
England mocked after scoring six ducks in first innings of Edgbaston Test against India
That's right ... in their first innings of the second Test against India, six of England's batters made ducks, while two players made scores of more than 150 before their team was all out for 407.
Harry Brook hailed Jamie Smith's 'phenomenal' talent after sharing a mammoth stand of 303 with England's latest record-breaker.
The pair moved mountains together as they attempted to drag their side back into contention on Day 3 of the Edgbaston Test, coming together at 5-84 and conjuring a spectacular fightback.
Brook made 158 as he brought up the ninth century of his Test career, with Smith smiting a sensational 184 not out.
That was the highest ever score by an England No.7 and an England wicketkeeper, pinching the latter record from his Surrey mentor Alec Stewart.
Remarkably their efforts were not enough to keep the hosts on an even keel, India ending the day with a lead of 244 and nine wickets in hand.
Outside of Brook and Smith, Joe Root with just 22 was England's next best score.
The scorecard has never been seen before and cricket fans far and wide mocked the hosts, who were facing an Indian attack without their No.1 man Jasprit Bumrah.
Social media account Duck Academy said: 'Six beautiful ducks in one innings - the Duck Academy hearts are full today!'
While another fan noted: 'England's scorecard reminded me of me and the boys splitting a bill to pay.'
Another fan blasted: 'Crazy scorecard!!'
And another: 'TBH if you take out Smith and Brook, it rivals the absolute worst batting I've seen from an England lineup. This is a good pitch and not the best India attack you'll see, yet we've managed 46 runs from the other 9 players.'
And another: 'A unique yet a very unfortunate stat to have
And another: 'Maybe some of his mates could add a bit of support. 6 ducks is an absolute joke!
Of course, England's controversial 'Bazball' strategy again came under fire as well.
'Median score of 0. Top order out for a pittance ??? ... Post 407 ... Profit ... I love bazball,' one fan said on Reddit.
While another remarked: 'This is Bazball ladies and gents ....'
Another bout of fourth-innings heroics will now be needed to stop the tourists squaring the series 1-1 over the next two days, but Brook was buoyed by Smith's eye-catching contribution.
'It was good fun being out there with Smudge. He's a phenomenal player and it felt good to be out there, putting on 300 with him,' he said.
'The way that he came out of the blocks and put the pressure back on their bowlers was awesome. He tried to change the momentum back in our favour and it worked for a long period of time. It's one he should be proud of.'
To no great surprise, there is no suggestion whatsoever from the England camp that a draw, and preserving their series lead, would be an acceptable outcome with the odds stacked against them.
For a side who chased 378 on the same ground against the same opponents three years ago, as well as 371 in the first Test at Headingley, that can hardly go down as a surprise.
'I think everybody in the world knows that we're going to try and chase whatever they set us,' said Brook.
Brook may have taken second billing to his partner on the day but he batted with a tangible sense of purpose after being dismissed for 99 in the series opener.
'I was definitely hungry to get 100 today. I'd never been out in the 90s before in my life, so it was disappointing,' he said.
Should India finish the job and leave Birmingham with a win, they will have much to thank Mohammed Siraj for. He took 6-70, including Root and Ben Stokes off consecutive balls at the start of the day and three tailenders in quick succession at the end.
With Bumrah rested this week, he took the chance to fill the void left by the star seamer.
'I have been bowling well but not getting wickets, so getting six here is very special,' he said.
'When you are asked to lead the attack I love responsibility, I love the challenge.'

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Mercury
3 hours ago
- Mercury
Mudgee preview, tips: David Smith banks on Lockdown Gamble's class in Cup
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News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
England make unwanted piece of Test history in first innings vs India
Jamie Smith made the highest Test score by an England wicketkeeper of 184 not out and Harry Brook passed 150 again but India still ended Friday's third day of the second Test at Edgbaston with a lead of over 200 runs. England were in dire straits at 84-5, more than 500 runs behind, when Smith joined forces with Brook in just the second over of the day's play. They came together after Mohammed Siraj had taken two wickets in two balls, including removing Ben Stokes for the first golden duck of the England captain's Test career. But England's sixth-wicket duo went on to add 303 runs before Brook fell for 158. And by the time England were dismissed for 407, Smith had surpassed Surrey mentor Alec Stewart's previous highest Test score by an England wicketkeeper of 173 against New Zealand at Auckland in 1997. But the new ball proved England's undoing for the second time in the match as they lost their last five wickets for 20 runs. While Smith entered the record books, England also etched their name into Test folklore by becoming the first team to score 400-plus in an innings, while losing six players for zero runs. Siraj (6-70) and fellow paceman Akash Deep (4-88), in for the rested Jasprit Bumrah, did the damage between them. India, looking to level the series after last week's five-wicket loss in the first Test at Headingley, led by 180 runs on first innings, with captain Shubman Gill's superb 269 the cornerstone of their 587 all out. And they had extended that advantage to 244 runs at the close, with India 64-1 in their second innings after gifted left-hander Yashasvi Jaiswal, whose 28 featured six fours, was lbw to fast bowler Josh Tongue. A rueful Brook told Sky Sports: 'Up until I got out I felt like we were almost clawing it back, but our tail had a collapse, as we saw with them (India).' Smith's hundred was just the second of his 12-Test career following the 24-year-old's 111 against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford last year and Brook forecast a glittering future for his teammate. 'It was good to spend some time out there with Smudge (Smith), he's got a long career ahead with England and he's a phenomenal player,' said Brook. England resumed on 77-3, with Joe Root and Brook - the world's two top-ranked Test batsmen - 18 not out and 30 not out. But Root soon glanced fast bowler Siraj to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Next ball, Stokes was undone by a superb rising delivery from Siraj that he edged behind, reducing England to 84-5. Smith, however, survived the hat-trick by straight-driving Siraj for four. It was the start of a blistering 80-ball hundred that included 14 fours and three sixes as Smith joined a select group of batsmen to have made 100 runs before lunch in a session of Test cricket. India had rested Bumrah, the world's number one ranked Test bowler, in order to protect the fast bowler's fitness in a series where he is expected to feature in just three out of five matches. But in his absence, Smith smashed 22 runs in a single over from paceman Prasidh Krishna, including a six and four fours. Smith, showing no obvious ill effects from the strain of keeping wicket for 151 overs struck consecutive fours off experienced left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja in the last over before lunch to complete an astounding century. Brook, 91 not out at the interval went to a hundred after giving his wicket away on 99 in the first Test and went on to exceed 150 for the fifth time in his nine hundreds at this level. But Deep eventually broke through with the new ball by bowling Brook with a fine delivery that darted back off the seam. Deep also removed Chris Woakes for five on the Warwickshire all-rounder's home ground. He had previously reduced England to 13-2 by dismissing Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope for ducks. Smith smashed Deep for six over long-on to raise England's 400 but Siraj cleaned up the tail as Brydon Carse, Tongue and Shoaib Bashir failed to manage a run between them.


West Australian
9 hours ago
- West Australian
Mitchell Johnson: Australia should be prepared to make big changes to their struggling top six for the Ashes
I was asked a question by somebody yesterday: can you change four out of your top six before an Ashes series? My reply was that you shouldn't but that for Australia, it looks like it could happen. I loved playing cricket for Australia and have always respected those who played before me and after me, as I know how difficult it is to be at your very best in an elite sport under the scrutiny of past players, media, cricket fans and non-cricket fans. As past players, we should also try to be honest and open in our views on the current team and the form of players within it – while backing up what we have to say. Not everyone will agree, and others will; that's just human nature. As an ex-bowler watching on, I look at the current Australian batsmen and am frustrated. We all understand that we can't be at our best every day. We give it our all when we're out in the middle, representing the whole of Australia, but that doesn't mean it will always work out. So back to the question. Can Australia make wholesale changes to their top six for the first Ashes Test in Perth in November? I am a little torn, to be honest, because I know how important stability is at the top. It is a big series at home against England and with the way they are currently playing, the Poms look as though they will come hard and not be timid this series. It's hard for any team to come here and beat Australia in their own conditions but starting your innings can be hard for all batsmen on some of the paciest and bounciest pitches in the world. And the Australian top order has not been showing they are equipped for any conditions. Teenage opener Sam Konstas, who has scored 3, 5, 25 and 0 since being recalled for the West Indies series, has been unsure of anything outside the off-stump line. The same with new No.3 Cam Green actually. It looks to be both a mental approach and a technical issue as both Konstas and Green have been pushing their hands out at the ball rather than keeping their hands tight to their bodies. They are unsure at times whether to play or leave. Coming from a bowler's point of view, if I was bowling to both these batters you want them doing exactly what they are doing. It gets you up and about as a bowler, you feel in the game. If they started leaving those balls outside the off stump and making me bowl more balls and overs without the risk, then as a bowler I will try something different and go away from my game plan. The more you can get a bowler to bowl at you and the more time they spend on their legs in a game, the more chance a bowler will give you loose balls in your zones. We could say the conditions in the Caribbean haven't been ideal for the batsmen but this is professional cricket and you don't just get what you want. Konstas simply has to score runs in the third and final Test in the West Indies to and not just a 30 or 40. The thing I loved about Test cricket is that conditions differ from country to country, pitch to pitch and day to day, and you need to be adaptable. With a few Sheffield Shield matches before the Test summer starts, it's a great opportunity for any top-order batters to perform. We need players to perform and then be rewarded for scoring runs and taking wickets. So I'll force myself to answer the original question, would I change the top four before an Ashes series? Yes, I don't see why you couldn't make changes if the players they pick have experience at shield level and a good understanding of their game. The one real positive for Australia that makes me think you can make changes before an Ashes series is the reliability of Beau Webster. He honed his trade as a State cricketer and developed his game to the point where he is confident and now able to back himself and trust his ability when playing for Australia. In fact, I would have started making more changes over the past few years, bringing in players who were performing to reward form and help smooth out the big looming generational change. The other thought I had while thinking about the Ashes summer was where does Marnus Labuschagne fit into all this? At his best, he is Australia's No.3 and in his best form would be a better for at first drop than Green. Some big runs from Labuschagne early in the shield season would help his cause. For now, though, openers Konstas and Usman Khawaja need a significant partnership in the third Test if they are to continue their alliance. Even if Green does make some runs at three, I still feel it isn't the best position for him.