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He gets a standing ovation as he slowly makes his way to the middle. The ruthless bowler would bowl a yorker at him here. The field has dropped deep.<\/p>\n
Stokes gets the breakthrough! A fuller length tempts Shardul Thakur into a big drive and it\u2019s taken very well at gully by Duckett.<\/p>\n
Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager.<\/a><\/p>\n Enable cookiesAllow cookies once<\/p>\n After the conditions of the Dukes balls dominated much of the discourse through the first three matches, yesterday we didn\u2019t have any instances of the ball needing to be checked or changed. It\u2019s unclear whether that\u2019s because it\u2019s a different batch of balls, or because the rain means the ground is much softer and the square less abrasive. Also the ball didn\u2019t hit the advertising hoardings as much yesterday. <\/p>\n Simon Hughes sitting next to me says it might be a new batch, because they look a bit darker than the ones that were being used in the previous three Tests. <\/p>\n There is a video on Simon\u2019s Instagram all about the colour of the balls and the quality of the leather if you want to go and check it out. <\/p>\n Gus Atkinson has been playing for Surrey second XI at LSE\u2019s ground \u2014 he bowled 20 overs in Somerset\u2019s first innings taking two wicket,s and is now opening the bowling in the second. Surrey built a small first innings lead of 30.<\/p>\n An update from Indian camp<\/p>\n It looks as though Rishabh Pant may well appear in this Test, if this tweet is anything to go by\u2026<\/p>\n Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager.<\/a><\/p>\n Enable cookiesAllow cookies once<\/p>\n Pant is in a moon boot and can hardly walk, but is in the changing room in his whites, so who knows. We\u2019ve seen Nathan Lyon come out and bat while nursing an injury at Lord\u2019s in 2023.<\/p>\n Ben Stokes thinks he\u2019s got Shardul Thakur. The ball rears right up off a length and it\u2019s caught by Jamie Smith \u2014 Stokes appeals for a caught behind, he thinks there was a noise or a glove. Given not out on the field but they\u2019ve gone upstairs to have a look. <\/p>\n UltraEdge shows no edge or glove \u2014 it wasn\u2019t a very convincing appeal by the slip cordon or the wicket keeper. Rod Tucker gets another decision right. He\u2019s made a couple of very good ones this Test. <\/p>\n The England captain has the ball in hand from the Brian Statham end, replacing Woakes.<\/p>\n This is a very good spell from Archer, and Stokes clearly feels an edge is coming \u2014 he has a five-strong slip cordon all standing pretty close together.<\/p>\n When Archer gets a slightly fuller length, there is swing away from the left-hander, but for the moment Washington Sundar is solid in his defence \u2014 soft hands and seems to know where his off stump is.<\/p>\n Jofra Archer went straight to Harry Brook after the latter dismissed Jadeja with a wonderful catch.<\/p>\n Yesterday\u2019s issues of long queues were not repeated today. Lancashire asked people to get to the ground early and have sent out a slightly cringey social media post today thanking people for doing so. <\/p>\n Why people should have to go so early just because they can\u2019t sort out their entry processes is beyond me\u2026<\/p>\n Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager.<\/a><\/p>\n Enable cookiesAllow cookies once<\/p>\n What a start from Jofra Archer! A brilliant fifth ball of the over finds Jadeja\u2019s edge and Brook takes a fantastic catch down to his right. Just the start England wanted. Washington Sundar comes to the crease. With Pant out, that is India effectively 266 for six.<\/p>\n England are on the attack here, four slips and a gully.<\/p>\n Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager.<\/a><\/p>\n Enable cookiesAllow cookies once<\/p>\n There\u2019s plenty of movement out there with the new ball, and Archer finds an edge off Thakur but again it hasn\u2019t carried.<\/p>\n After Chris Woakes found a bit of movement in his opening over, Jofra Archer will open from the Sir James Anderson end. He finds an edge off Jadeja straight away, which flies to gully but doesn\u2019t quite carry to Duckett.<\/p>\n We\u2019re about to get going under scowling skies in Manchester. Remember England will have a new ball this morning as they look to take quick wickets. Chris Woakes is warming up as Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur arrive at the crease.<\/p>\n Will Pant\u2019s injury define the series?<\/p>\n Our colleagues at talkSPORT discuss the impact the injury could have on India\u2019s chances for the remainder of the series.<\/p>\n We look to be set fair for the remainder of the match at Old Trafford. There might be a little bit of rain here and there today, unsurprisingly for Manchester in July, but hopefully not enough to disrupt play. The sun should show itself later on in the match.<\/p>\n Ben Stokes knew how to expose Sai Sudharsan \u2014 but Jamie Smith let him off<\/p>\n Steve James<\/p>\n The 23-year-old\u2019s lovely languid strokes are a joy to behold, and come from his preference to keep the bat grounded. There is however a key flaw in his technique, as his head drifts over to the off side. Ben Stokes knew how to expose it by bowling down the leg side and finding a nick, but his keeper\u2019s fumble left him frustrated.<\/p>\n Read the full piece on the batsman\u2019s escape here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tired pitches, dry weather and deformed Dukes \u2014 a tough year for bowlers<\/p>\n Simon Wilde, Old Trafford<\/p>\n Things may not be quite as bad as they were in the long hot summer of 1990, when batsmen ran amok from April to September while footsore bowlers laboured with the Reader balls whose seams had been flattened by special decree from Lord\u2019s, but 2025 is proving another big year of run-making.<\/p>\n We are into the sixth Test match of the season \u2014 including the world Test Championship final \u2014 and have already seen 18 individual centuries, including a mammoth score of 269 from Shubman Gill, and four other innings in excess of 150. Overall, wickets have cost almost 36 runs apiece, the highest figure in an English summer since 2011.<\/p>\n Read the full piece on bowlers\u2019 burdens here<\/a>.<\/p>\n India lost the toss yesterday for the 14th consecutive time in Tests, a one in 16,384 chance. Sky Sports\u2019s stats guru Benedict Bermange has gone one further this morning, working out the chances of five players having the same birthday, December 6, which was a distinct possibility if not for India\u2019s selection choices\u2026<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\/269a6b84-1af3-49e0-ba0d-ae7c2448935a.jpg\")
Ben Stokes into the attack<\/p>\n![\"22,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\/186dcb17-f10f-4bb0-ae0f-54e6372403f5.jpg\")
No queuing issues today…<\/p>\n
![\"England](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/\/e3247ca7-3e97-4304-a011-fbea43392944.jpg\")
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