Finger pointing and anger as tempers fray between England and India

 Tempers frayed at the end of a long day at Lord’s with the match and control of the series on the line.

There was finger pointing, angry words exchanged and an apology by Sky for language heard over the stump mic after Zak Crawley pulled away and called for the physio as India tried to cram in another over before the close

The time-wasting worked, Jasprit Bumrah’s over was the only one bowled before the close, but for the first time there was spice between the teams as tension bubbled to the surface at the end of a soporific day.

It is what happens when weak umpiring allows players to take liberties and two teams slug it out for three days on a flat pitch in blazing sunshine only to end up back at square one. After 232 overs bowled in the match, England are two runs ahead.

For only the ninth time in Test cricket two teams were tied on the same first-innings score after India were bowled out for 387.

History is with England. Only once has the team batting last won the Test when scores have been level after the first innings.

But for England to win they will have to master the tricky third innings, a time in a match when they prefer to bowl, not bat.

England had a six-minute spell to bat before the close which should have been enough time for two overs but Crawley played all the tricks to ensure they would only face six balls. He twice pulled away as Bumrah started to run in and made a meal of a lifter that jarred his hand, calling for the physio.

It enraged India but they could not really take the moral high ground after their batsmen took unscheduled drinks, nipped off to go to the loo or called on the physio as the cricket became as still as the air in the July heatwave. Over the past two days combined, 25 have been unbowled and the officials have done nothing about it.

It could be crucial lost time that prevents a result, even for the drawphobic Bazballers. They now face the challenge of scoring quickly enough to set a target against Bumrah and two spinners on a wearing pitch. It has the makings of an England collapse and India snatching the game but we could also be in for a classic, tense finish on day five.

On a day of old-school Test cricket, England were grateful again for Ben Stokes as they so after are on big occasions at Lord’s. With an outrageous run out and two spells of 90mph bowling – one of seven overs that lasted longer than the women’s final at Wimbledon – he broke the door down only for India’s bloodymindedness to slam it shut again.

KL Rahul’s 10th Test hundred, his second at Lord’s, was the backbone of India’s innings but it was fortified by two meaty stands in the lower order from the bowling all-rounders Ravi Jadeja and Washington Sundar.

A blistering spell of fast bowling from Jofra Archer averaging 90.3mph, his quickest on record in Test cricket, bolstered his return and he bowled better than two for 52, but a sign of his value was not just his pace but the fact he went at just 2.2 an over, the quickest and most economical bowler in the match.

Wickets have been hard for England all series. India have made more than 350 in every innings and each time England have been forced to take the second new ball. The Australians only had to take the new ball twice in their five-match series with India earlier this year. It is a factor that illustrates how pitches in both countries have changed.

In England it is a combination of the fragile Dukes ball losing its shape, the surfaces lacking pace and carry and the summer’s hot weather.

It adds up to a lot of hard graft for England. Stokes loves what he calls ‘a day in the dirt’ and he snatched the attention with a superb run out of Rishabh Pant on the stroke of lunch.

Pant was trying to get Rahul on strike on 98 so he could make his century before the break but it is dangerous to take on Stokes. He picked the ball up at cover point and on the turn through the stumps down.

From nowhere, England had their first wicket of the day two minutes before the end of the first session. It sparked panic. Rahul completed his hundred soon after the restart but was lured into a drive by Shoaib Bashir’s flight and was caught at slip for 100. Bashir was bowling nicely, but injured his left little finger trying to take a return catch off Jadeja and never reappeared, although England are confident he will be available for the second innings.

Four times England had opportunities for run outs. Twice they could have knocked over Nitish Kumar Reddy on nought, again on 18 and Jadeja when he had five. Twice Ollie Pope snatched at chances when he had time to gather himself and aim. On a day when wickets had to be bought with sweat and tears, they were golden chances that would have given England a crucial first-innings lead.

Archer bowled a snorting spell with 13 balls over 90mph but Reddy survived and built a 72-run stand with Jadeja, lasting through the second new ball and forcing Stokes to give it another thrash himself.

He struck Reddy with an 87 mph bouncer, and nicked him off for 30 by finding bounce and carry that only Bumrah and Archer had been able to locate.

This India side are stubborn, and determined not to repeat the collapses of Headingley that cost them the first Test. Another stubborn 50 stand brought them close to parity until Woakes strangled Jadeja down the legside.

He had two lbws overturned in the next three balls but the India tail subsided to leave Crawley, always in the crosshairs, facing a testy spell. In 2021 Bumrah bowled deliberate no-balls at the end of the day to James Anderson that caused a huge rift between the teams. This was not on that level, but it was an edgy end to the day and sets up the rest of the Test.