Joe Root and Harry Brook give England hope after Mohammed Siraj let-off

Powys County Times

5 days ago

Joe Root and Harry Brook kept England in the hunt for a record breaking chase in their series decider against India as the fifth Rothesay Test sped towards a thrilling day four finish.
Chasing a massive 374 to take the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 3-1, the hosts reached lunch at 164 for three with their top two batters at the crease.
Ben Duckett and stand-in captain Ollie Pope departed as India made inroads towards squaring the series 2-2, but a typically dependable 23 not out from Root and a counter-attacking unbeaten 38 by Brook left things in the balance.
Brook hit four fours and two sixes in 30 balls before the break but was almost caught by Mohammed Siraj, who held on to a skier at fine leg before stepping over the boundary rope.
Siraj had snatched the momentum with the last act on Saturday evening, bowling Zak Crawley with a clinical yorker, and was soon causing more problems for Duckett.
He turned his overnight 34 into a fourth half-century of the series but never really settled in lasting 40 awkward minutes. He was beaten eight times, edging three deliveries and missing five more.
Siraj was responsible for most of his troubles but it was Prasidh Krishna who got the rewards, coming on at the Pavilion End and striking lucky with his fourth ball as Duckett threw the kitchen sink at a drive.
After seeing England fail to claim six catches in the third innings, KL Rahul showed them how it was done with a rock solid take at slip.
Krishna, gamely filling the considerable boots of Jasprit Bumrah, came desperately close to pinning Root lbw for just three but saw his huge appeal rejected. Ball-tracking showed it was clipping leg stump, but not enough to overturn the decision.
After an hour's play England had scraped together 37 runs, briefly accelerating as Pope hit three fours in an over off Krishna, including one classy on-drive.
But that was the end of a cameo rather than the start of something more substantial, Siraj charging in and nailing him in front of the stumps.
At 106 for three, India had taken control but the arrival of Brook brought a screeching gear shift. He went for all-out aggression, at one stage lashing 27 runs in eight balls.
That included a crunch through midwicket and a lavish six over cover off Akash Deep before his near miss at fine-leg, risking his wicket but picking up six more for his efforts. Siraj looked mortified as he realised he had overbalanced, with the English fans revelling in his anguish. Krishna, meanwhile, had to quietly shelve the celebrations he had already started to perform.