India seize control at Lord's as England stumble to 175 for six at tea

South Wales Argus

7 hours ago

With scores tied after the first innings, the tourists turned up the heat as a combination of excellent bowling and a wearing pitch cranked up the pressure.
Despite difficult batting conditions, England were guilty of some unforced errors with Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Harry Brook contributing reckless dismissals.
Captain Ben Stokes held English hopes alive at tea, digging in for 27 not out off 83 balls in an attempt to keep his side afloat.
England's Ben Duckett (right) walks off after being dismissed (Bradley Collyer/PA)
Tensions were still simmering following the ill-tempered time-wasting row that erupted late on Saturday evening, and it was India who channelled their emotions most effectively as they left England 98 for four in the first session.
Jasprit Bumrah set the tone with an outstanding opening burst from the Nursery End but was inexplicably wicketless despite posing a constant threat.
His sixth ball of the morning exploded violently, knocking the bat out of Crawley's hand as he jerked back in self-preservation. Having put a target on his own back with his exaggerated delaying tactics late on day three, Crawley was in India's sights.
But Duckett was the first to go, guilty of an ghastly hack across the line that sailed gently to mid-on. Mohammed Siraj marked his moment of success with an eye-popping celebration that ended a yard in front of the batter and the pair nudged shoulders as they passed. The match referee is likely to take a dim view of such physical contact.
Mohammed Siraj celebrates after snaring Ollie Pope lbw (Bradley Collyer/PA)
Ollie Pope lasted 17 painful balls at number three, his only scoring shot coming from a thick edge over the slips. Siraj ended his unhappy stay with a nip-backer and a plumb lbw that somehow needed DRS for confirmation.
Crawley's travails lasted even longer as he hit fresh air more regularly than leather, routinely missing the ball or surviving edges off either side of the bat. Having somehow seen off India's strike bowlers, he failed to cash in.
With two gullies waiting for an errant drive, he walked headlong into the trap as he wafted at the gentle medium pace of Nitish Kumar Reddy.
England continued to shoot themselves in the foot as Brook came out firing. He hit four fours and a six in 19 balls of frantic counter-attacking only to find out that such exuberance came with a cost.
Washington Sundar (right) celebrates with team-mates after taking the wicket of Joe Root (Bradley Collyer/PA)
Attempting to manufacture another boundary off Akash Deep, he stooped into a pre-meditated sweep and was bowled round his legs.
That left Stokes and Joe Root in charge of a difficult repair job, and they managed it to the tune of 67 runs in 128 deliveries. Nothing came easily as the duo faced a constant examination of their technique and temperament.
Root nicked Deep's first ball of the afternoon but a no-ball and a dropped catch made him safe on two fronts. He also survived an agonisingly tight lbw, stepping across one from Siraj and spared by ball-tracking by a sliver.
He was finally dismissed on 40, over-committing to a sweep off Washington Sundar and leaving middle and leg exposed. With England's best player of spin in his back pocket, the all-rounder added their most in-form player – Jamie Smith cleaned up for eight with one that skidded through.