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Telegraph
4 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Cherie Blair flirting with KP and Roy Keane slating the ‘Poms' – untold stories of 2005 Ashes
It is perhaps England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith who best embodies the effect of the 2005 Ashes. Smith was not brought up in a cricket-mad family but, captivated by a box-set of the series, a six-year-old Smith pestered his parents to take him to summer camp to try out the sport where he wielded his Kevin Pietersen bat that was several sizes too big. Now a rising star, this winter he will taste Ashes cricket for the first time, all thanks to the 2005 legacy. When Smith nets with England at Old Trafford on Monday, it will be 20 years since day one of the 2005 Ashes. Every player who appeared in the series has written a book or given interviews. But the anniversary is a chance to take a different approach; to hear from those behind the scenes. The kit man, physio, fitness trainer, coaches, an inventor and a young 12th man – who went from his local pub to standing at cover in a Test – are among those who share their memories with Telegraph Sport, shedding new light on that most captivating of summers. The build-up Australia played 15 matches before the first Test, losing to Somerset and Bangladesh. Andrew Symonds was disciplined for drinking and bizarre off-field events hampered preparation. Trevor Crouch (Australia team kit manager): 'There was a tour game at Leicester with a dozy steward on the door. They were loading the bus and there were loads of supporters hanging round. Some drunken Australian supporters nicked the players' gear. Pup [Michael Clarke] lost all his bats. If ever there was someone you didn't want that to happen to it was Pup.' John Buchanan (Australia coach): 'We stayed at Lumley Castle for a game at Durham. It was a lovely spot but supposedly haunted. One or two of the guys acted as a ghost to scare Shane Watson, or whether there was a real ghost I don't know. His room-mate later said they never wanted to share with Shane again.' Crouch: 'Lumley Castle is a horrible place to stay. The players were asking if it was haunted. Then, bugger me, two days later Watson moved into Brett Lee's room because he was scared. I heard him in reception, I will never forget this big sportsman towering over the receptionist and saying: 'My room is haunted, I had to sleep on the floor of my mate's room.' The ironic thing was he ended up in the room that was supposed to be haunted but nobody told him. They also had a press officer who instead of killing the story, said she had seen ghosts and it all kicked off.' The Aussies walked the half-mile from the hotel to the ground. Walking back up the hill to Lumley Castle somebody jumped out of the bushes to scare them. It was a reporter from one of the papers. He nearly got knocked out. London bombings On July 7 England played Australia in an ODI at Headingley when news filtered through about the bombings on the London Underground. The Australian families were arriving in London that day. At one stage, the tour was threatened. Steve Bernard (Australia team manager): 'I got a phone call at Headingley to say this has happened, don't come down to London. After a quick chat with security we decided we would drive down to London that night. It was an eerie experience driving to the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington. There was not a vehicle on the road. It was a ghost town, and had a profound effect on us. They [the players] were nervous.' Crouch: ' Some of the players were very worried. The families were coming over and they were staying in the heart of London, and were vulnerable but safety in numbers helped. Remember, this was before the IPL and players having money or power.' First Test The Lord's Test was over quickly. Australia won by 239 runs but the result covered the cracks in the team. Kirk Russell (England physio): 'I would say 'good morning' to Ricky Ponting every day and I would get nothing back. Just silence. I always found that really weird. Perhaps he thought it was showing weakness to say hello to a physio.' Nigel Stockill (England strength and conditioning coach): 'The Australians started a childish turf war before play every morning. It cost them in the end.' Russell: 'Fletch [Duncan Fletcher, the England head coach] had got word that Australia would warm up where we normally warm up on the outfield at Lord's. We got there before 8am and sure enough they had been in and laid their cones out. By the time the guys wanted to bowl, the Aussies were out warming up close to the wicket. Ashley Giles wanted a bowl. I would take a mitt and Ash said politely to the Aussies 'can you just move a bit because we want to bowl?' Fair to say their response was not 'good morning, yes of course'. It was basically 'f--- you'. Anyway it was the most high-pressure mitting experience I ever had because I had a couple of the Aussie guys by my feet. The fun and games started early on.' Bernard: 'At the end of the match we sang the team song and our guys had a few too many drinks, and this was the only time this happened in my time, we went to the England dressing room to do the team song. I was not comfortable with that. We got out of Lord's late and as one of our players got on the bus he leant on the horn, gave it a celebratory blast. Our driver was not happy because he got a fine of a couple of hundred quid for disturbing the peace. On the last afternoon I went over to the Lord's shop and bought 25 prints of the ground to hand to everyone. Because [Glenn] McGrath was man of the match, I asked him to sign it. He wrote: 'Glenn McGrath, man of the match 1997, 2001, 2005.' He played three Tests and was man of the match in each. I kept that one.' Crouch: ' The only two guys who came in the Australian dressing room for a drink were Pietersen and Geraint Jones – the two non-English. McGrath owned Lord's but before the series I took him to see a knee specialist in Wimbledon. I don't think he was right the whole series.' Second Test The second Test at Edgbaston was one of the greatest of all time, England winning by two runs. McGrath trod on a ball, Ponting opted to bat and the rest is history. Matthew Maynard (England batting coach): 'After Lord's I gave the players a DVD of the Ricky Hatton-Kostya Tszyu fight because I thought it would reflect the series and give them inspiration. Kostya Tszyu was hammering Hatton, Hatton came back, then Tszyu came back before Hatton won. Tszyu was fighting as an Aussie too. It was England v Australia in boxing parlance.' Stockill: 'When we went to Edgbaston, they decided they would have our side of the pitch to train on again. Buchanan put balls out to mark their territory rather than plastic cones. It was one of those balls that McGrath stood on. There is a bit of karma there. They tried to upset the balance of things and if ever there was a backfire, that was it.' Russell: 'I have done hundreds of games and since then I have always put the balls away. It is something that has always stayed with me.' Bernard: 'When Glenn trod on the ball, he went down in a screaming heap. I was told later that some young Aussie blokes had got to the ground early and saw it happen. They raced off to the betting tent and had a bet McGrath wouldn't take a wicket and apparently had a good win.' Australia decided to bowl first despite the loss of McGrath. England made 407 on day one. Stockill: 'I remember Shane Warne kicking off at Ponting for the toss. He was properly vocal in the dressing room. We couldn't believe it, he was going mad. 'What are you doing?' There were a lot of WTFs going on.' Bernard: 'Best I don't comment on the toss.' On the last day Australia needed 108 to win, with two wickets in hand. Russell: 'I remember Warne giving us so much grief. He was childish. 'You're going to lose' that kind of thing. Then when we won, I remember I wanted to shake his hand and look him in the eye because he gave us so much s---.' Maynard: 'All the Aussies were sat there, not shifting their position whereas we were moving from dressing room to dining room, anything to will a wicket. Silly cricket superstitions.' Russell: 'Fred [Flintoff] was in tears at the end. He was exhausted. I thought, 'wow, he really has come of age'. I never saw that before or again. He gave everything. That night we ended up in the Walkabout bar. Quite ironic (Joe Root was punched there a few years later by David Warner).' Third Test The third Test was at Old Trafford. It was now that England had a secret weapon to take on Warne – the Merlyn spin-bowling machine invented by Henry Pryor on his farm near Hay-on-Wye. Maynard: 'Yes it made a difference. The big moment was prior to Old Trafford. At Edgbaston, [Andrew] Strauss tried to kick Warney away and was bowled by that big turning ball. I had spoken to him about staying a bit more leg side to Warne. He got it. Strauss and Tres [Marcus Trescothick] would use Merlyn a lot.' Henry Pryor: 'I would drive around the country with this thing in a horse box, taking it from Test to Test. I had been working on it for years. In 2005 I knew Warne was coming and I thought the England team should have a means for practising to face him. Several of them were very complimentary.' Before the third Test Australia were caught up in a row with, of all people, Sir Alex Ferguson. Bernard: 'Our coach driver used to work for Manchester United and he got us an invite to their training ground. Roy Keane walked past at one stage and said 'make sure you beat those effing Poms'. There was talk in the papers about Michael Owen coming to play for United. We were talking to Sir Alex and he said 'any questions'. I said I'd been reading about Owen going to United. He basically said it wouldn't happen. Unfortunately our coach [Buchanan] is there and he was writing a column for a newspaper. This was something in-house, not to be spoken about but he put it all in his column. I was mortified.' 'I rang up Sir Alex's secretary. She couldn't get him. I just wanted to apologise and said anything I can do to make up for it, let me know. She rang back and said he would like two tickets for his son. Remember there were people queueing for hours to get in. Tickets were like gold nuggets at the bottom of the garden even for us. On day five Sir Alex was there and interviewed. He was asked 'I believe you are going to the Australian rooms'. He said there had been an issue and he wouldn't be going. He hadn't forgiven us. I've never spoken to Alex since.' The match ended in a draw, last man McGrath blocking out the final over. Crouch: 'Pup [Michael Clarke] had a back spasm and went back to the hotel. Suddenly I had to go and get him because he had to bat. I had this great big white transit van and this bloke has a bad back. Poor Pup had to clamber in this big van with his stiff back and feel every bump. It was hardly VIP treatment for sportsmen playing at the highest level. Daryl Mitchell (England 12th man): 'I got on at short cover when Flintoff had [Adam] Gilchrist caught in the gully. What a moment to be on the field. I remember Strauss got a hundred in the second innings and I was earwigging on the balcony as he spoke to Fletcher. I was amazed he had just got an Ashes hundred with a cut on his ear but he was so level. Things are never as good or as bad as they seem and I remember taking that on in my career. For contrast, KP was out first ball and carrying on like he had scored 150.' Bernard: 'I remember vividly watching McGrath bat. He had decided to take lbw out of the equation and was standing a foot outside his crease. And about the second-last over he played a ball to cover and didn't move back in his crease. The ball was thrown to the keeper who just threw the ball back to mid-off. We were screaming at McGrath to get back. Dare I say it, it was a Jonny Bairstow moment. They would have been within their rights to take off the bails, match over and England win.' Mitchell: 'After the draw there was a big speech about the Aussies celebrating a draw. The chat was 'which Aussie player do you dislike the most?' Imagine yourself grabbing them by the b------s and squeezing them as tight as you can because that is where we have them now. I reckon Matt Hayden was quite high on the list. I sat on the balcony afterwards and there was a photo taken of [Michael} Vaughany and Fletcher and me stood next to them looking over Old Trafford. It was in the papers. I was working part-time at the local pub in my village, the Round of Gras. That photo was framed and put above the bar. It looked like I was part of the brains trust.' Stockill: 'KP was now getting a bit more confident and some of the other guys were not ready for that. Fred was feeling a bit threatened that he was getting knocked off his golden-boy perch, which is totally un-Fred like because he never gave that off in his public persona but I think personally he found it a bit difficult.' Fourth Test The series moved to Trent Bridge. England won to go 2-1 up. Crouch: ' At Nottingham I had to take Warney to his hair [transplant] place in the transit. He sat at the front with McGrath. Poor old Pup, with his bad back, had to sit in the back. McGrath was saying go faster, they were like little kids wanting to throw him around.' Stockill: 'I was right behind Fletch when Ponting came off when he was run out by Gary Pratt. He was effing at Fletch. At one point I realised I was on camera because I was giving as much back. I think I said 'Show some class you f------ whatever'. I got a bit carried away. Fletch was loving it. Ponting was ticking. The way Trent Bridge works (England dressing room is on top of the away dressing room) we could hear Ponting clattering around, throwing stuff and making all sorts of noise.' Buchanan: 'If you bring in a 12th man from outside what are you doing it for? Was that in the spirit of cricket? Depends where you sit.' Russell: 'When we were chasing that small target [129 runs], I massaged one player after the other because none wanted to watch. We had 129 empty cups in the room and knocked one off for every run. When we won Vaughany was standing next to me on the balcony and hugged me and we fell over, which was not very dignified. There is some footage and we just disappear.' Now, plans were being hatched for an open-top bus parade. Colin Gibson (ECB head of communications): 'Remember this was after 7/7. The Mayor's office were keen to show London was open for business. It was after Trent Bridge we started to talk about 'Operation Victory'. Duncan was adamant the players should not know about it.' The fifth Test England drew at the Oval, Pietersen made his name and the nation came to a standstill. Pryor: 'I arrived at the Oval with Merlyn in the back of the horse box. You can't bring horses in 'ere' I was told by the gateman.' Maynard: 'KP was a bit jittery at lunchtime asking how he should play. I said score runs, not bat time. He was not playing his way. I loved working with KP. He had one of the best work ethics of any player but someone said 'if you give KP a piece of rope make sure that rope is short, because if not he ends up hanging himself'. Probably right. Bernard: 'In our room on the last day was Ron Howard – Ritchie Cunningham from Happy Days. He was there because Errol our physio had worked with him through Russell Crowe on a movie. Ron was coming to London to make a movie. What I remember was he knew nothing about cricket but the broadcasters had a camera that took 2,000 frames a second. There would be this slow-motion ballet-like thing with the guy moving slowly to take a catch. Ron just watched the replays in the room.' Buchanan: 'I made some poor strategic coaching calls through the series and I allowed myself to be distracted by crowds and results which I had not beforehand. In doing that you make poor decisions.' Gibson: 'The parade bus had to have NPower [the Test sponsor] branding. It was in a garage near Watford and it was in and out of the garage every half-hour for the branding to be started then stopped because we didn't know what the result would be.' Stockill: 'The umpires came in and told us they were going to call the game off. We all had to keep quiet because it had not been announced officially. When they dropped the bails, everyone went mad.' Russell: 'I was always annoyed the Aussies didn't come to our dressing room at the Oval for a drink, we went to theirs. I thought, really? They should be coming to ours. Strange.' Bernard: 'Losing sides don't hang around long. Ethos is if you win, you deserve to celebrate, if you lose, you don't. We had seen enough.' The party The celebrations went through the night and into the following day with an open-top bus parade and trip to 10 Downing Street. Russell: 'On the ticker-tape bus I had great delight in winding up KP because we had the crystal replica of the Ashes urn. In my life it was the only time I was ever going to lift a trophy and people were going to cheer because they thought I was a player. I kept doing that and Kevin kept grabbing it off me.' Gibson: 'I arrived at the team hotel at 5.30am and a famous all-rounder was still in the bar. We had to help them on to a bus to Mansion House. Elton John sent a case of champagne to help them celebrate. Not sure they needed topping up. Someone described them by saying they were 'over-hydrated'.' Stockill: 'When we got to Downing Street the boys were half-hammered. We'd had a few on the bus. We get into the garden and there was one table with a tablecloth on it and a jug of water with 12 glasses. I said to someone you might need to up your game on the drinks. Then they rustled out a box of warm Beck's. Hmm you're still not cutting it. Anyway they did finally bring stuff in. It was incredible. It reflected the Prime Minister of the time not being a cricket follower and doing it out of a sense of duty or political points. Imagine if it had been the football team. They would have put on a full spread.' Russell: 'I reckon Cherie Blair had had a few before we arrived. She was quite flirtatious.' Stockill: ' KP was chit-chatting. I wouldn't say flirting, but there was a bit going on with Cherie. She was saying 'you boys, behave yourselves' as she was fluttering around the garden. KP went 'Tell me Nige, who the f--- is that?'' Russell: 'It was incredible really. Something you never experience again. I remember getting drenched later that night with champagne in a nightclub. A whole bottle was poured over my head by KP.' It was later said one of the players urinated in the garden. A wall of silence persists 20 years on. Maynard: 'I didn't see anyone urinate in the garden.' Russell: 'I don't think that happened.' Stockill: 'As a physiologist I can categorically state that everyone was so dehydrated from the previous evening's revelry that I doubt anyone was hydrated enough to wee for at least 48 hours post-victory.' An Ashes series (and an open-top bus tour) that will never be forgotten! Twenty years on from one the most iconic summers in English cricketing history, How To Win The Ashes 2005 on BBC iPlayer takes a deep dive into one of sport's fiercest rivalries. #BBCCricket — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 18, 2025
Time of India
6 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
IND vs ENG: Drop Crisis! India's catching woes undermine Test campaign in England
Mohammed Siraj reacts as KL Rahul drops Jamie Smith at slip. NEW DELHI: A young and transitioning Indian Test team arrived in England with cautious optimism for a competitive five-match series. But three Tests in, they trail 1-2 - and while the contest is still alive, India's biggest opponent has been itself, particularly in the field. India's catching woes have become a glaring concern, with the team registering a shockingly poor catching efficiency of just 60.90% - having dropped 18 catches and held only 28 in the series so far. By contrast, England have taken 36 and dropped 10, posting a far superior 78.30% efficiency. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! These drops haven't just been statistical blemishes - they've proven decisive. Poll Will India be able to improve their catching efficiency in the remaining Tests? Yes, definitely No, unlikely In the series opener at Headingley, India posted a strong first-innings total of 471 after being inserted to bat. But the advantage was squandered when five catches were shelled in England's reply - the most India had dropped in a single innings in five years. After Lord's heartbreak, Team India start training for Manchester, in London! The misses proved costly: Ollie Pope, dropped on 60, went on to make 106. Ben Duckett, spilled on 15, scored 62. Harry Brook, given life on 58, missed a ton by one run. England eventually finished just six runs short of India's total - a margin that underlined how crucial those missed chances were. Even on the final day, India continued to let opportunities slip. Duckett was put down by Yashasvi Jaiswal on 97 and went on to hammer 149. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Drink 1 Cup Every Morning – See What Happens A Week Later! Health Insight Undo Bumrah, India's bowling spearhead, failed to cling onto a difficult one-hander offered by Zak Crawley, who scored 65. While India bounced back with a resounding 336-run win in the second Test at Birmingham - aided by improved fielding and sharp catching - the issue resurfaced at Lord's in the third Test, a narrow 22-run defeat. Exclusive | First look of the Old Trafford pitch The drop that arguably cost India the match came in England's first innings. KL Rahul dropped Jamie Smith on 5, who went on to score a vital 51. Along with Brydon Carse (56), the duo added over 100 runs for the final three wickets, dragging England from 271/7 to 387 - the difference that ultimately proved too much for India to overcome. India's top-tier bowling and brilliance with the bat have been undermined by this recurring fielding failure. If they are to turn the tide and win the remaining two Tests, improving their catching efficiency is non-negotiable. Otherwise, the series - and all the hard work invested - could well be lost in the slips. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
RNZ News
14-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
England win dramatic Lord's test by 22 runs
England's Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith run past India's Mohammed Siraj as England win the third test at Lord's, 2025. Photo: BEN STANSALL / AFP England beat India by 22 runs on a final day of simmering tension and high drama in the third test at Lord's on Monday to move 2-1 up in the series. Shoaib Bashir bowled Mohammed Siraj for four to seal victory, India's number 11 playing a defensive stroke before the ball trickled down the face of his bat and rolled on to the stumps as he watched on in disbelief. As the England players celebrated wildly, Ravindra Jadeja trudged off the field after making a valiant unbeaten 61 to take India to the brink of an extraordinary win. The hosts had looked on course for a far more comfortable victory when they reduced India to 112-8 at lunch, but Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah battled for nearly two hours to inch their team towards a target of 193. Jadeja was given out lbw to Chris Woakes by the umpire but the decision was overturned on review and the left-hander heaved the next delivery over mid-wicket for six, prompting loud cheers from the Indian fans. England finally made the breakthrough when Bumrah, on five, skied an attempted pull off Ben Stokes and was caught by substitute fielder Sam Cook. The majority of the crowd erupted with a mixture of joy and relief but Jadeja continued to frustrate England, reaching his 50, off 150 balls, by edging Stokes over the slips for four. Siraj survived 30 deliveries for his four runs as Jadeja farmed the bowling and took a succession of singles off the fourth ball of the over to dominate the strike. Siraj suffered a painful blow to his shoulder after being struck by a Jofra Archer delivery and shortly afterwards his resistance was finally broken. England had claimed four wickets in the morning to take charge of the match after India resumed on 58-4. Rishabh Pant played an extraordinary one-handed straight drive for four off Archer to move to nine, but the fast bowler responded two balls later with an excellent delivery which uprooted his off stump. Stokes snared KL Rahul lbw for 39, the England captain dropping to his knees and imploring the umpire to give him out. He refused to do so but England called for a review and the decision was overturned to huge cheers from the crowd. Washington Sundar was next to fall for a duck, Archer leaping to his right to take a superb one-handed catch off his own bowling. Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy frustrated England with solid defence in a partnership of 30 until Woakes found the edge of Reddy's bat just before lunch to give the hosts a huge lift as they left the field to warm applause from a packed crowd. The series is level at 1-1. -Reuters
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
'Don't think fines work. These lads are quite rich': Michael Vaughan slams slow over-rate in IND vs ENG 3rd Test, suggests solution
Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse run between the wickets on the second day of the third Test between India and England at the Lord's Cricket Ground. (PTI) The third Test match between India and England at Lord's has been marred by slow over-rates from both teams, with a combined loss of 22 overs across the first two days of play. Former England captain Michael Vaughan has highlighted this ongoing issue in Test cricket, as India bowled 83 overs on day one, while day two saw only 75 overs bowled collectively by both teams, falling significantly short of the mandatory 90-over target per day. The match situation currently sees India trailing England's first innings total of 387 by 242 runs with seven wickets remaining. Speaking to BBC Sport, Vaughan addressed the ineffectiveness of financial penalties in addressing the slow over-rate problem. "I don't think fines work. I think these lads are quite rich. I don't think the cash is going to affect them. Been a problem for Test match cricket for a while. I know it's hot. I know we've had a few injuries, but when we get to the fifth day, we have to bowl the 90 overs." Inside the Dukes Ball Drama: Gill's Anger, Bumrah's Stand, Root's Take Vaughan emphasised the inconsistency in play pace across different days of Test matches. "I have no idea why on days one, two, three, and four, we can see the game played at a snail's pace. Surely the game moves on by saying on day one there's 90 overs. Guess what we're going to do? We're going to bowl 90 overs on day two exactly the same." Jasprit Bumrah press conference: Hits out at critics, on Lord's Honours Boards, ball controversy The former England captain proposed a straightforward solution to improve over rates in Test cricket. "You watch on day five when the players, the umpires, know that 90 overs have to be bowled. They'll be running around. There won't be as many drinks breaks, there won't be as many delays because they know that 90 overs have to be bowled. So I'd make it very, very simple. You have to bowl the 90 overs. I would guarantee that would improve the pace. " For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!
Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
TEST MATCH BREAKFAST: Jamie Smith lands luxury six-figure deal... and the two England team-mates locked in a friendly battle
Test Match Breakfast takes a look at some of the biggest issues around cricket during England's huge third Test against India at Lord's. Before the third day of the third Test, RICHARD GIBSON discusses the ongoing rise of Jamie Smith, Mohammed Siraj's heartwarming tribute to Diogo Jota and why Joe Root and Harry Brook are involved in a friendly battle. Fortunes always... improving! Jamie Smith's rapidly-changing status was reflected on the back of his bat yesterday. Between hitting 184 not out and 88 in the second Test defeat at Edgbaston and this match, Smith, 25 today, agreed a lucrative bat sponsorship with Whitepaper, a London-based construction company. The deal, worth a five-figure fee per Test appearance, began with a 51 that saw the Surrey player equal Quinton De Kock's record for a wicketkeeper reaching 1,000 runs, doing so in his 21st innings. Londoner Smith began the week by receiving an early birthday present from his beloved West Ham - a new 2025-26 home shirt - ahead of an interview in the club programme for the first home game of the season against Chelsea. Despite growing up in Crystal Palace-territory, Smith has followed the Hammers home and away since he can remember thanks to his mum Bernie's East End roots. Siraj's Jota tribute Mohammed Siraj celebrated Smith's dismissal by making the numbers two and zero with his fingers on either hand. The poignant '20' gesture was a tribute to Diogo Jota, who died last week. Siraj is a passionate Liverpool fan. Fine dining If Wimbledon is all about strawberries and cream and Pimm's, the Lord's alternative is scones and champagne. The ground took delivery of 12,000 scones - split 50-50 between plain and fruit - plus a whopping 8,500 bottles of Veuve Clicquot for this week's frivolities. No wonder corks are routinely swept off the outfield by stewards. There were also 286,000 pints and 2,500 bottles of Whispering Angel rose on site at the start of the match for beer and wine drinkers. Precautions were taken, however, in anticipation of spectators becoming dehydrated, with free bottles of water being handed out by MCC officials around the ground. One of the best Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara won't be playing county cricket with Sussex this summer, but he has been in getting into shape for a 21st season of domestic cricket while on commentary duty here. Pujara, 37, went home between first and second Tests to visit family and took the opportunity to have his first pre-season net ahead of matches beginning on the subcontinent in October. And he has been in the gym every other day, keeping fit in a bid to add to his 66 career First-Class hundreds - 10 of which have come in 22 appearances for Sussex. Yorkshire team-mates battle it out Joe Root lost the title of world's No 1 batsman to Yorkshire team-mate Harry Brook this week, but launched his bid to get it back immediately with his 37th Test hundred. The last time Brook hit the summit, he remained there for a week in December and Root's 105 - his third century in as many innings at Lord's matching the feats of Jack Hobbs and Michael Vaughan - threatens a repeat. Root also completed a spectacular one-handed grab at first slip off the bowling of Ben Stokes to dismiss Karun Nair and set a new record for catches in Test cricket, surpassing Rahul Dravid with the 211th of his career. Red For Ruth delivers again More than £300,000 was raised by stumps for the seventh edition of Lord's Red For Ruth Day. The major fund-raising day for the charity launched in the memory of Sir Andrew Strauss' late wife Ruth provides support to families facing grief. England's players had their names and numbers in red on the back of their shirts to mark the occasion.
