cans occasionally; I’m not certain that’d pass today.

It’s a long evening dig, so I’m going to nip off briefly to get a drink; see you in about eight minutes.

They’re taking off the last of the big covers, but underneath it is the slippery area that took Woakes off his feet this morning, so there’s still work to do.

The covers are coming off and we can, I think, go till 7.30 with a monster evening sesh; the weather might just allow it, too

“Sometimes the blog comes into its own with the rain breaks, eh?” chuckles Oli Haill. “Anyway, if I went to a party and they played Summon the Fire by the Comet is Coming, I’d hope I’d be far gone enough to throw off my inhibitions and thrash about dancing like a mad. A negligible cricket connection: the they might be instructions from Stokes/Baz for the fast bowlers.”

I’m still thinking what my entry will be – I was hoping someone would stick in Still D.R.E. and Sandstorm by Darude, so I didn’t have to.

“Aston Vanilla? Good God.” returns Shaun T. “Also, thanks to Simon McMahon who I think is spot on with his ‘when I was a lad, a Fab, a Zoom or a Mini-Milk being the top of the tree back then..’ And I’d also like to add my Mam’s favourite – Strawberry Split/Mivi (Mivvi,Mivvy ?) – and although technically not a ‘lolly’ as such – ice pops for me. I remember the days when you could get about 10 for 50p or something. No better way to cool right down on a baking hot day, even if the last two or three would’ve turned to drinks by the time you got to them.”

I too love a mivvi/mivi/mivvy – the Del Monte modern-day offerings are, while not the same, a pretty good rendition of similar, and much tangier. As it happens, a mate recently bought some ice pops and we were shocked at how much we enjoyed them. They were Mr Freeze, but I’m also a big fan of the ice berger.

According to Cricinfo, the rain has chilled a little and part of the cover has come off. Hopefully we get back on soon.

“Thank you,” returns Richard O’Hagan – not all all the community is one of the many things that makes this thing of ours special. “In honour of Thorpe’s Karachi innings, can I suggest OBOing in near-darkness tomorrow.”

If anyone can get Moin Khan round to shout in my ear, that’d really complete the vibe.

Back to our match, Andrew Goudie gets in touch to note that “18% of the total is wides. That’s under-10s stuff. Woakes will go because he’s a good bloke on tour.”

Yup, and extras were literally the, or a difference between the sides at Lord’s. I think Stokes and Baz are pretty ruthless, and they’ll know Woakes almost definitely own’t be a factor in Australia unless the summer is a wet one – as it was last time England won there, in 2010-11, though Australia’s bowling options – Bollinger, Beeer, Doherty, Harris before he was brilliant, Johnson before he was terrifying, Hilfenhaus, Siddle and Watson – also had something to do with it.

Tangentially, was Johnson’s bowling in Mitch’s Ashes the best most of us have seen against England? I don’t think I’ve seen better, not even Alderman in 1989 or any of the West Indies demolitions.

“My little club here in Buckinghamshire, Penn Street CC, are trying to raise £2500 for Opening Up Cricket, an organisation supporting mental health awareness within the game,” says Richard O’Hagan. “We are holding a 24-hour net session from 6pm and would welcome any support that the OBO readers can manage, especially as this Test has been dedicated to the memory of Graham Thorpe. The Just Giving link is worth a look, if only for the chance to marvel at what appears to be my disembodied head floating second from the left.”

Great stuff, well done to all – please do help out if you can. On which point, tomorrow is A Day For Thorpey, so Smyth and I have planned to do something special to celebrate one of our cricketing heroes – we’ll start by wearing headbands in his honour, but please feel free to suggest other ideas.

So I guess the hope is that we resume at 4.30 or sometime after, and have a long evening session – we can go till 7pm.

“You devil, you!” chides Andrew Benton. “I have Fruit Pastilles lollies often, and double them up with blackcurrant-only ones, plus Smarties that I put in the freezer until they are very crunchy and cold – best refreshing summer snack ever. Just what England need during a rain break, in fact.”

In similar vein, Jelly Tots and Skittles are also great out of the freezer – as they are in a milkshake. I’m not sure what the players eat during breaks, but KP once told me that Lord’s have by far the best lunches, and being able to wade in was the consolation if you were out in the morning session.

“It’s not that I don’t care about this game, or the Ashes,” blasphemes Simon McMahon, “but your mention of Fruit Pastilles ice lollies is, I think, the real hot topic of the day and can’t pass without comment. My two girls, Evie and Anna, loved them, and I suspect still do, though they used to get in a right mess when eating them, especially on hot days, so I hope you’ve taken all relevant precautions. They didn’t exist when I was a lad, a Fab, a Zoom or a Mini-Milk being the top of the tree back then. Thank you for reminding me of the joys of childhood, and indeed parenthood.”

Zooms remain elite and surely the inspiration behind Fruit Pastilles. And both taste even better with a bit of post-drop crunch embedded.

“Given how much rain there’s been in London today,” writes Andy Flintoff, “and the on-off nature of play, why didn’t they move it to somewhere where it isn’t raining? Like Manchester for instance?”

In similar vein, why didn’t they move it to somewhere where it isn’t raining? Like north London for instance?”

“You can’t beat a solid pure orange juice one,” reckons Shaun T of ice lollies, “resisting the temptation to take bites when you can have five minutes of licking and savouring instead…. even taking in the stick at the bottom as it melts down…. a real skill in my book. And is it my imagination or did they (do they still??) used to have naff, Christmas-cracker-type jokes on them. I wonder if anyone ever remembers a good one they chuckled at ? Anyway, bloody rain…”

You’re talking to someone to crunches one sweet while unwrapping the next – one of many habits which screams ADHD! – but yup, I remember the gags.

– What do you get if you cross a football team with an ice cream?

– Aston Vanilla.

They’ve covered more than the square, which suggests they expect more than just a shower. So here’s the OBO rain playlist to keep you going.

But also, might it be time for another? How about the OBO party playlist? Send in your best party tune, no more than one per person, and I’ll collate.

“Found a new way to listen to cricket,” exults Tom Bancroft. “Recently got hearing aids, which means I can listen to the cricket without anyone knowing. Have bought a stretching mat which is very comfy to lie on. So far this ‘stretching session’ has lasted an hour. Wife is very impressed.”

Great stuff – just the other day I was reading about headphones you can lie on which, with the Ashes in mind, feels like something I need. Although your anecdote also reminds me of the 1992 World Cup final, which clashed with my end of term second-year maths exam. So I stuck an earpiece down the sleeve of my blazer and updated the class, none of who cared, via cough-talking. “Fairbrother’s out” still haunts me to this day.

Can I tell you a secret? I’ve just gone to get myself a Fruit Pastilles ice lolly, the absolute mother and father of the genre. Don’t tell my parents.

It’s heavier than a few minutes ago, and I’m afraid it’s going to be this kind of day. Hopefully we’ll get the pitch covered so we can get going again as soon as it’s stopped, but for now, we are bereft of cricket – but not the talking of nonsense.

29th over: India 85-3 (Sudharsan 28, Nair 0) Two dots then two wides, and it’s now raining steadily again; we might get the end of this over and another, but if it doesn’t let up, they’ll have to come off. Meantime, Overton completes his over with a decent delivery which lifts off a length to rattle Nair in the gizzard.

“I’ve enjoyed your thoughts on the England line-up for the Ashes,” begins Tom van der Gucht, “and I’ve been giving some thoughts regarding the next steps for this quixotic and entertaining England team. Bringing Bethell in today at least brings some excitement with a mercurial talent having a pop at the champ, but I’m also keen to see what the future brings with the likes of Ahmed growing as a potential all-rounder. I’d like to see him given a bash in the ODI series later this summer at number 3 (giving Root a rest) although, I suspect the Ashes might arrive too soon for his second coming yet it would be great to see him fighting for a berth in the Test squad.”

At this point, it feels like they’ve invested too much in Bashir to pick another Test spinner ahead of him. I’d not be surprised if England don’t bother with a spinner at Brisbane, but if they do, it’ll be him or Root/Bethell, I think. Which isn’t to say I’m not interested to see more of Ahmed, I am.