24-07-2025
England vs India live: score, updates from fourth Test day 2
Steve James
The 23-year-old's 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's fumble left him frustrated.
Read the full piece on the batsman's escape here.
Simon Wilde, Old Trafford
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's, but 2025 is proving another big year of run-making.
We are into the sixth Test match of the season — including the world Test Championship final — 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.
Read the full piece on bowlers' burdens here.
India lost the toss yesterday for the 14th consecutive time in Tests, a one in 16,384 chance. Sky Sports's 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's selection choices…
Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager.
England's men's and women's fixtures for next year have been confirmed.
Ben Stokes's Test side will welcome New Zealand and Pakistan in two three-match series, while the white-ball side led by Harry Brook face India and Sri Lanka in ODI and T20 contests. Brook will also lead England in the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka
Meanwhile, Nat Sciver-Brunt's team will play New Zealand, India and Ireland, and will play a Test against India at Lord's starting on July 10. Throw in the Women's T20 World Cup to be held at home and it's a bumper year for women's cricket.
Mike Atherton, Old Trafford
Rishabh Pant is a cricketer who, on any given day, gets tongues wagging. In this series he has scored twin hundreds; has cartwheeled in celebration; has thrown his bat skywards when attempting a slog over the leg side; was run out at a critical juncture of the Lord's Test and here in Manchester his role was of the walk-on, carried-off variety only, but still of central importance given what happened.
Having made 37, Pant was in the process of gaining control for India during the final session in partnership with the willowy left-hander Sai Sudharsan. The usual wacky combination of dutiful defence and outrageous stroke play — with not much in between — had been fully in evidence when, attempting a reverse-sweep to Chris Woakes in the 68th over, he took a full toss on the outstep of his right foot and was forced to retire hurt.
Read the full day one report here.
A very good morning from Old Trafford where there is some blue sky and it's nice and warm. While that is the biggest news of the day, there is also some news about the on-pitch matters — Rishabh Pant has a broken foot so is almost certainly out of the rest of the match and probably series. Dhruv Jarel will keep wicket for India— as he did for most of the Lord's Test.
Big blow for India and means England effectively have the visitors five down in this innings, and they'll take the new ball straight away this morning.
Join me throughout the day for updates from on and off the field.
