Two quick-fire wickets drag England back into opening test just before lunch
LEEDS, England :Two wickets late in the session dragged England back into their opening test of the five-match series against India on Friday, with the tourists 92-2 at lunch having previously cruised into a strong position.
Despite the clear, humid Headingley conditions seemingly favouring the batting side, England chose to bowl first, safe in the knowledge each of the previous six Leeds tests had been won by the side bowling first.
Skipper Ben Stokes' decision initially seems ill-advised, with India openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal both looking in fine form, taking India into the nineties unbeaten as lunch approached.
Without numerous frontline pace bowlers through injury - the lightning Jofra Archer and Mark Wood in particular - England's new-look attack grew more erratic as the opening session wore on.
It was left to Brydon Carse, making his first test start on home soil, to make the crucial breakthrough just as Rahul was really settling in on 42, Yorkshireman Joe Root taking the catch on his home ground in the slips.
The pressure then got to 23-year-old Sai Sudharsan on debut, as from the last ball before lunch, Stokes found a leading edge, with Jamie Smith taking the catch behind the stumps to send the rookie back to the pavilion without having scored a single run.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Alcaraz beats Lehecka in Queen's final to send Wimbledon statement
LONDON :Top seed Carlos Alcaraz edged powerful Czech Jiri Lehecka 7-5 6-7(5) 6-2 to claim his second Queen's Club title and send out a powerful statement ahead of his Wimbledon defence on Sunday. Spaniard Alcaraz, who triumphed at Queen's a few weeks before claiming his first Wimbledon title in 2023, extended his winning streak to 18 matches but was pushed hard by Lehecka who underlined his own credentials as a rising force. Alcaraz, 22, pounced at 5-5 to break the Lehecka serve and duly bagged the opening set in 45 minutes. Lehecka, bidding to become the first Czech to win the Queen's title since Ivan Lendl in 1990, continued going toe-to-toe with the five-times Grand Slam champion and edged the second set tie-break with some clinical tennis. Alcaraz had more in his locker though and forged 4-1 ahead in the decider as Lehecka's level finally began to drop on a breezy Andy Murray Arena in west London. He then broke the 23-year-old Lehecka's serve again to complete victory, letting out a roar of a delight as Lehecka struck a backhand into the net.
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
Brook falls on 99 but England punish India's sloppy fielding to cut lead
LEEDS, England :Harry Brook fell agonisingly short of a fairytale century on his home ground when he was out for 99 as England capitalised on India's generosity in the field before they were dismissed for 465 on the third day of the opening test at Headingley on Sunday. Resuming on 209-3 in reply to India's 471 all out, England were dealt an early blow when overnight centurion Ollie Pope perished for 106 while Brook fell in the second session when attempting to bring up his century with a six. Brook had got his eye in and steadied the ship with some crisp hitting, smashing 11 boundaries as he made India pay for dropped catches by bringing up his 12th test half-century. He was given a third lifeline when he slashed at a wide ball to Yashasvi Jaiswal at fourth slip but the Indian opener fluffed the chance - his third dropped catch and India's fifth in the innings. The Yorkshire-born batter looked set for a big score before his moment of heartbreak came when he attempted to reach three figures with a flourish, lofting Prasidh Krishna over fine leg only to find Shardul Thakur stationed at the boundary rope. A dejected Brook threw his head back and put his hand up to his face before he trudged back to the pavilion as the Headingley crowd overcame their disappointment to give him a standing ovation. Krishna had also dismissed Pope with a shorter delivery when he nicked it to Rishabh Pant behind the stumps, with the batter adding only six runs to his overnight score. FRUSTRATION FOR INDIA A blustery day, which began with a moment of appreciation for former England speedster David "Syd" Lawrence who died aged 61, threatened to become frustrating for India when Ben Stokes hit Mohammed Siraj down the ground to bring up England's 250. India were less than pleased with the shape of the old ball, highlighted when Pant petulantly threw it to the ground during a chat with umpire Paul Reiffel after Brook had audaciously charged Siraj and guided one over the slip cordon. The tourists persevered and skipper Stokes was livid with himself when he fell for 20, drawn into an edge by Siraj, while Jamie Smith took a smart review and survived after initially being given out lbw off Thakur. Smith and Brook then stitched together a 73-run partnership as India struggled to stem the flow of runs. But Smith fell on 40 when he hooked a short delivery to deep square leg where Ravindra Jadeja caught the ball and tossed it to Sai Sudharsan before he went over the rope. Once Brook was dismissed, Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse went after the bowling and built a 55-run partnership to frustrate the bowlers before Carse was bowled by a Mohammed Siraj yorker. With India getting desperate, skipper Shubman Gill brought Jasprit Bumrah back into the attack and he completed a five-wicket haul by cleaning up the tail, dismissing Woakes and Josh Tongue with deliveries that crashed into the stumps.
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
England steady the ship with Brook after India remove centurion Pope
LEEDS, England :India dismissed England's overnight centurion Ollie Pope early on the third day of their opening test at Headingley on Sunday but Harry Brook helped the hosts to reach 327-5 in their first innings and they trailed by 144 runs at lunch. Resuming on 209-3 in reply to India's 471 all out, England were dealt a blow when Pope perished for 106 after adding only six runs to his score on Saturday, before Brook got his eye in and steadied the ship with some crisp hitting. The right-hander, dropped on zero a day earlier and again on Sunday, made India pay by bringing up his 12th test half-century to remain unbeaten on 57 at the break with Jamie Smith enduring a nervy moment to make 29 not out in his team's robust reply. Brook got off the mark with a spectacular boundary before a lofted six over deep mid-wicket in the opening over from Prasidh Krishna, who responded splendidly by having Pope caught behind with a short and wide delivery early in his next over. A blustery day, which began with a moment of appreciation for former England speedster David "Syd" Lawrence who has died aged 61, threatened to become frustrating for India when Ben Stokes hit Mohammed Siraj down the ground to bring up England's 250. India were less than pleased with the shape of the old ball, highlighted by a moment when Rishabh Pant petulantly threw it to the ground during a chat with umpire Paul Reiffel after Brook had audaciously charged Siraj and guided one over the slip cordon. The tourists persevered and skipper Stokes was livid with himself when he fell for 20, drawn into an edge by Siraj, while Smith took a smart review and survived after initially being given out lbw off Shardul Thakur.
