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Mohammad Nabi credited well-executed plans, an improved fielding performance and a clear thought process for Afghanistan’s tense, two-wicket win against Bangladesh in the second ODI

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur28-Sep-2016After Dawlat Zadran sliced Taskin Ahmed to the third-man boundary to seal Afghanistan’s tense win, there were hugs and handshakes in the camp, a far cry from their exuberant celebrations after defeating Bangladesh in 2014 or West Indies at this year’s World T20.”We will try to win the series and then we will celebrate,” Man of the Match Mohammad Nabi said, before breaking into a smile.Nabi said the win will help people forget Afghanistan’s close loss in the first ODI, where they lost by seven runs.”After we lost the first game, people talked too much: ‘why you lost because you were supposed to win the game. In the end you lost the game,’ they said. From this win they are going to be really happy,” Nabi said.”The win against a Full Member side means big for Associate Nations. Afghanistan cricket is improving day by day. The win will give more energy to the people and everyone watching in Afghanistan will be happy from that win.”Afghanistan executed their gameplans, and stalled Bangladesh’s momentum from the outset. Mohammad Nabi and Mirwais Ashraf were used against Bangladesh’s openers, who prefer pace and width to score their runs.Nabi, who returned figures of 10-3-16-2, credited their coach Lalchand Rajput and captain Asghar Stanikzai, along with an improved fielding performance for the win.”The plan of the captain and coach was that both left-handed batsmen is coming to open and that I would be bowling from the start. The pitch had moisture.”We discussed in the meetings that we are going for the win. It worked a lot in the bowling especially the spinners. We just dropped one catch. The boys worked a lot on the planning which helped us win the game,” Nabi said.Afghanistan were in trouble at 63 for 4 in their chase of 209 when Nabi joined Stanikzai. Nabi said the focus wasn’t on finding the boundary during their 107-run stand despite the asking rate increasing steadily.”The pitch condition was not suitable for batting. It was turning and skidding. The plan was to play until 40 overs and we could just concentrate on singles and doubles, and not hitting boundaries. We knew that in the few overs in the middle when we didn’t hit any boundary, that’s where the partnership was built.”The experience worked a little, not too much. We didn’t finish well. We threw the wickets away under pressure,” Nabi said.

After a slow start to the tournament, Dinesh Karthik has turned into a reliable contributor for Gujarat Lions coming in at No. 4, with 215 runs from eight innings

Arun Venugopal in Hyderabad06-May-2016Dinesh Karthik is a less celebrated force in the Gujarat Lions batting order. That would be par for the course in a lineup featuring Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Aaron Finch and Suresh Raina had Karthik not played as many pivotal hands as he has in IPL 2016.The numbers roar in approval too: with 215 runs from eight innings, he is the Lions’ third highest scorer. After a slow start to the tournament, he whipped up an unbeaten 39-ball 50 to close out a chase of 181 against Royal Challengers Bangalore and followed it up with 33 off 20 balls in Lions’ last-ball win over Rising Pune Supergiants. Against Delhi Daredevils, his gritty fifty coming in at 24 for 3 – aside from Ravindra Jadeja’s breezy late-order hitting – was the only bright spot in a game that Lions went down by eight wickets.Karthik has scored first-rate runs not least because most of those came in the middle overs – only twice has he batted during the powerplay – where most batsmen have struggled to get a grip of things. Karthik has also had to deal with the pressure of taking forward the top order’s smash-mouth start, while not being backed up adequately by the rest of the middle order, with Dwayne Bravo – 52 runs in eight innings – and Jadeja – 89 runs in eight innings – registering unflattering numbers. Karthik, however, was realistic about the challenges that came with his territory.”Middle order, obviously when compared with the openers, it’s not on par with that,” Karthik said. “It’s a totally different role. It’s pretty difficult as middle-order batsmen to come in when the run-rate is so high and keep going at that same pace. You take time and then you again consolidate towards the end. Sometimes if the wicket is really good you try and keep going at the same pace.”At this stage the good thing is Jaddu [Jadeja] has got runs [in the] last game because he is a very, very important cricketer for us. He forms the crux of the team in the middle order. And, I’m sure the way Bravo is batting in the nets it’s only a matter of time before he gets going. I am really confident that if those two guys get going then we are on track for some special things.”On his own batting, Karthik said his experience was useful in sussing out the situation quickly. “Good thing is I have been around for some time so the experience helps how to pace an innings, how to react to [different] situations,” he said. “I am gathering all the information and trying to do my best. There is so much to learn and I am still in the process of learning.”Karthik’s runs have come at a strike-rate of just above 127, which is about the same Raina has managed. He said he was constantly looking to milk the singles and twos – Karthik has scored only one six in the tournament – given the big square boundaries in Rajkot.”I am somebody who keeps rotating strike but mentally I am always looking for a boundary wherever I can,” Karthik said. “Rajkot is a pretty big playing field and to hit sixes is not that easy. I will be looking to rotate a lot more than play the big shot.”Karthik underpinned the importance of not second-guessing himself too much. He cited the example of the sweep shot, which cost him his wicket in Mumbai and against Sunrisers Hyderabad at home, but has remained one of his strongest allies.”Obviously It’s been a love-hate relationship with the sweep. Sometimes I have got out, sometimes I have got runs,” Karthik said. “But that’s the case, I am sure, with a lot of guys with all their favourite shots. Sometimes you get out but the key thing is you have to keep backing that shot. You know it’s going to get some runs for you and help you in tough situations. So you keep believing in that shot.”You assess [conditions and bowlers] and you try and take the best decision if you are looking to go for a big hit. At the same time it’s important that you try and keep it as instinctive as you can. If you programme a touch too much you can play into the hands of the bowler. I am a little aware of that as well.”

It is a rare scenario for a Man of the Series not to be assured a starting place when the team he starred for next takes the field. But that’s the situation James Vince finds himself in

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2016It is a rare scenario for a Man of the Series not to be assured a starting place when the team he starred for next takes the field. But that’s the situation James Vince finds himself in ahead of the T20 series against South Africa which acts as preparation for the World T20 in India next month.Vince scored 125 runs in the three T20s against Pakistan in November but is not nailed on to start in England’s first-choice XI. England juggled their options against Pakistan – and may do the same against South Africa – but will need to know their preferred line-up by the time they open their World T20 campaign against West Indies on March 16.Vince’s success came in the top three where there is a log-jam for positions alongside Alex Hales, Jason Roy and Joe Root. Hales, who was Man of the Series in the ODIs against South Africa and has England’s lone T20I century, and Joe Root are assured of starting so Vince may have to topple Roy – who had a lean one-day series and has just 80 runs in his six T20Is – to make the final XI”It’s been a breakthrough year,” Vince said. “It’s only a start. I’ve had three matches, but they gave me some confidence going into this series. It is a very strong side and there are some exceptional players, so it is going to be tough to get in.”Vince’s timing and placement stood out in the series against Pakistan, which are his strengths instead of the brute-force approach employed by some of England’s powerful strikers. Vince is comfortable with his style and won’t be drawn into any hitting contests.”I can’t hit it as far as Stokes and Buttler” he said. “Yes, I play more traditional cricket shots … but I think that’s why batting in the first six overs is good for me, when the field’s up. Then as the innings goes on, I try to pick the gaps – and if there’s one in my area, I try to give it a whack.”While it is in T20s that Vince is gaining his England chances so far – he was not part of the one-day squad in South Africa and his lone ODI was a rain-ruined outing against Ireland where he did not bat – it is his traditional virtues which are seeing him tipped for England honours in Test cricket.It is that ambition to earn a call into the Test team which helped Vince make up his mind not to go into the IPL auction – believing his game was not quite ready for the tournament – and also a desire to put his energies into his first year as Hampshire’s club captain.”I’m not sure my game’s quite where it needs to be to be picked up in the IPL anyway,” Vince said as England prepared for the T20 warm-up match against South Africa A. “But it’s my first season as club captain of Hampshire – so I want to go back there, score some runs and get their season off to a good start and try to push my case for the Test side.””My way in has been through Twenty20, but I’d like to progress to the one-day and Test sides.”Although Vince did not put himself forward for the IPL, he has had experience of franchise T20 cricket after a spell with Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League. He played seven matches with mixed results: a top score of 44 but also four single-figure innings.”It was a pretty good competition, and I played quite a bit of cricket in a short space of time, so it was good preparation for what’s to come in India. It was good to play as an overseas player and experience different people in the dressing room, that sort of thing.”Vince will face South Africa A in Paarl with Root and Ben Stokes likely to be rested while Hales may also sit out. Liam Dawson, the Hampshire allrounder, who has been included for the World T20, is with the team in South Africa but is not officially part of this squad while Liam Plunkett, who picked up an injury on the Lions tour in Dubai after being named as a replacement for Steven Finn but won’t be going to India, has stayed in Potchefstroom where he has been rehabilitating.

New Zealand seamer Neil Wagner is looking to savour the experience of playing at the WACA ground, a place at which he has never bowled but can vividly recall the exploits of many a fast bowler

Daniel Brettig11-Nov-20151:34

‘No doubt Southee will be fit for WACA’ – Wagner

Like his German composer namesake, Neil Wagner does not mind a hint of the dramatic. Where New Zealand have gained a reputation for even temper and a lack of on field histrionics, Wagner’s Afrikaner blood gets up at times, as shown by an on-field posture that can look more Dale Steyn than Tim Southee.

‘Olden days’ WACA pitch in prospect

With as few as two Test matches left for the WACA Ground to host before major international cricket moves to the drop-in pitches of the nascent Burswood Stadium, the curator Matthew Page is as intent on keeping things as retro as possible.
“With us being the WACA, it’s all about trying to replicate the olden days and provide a traditional WACA wicket,” Page said. “It goes back to the 70s, that sort of thing, so for us every wicket we do we’re trying to replicate those conditions.”
Page replaced Cameron Sutherland only a matter of weeks before the Ashes Test two years ago, and his knowledge of the surface has grown since, including the constant historical comparisons.
“They changed the clay back to what it originally was about six or seven years ago, and I guess the pace and the bounce has returned since then,” he said. “We’re always compared with the olden days. For us, it’s about trying to get it as close as we can.”

Given New Zealand’s poorly display in Brisbane, where they were bullied by an Australia side as aggressive in deed as they are infamous for being in word, Wagner’s occasionally fiery countenance may be a useful tonic for Brendon McCullum’s side as they seek to fight their way out of the hole they find themselves in.Wagner certainly likes the look of the WACA, a place at which he has never bowled but can vividly recall the exploits of many a fast bowler at the ground. Plans to shift major international matches to the Burswood Stadium and a drop-in pitch mean all pacemen are running out of chances.”I’d love to play Australia, I’d love to get that chance,” Wagner said. “I had a training session yesterday at the Melville club and they told me it was the last two Tests at the WACA or something like that because they’re talking about a different ground. That’s a bit of a shame because it’s quite a nice ground, I loved watching it growing up, a lot of history over there and I’d love to play there. It’s pretty awesome, a very special place for fast bowlers.”Just watching cricket here over the years, I think overseas teams have come here and bowled a bit too short. They get carried away with the bounce and the pace sometimes. Sometimes you’ve got to bowl a touch fuller length, sort of top of the stumps. For us I think the thing is to not get carried away with it. Hit consistent areas and ask good questions for longer periods of time and things will happen.”Even though Southee bowled soundly in the morning at nets to prove his fitness after suffering from an irritated disc in his back at the Gabba, Wagner is still a chance to play. The New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has forecast a five-man bowling attack for the WACA Ground with the spinner Mark Craig batting at No. 7, meaning the pace options for McCullum will be many and varied. New Zealand are also sustained by the knowledge they are chronically slow starters to Test series, but invariably improve as they go on.”As a bowling unit we’ve always complemented each other quite well over past times and our success over the past two years or so is we’ve bowled in partnerships and other guys have stepped up too,” Wagner said. “I think that has made Tim and Trent bowl really well in the past. It was just a little bit inconsistency and a bit of a tough start.”We have had that in the past as well, our first Test we haven’t always started that well and we’ve picked it up as the series has gone on. Lucky for us it’s a three-match series, there’s a lot more cricket left to be played and hopefully we can set it back from ball one in this next Test.”Overall the team will be better for that hit [in Brisbane], being out in the heat and humidity and bouncy wickets, just adapting to everything, it’s now for us to go out and set it right in the second Test from day one.”One man Wagner may be asked to confront should he get the nod to play, is David Warner, the dominant batting force of the Gabba Test and now one of only three batsman ever to have thrice scored a hundred in each innings of a Test match. That sort of scoring can force opposition teams to re-think their strategies, but Wagner said it was simply a matter of being tighter for longer.”I think we still stick to our guns and our plans. If we execute it better for longer periods of time, I’m sure we’ll get more rewards,” he said. “I think our attack is up there with the best in the world. When Tim, Trent and Dougy and the rest of them all get it right – they’re pretty good bowlers. If we can be more consistent for long periods of time, we’ll definitely show that. The boys are up for the task and the challenge in this Test.”Richard Wagner’s operatic Ring Cycle is a 15-hour affair. Success for Wagner and New Zealand this week will require a similarly sustained effort.

Mohammad Mithun top-scored for the second time in as many games in the series as Bangladesh A clinched the one-day series against Zimbabwe A with a 36-run win in the second match in Harare.

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Mithun’s 66 in the second one-dayer took his series tally to 166•Associated Press

Mohammad Mithun top-scored for the second time in as many games as Bangladesh A clinched the one-day series against Zimbabwe A with a 36-run win in the second match in Harare.Put in to bat first, Bangladesh A managed 282 for 6 in 50 overs, thanks to Mithun’s 66 off 91 balls and Shadman Islam’s 47 off 88 balls, as the pair added 112 runs for the second wicket. Mithun had scored a match-winning century in the first match of this series.Later it was Mosaddek Hossain Saikat who held the innings together with his unbeaten 50. He added 59 runs for the unbroken seventh-wicket stand with Muktar Ali, who blasted 29 off 11 balls with four boundaries and a six. Their partnership came off a mere 23 deliveries. Donald Tiripano took 3 for 47 for the home side.Chasing 283 to win, Zimbabwe A were restricted to 246 for 9 in 50 overs. Fifties from Brian Chari and the Zimbabwe A captain Tinotenda Mutombodzi were not enough as they lacked big partnerships.For the visitors, left-arm spinner Taijul Islam and seamer Muktar Ali took two wickets each. The third and final one-dayer will be held on November 6.

Chris Gayle has been appointed Jamaica’s captain for the WICB President’s Cup instead of the regular captain Tamar Lambert, the Jamaican Cricket Association has confirmed

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-2010Chris Gayle has been appointed Jamaica’s captain for the WICB President’s Cup instead of the regular captain Tamar Lambert, the Jamaican Cricket Association (JCA) has confirmed. The one-day tournament, which begins in October, marks the start of the West Indies domestic season and will be held in Jamaica.”I can confirm that the selectors made a recommendation and the board of the Jamaica Cricket Association ratified the decision,” Paul Campbell, the JCA president, told . “The selectors took a look at the report of the [Caribbean] Twenty20, and figured that while Tamar Lambert represents a good choice of captain and in the longer version in particular, it was felt that at this time that Chris Gayle was a better choice for the one-dayers.”In July, the JCA had backed the selectors’ decision to nominate Lambert as captain for the Caribbean T20 instead of Gayle, who leads West Indies. They had also denied suggestions that Gayle was discarded as captain and said that Lambert was a logical choice as he had played regularly for Jamaica over the last few seasons, as opposed to Gayle, who had been busy with international commitments. Jamaica finished fourth in the domestic Twenty20 tournament and lost out on a place in the lucrative Champions League Twenty20.

Home side bowled out for 92 then lose four wickets after being forced to follow on

ECB Reporters Network04-May-2024Lancashire 92 (Gilchrist 6-24, Agar 4-35) and 119 for 4 (Jennings 40) trail Kent 261 (Evison 71*, Williams 3-44, Lyon 3-50, Balderson 3-67) by 50 runsNathan Gilchrist took a career-best 6 for 24 to deepen Lancashire’s current batting woes and help Kent take complete control of their Vitality County Championship match on a dramatic afternoon at Emirates Old Trafford.Replying to the visitors’ 261, Keaton Jennings’ side were bowled out for 92 in 30 overs, with both Gilchrist and Wes Agar, who bagged 4 for 35, making the most of cloudy conditions.Presented with the luxury of a 169-run first-innings lead, the Kent skipper, Daniel Bell-Drummond, chose to enforce the follow-on and his decision was justified as Lancashire lost three wickets for as many runs late in the day to finish on 119 for 4, still 50 runs in arrears.In the 40 minutes’ play that had been possible before lunch, Kent resumed on 203 for 7 and added 36 runs for the loss of Agar, who was bowled for 13 when he went back to a quicker delivery from Lyon that turned through the gate.The new ball was taken immediately after lunch and brought dividends when Gilchrist was caught behind by Matty Hurst off Tom Bailey for 10, but Matthew Parkinson, who was playing his first innings at Emirates Old Trafford since he left Lancashire for Kent, ensured that his new team would collect a bonus point when he edged two runs through the slip cordon.That, however, was the extent of the last man’s modest heroics as he was caught behind for 3 two overs later, thus giving Will Williams his 200th wicket in first-class cricket. Joey Evison ended the innings unbeaten on 71, his runs scored off 150 balls, ten of which he hit for four.The value of Evison’s 198-minute innings was soon apparent as Lancashire collapsed to 40 for 7 in 17.4 overs. Luke Wells was the first to go when he edged Agar to Jack Leaning and departed for 10 but the disintegration really gathered pace when the home side lost four wickets for five runs in ten balls.Josh Bohannon cover-drove Gilchrist for four but lost his middle stump next ball when he inside-edged an attempted pull into his wicket. Next over, skipper Keaton Jennings nicked behind to Harry Finch for 4 when caught half-forward by Agar, who then trapped Tom Bruce lbw first ball.The tumble of wickets continued next over when George Bell nicked Gilchrist to Finch and the same bowler had George Balderson caught at slip by Denly for 2 to leave Lancashire in tatters. Tom Hartley added to the mayhem when his wild slash to a ball outside the off stump merely gave Zak Crawley his first catch and Gilchrist his fourth wicket.Lancashire’s disastrous afternoon continued when Tom Bailey was caught down the leg side off Agar for 5 but some defiance was shown by Hurst, who hit three fours and two sixes in an innings of 36 that took his side past 61, their lowest first-class score against Kent, which they made at Old Trafford in 1884.Hurst became Gilchrist’s fifth wicket when he pulled him straight to Crawley at deep midwicket and the innings ended when Williams edged a ball from Gilchrist to give Finch his fourth catch.In their second innings, Wells and Jennings immediately took the attack to Kent’s new-ball attack. The fifty partnership came up in the ninth over and the aggression continued even after Wells had been caught at slip by Leaning off Gilchrist.Bohannon helped his skipper add a further 51 before he was caught by Leaning off Evison for 31 when attempting a drive and Lancashire suffered another crucial blow when Jennings was brilliantly stumped by Finch off Parkinson for 40. Will Williams lasted only one ball before being bowled by Gilchrist for a single.

The West Indies captain has been spectacular in the T20 series and has given her side the chance of a famous series win

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2023Hayley Matthews expects Australia’s bowlers to change their plans – and fields – but the West Indies skipper reckons she’s in good enough form to counter them as a historic series victory beckons.Thursday’s third T20I in Brisbane will centre on how the hosts handle in-form opener Matthews, who clubbed 132 off 64 balls in a record run chase to level the series on Monday night.She also made 99 not out in a game-one loss and has won player of the match in an incredible seven straight games.Related

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Australia captain Alyssa Healy persevered with fielders inside the ring on the offside on Monday, but her bowlers were unable to keep to the straighter line required on the tiny North Sydney Oval. Matthews obliged, flaying 11 fours and three sixes between backward point and cover.”A job of a captain is hard,” Matthews said when asked what she expects on Thursday night at Allan Border Field. “I’m pretty sure Alyssa would have had conversations with her bowlers, pretty sure from being captain myself the plan was to bowl straighter.”But I know how tough it can be as a captain when bowlers don’t hit where they need to. I’m pretty sure they’re going to go back and look pretty hard at the footage and at what happened and definitely have some different game plans.”The bigger square boundaries will add another element of intrigue to the contest as West Indies seek their first series win over the champion side.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“I’ve been striking them really well no matter what part of the ground I’ve been trying to access,” Matthew said. “Have it be that a different area of the field opens up, I [am confident] I can access right around, 360 [degrees].”Monday’s loss marked Australia’s third defeat in their last four T20s, having previously enjoyed a 12-match winning streak before being shocked twice by England in this year’s Ashes.Matthews said increased investment from rival nations in their women’s programs was starting to reap rewards. Sri Lanka recently beat England in a T20 series while Pakistan overcame South Africa.”That’s what is going to close the gap,” she said. “Australia just got way ahead of the game because their board made a big, early investment and we saw them go from strength to strength.”We’re going to see that gap closing. It’s going to take some time for other teams to catch up but it’s good we’re seeing results thrown up around the world.”For us, we didn’t want to play with any fear at all, even before we won a game. We know the quality they have; we try not to be afraid of that and, like I keep saying, be up for the challenge.”Australia have not lost a T20I series at home since facing England in 2017-18. The sides will also contest a three-match 50-over series, beginning in Brisbane on Sunday.

Over 2,000 fans have tickets cancelled for Emirates Old Trafford fixtures at last minute

George Dobell01-Jul-2021Lancashire have “apologised unreservedly” after a shortage of stewards forced them to reduce the number of spectators allowed at Thursday’s T20 double-header at Emirates Old Trafford at short notice.The club say the third-party company which supplies their “safety stewards” notified them on Wednesday that they were unable to honour their commitment. As a result, Trafford Council were uncomfortable with the original capacity agreed for the game (which was 4,500) and insisted upon reducing it (to 2,292).With Lancashire deciding to prioritise members, they were obliged to contact all other ticket holders and cancel their tickets. They have been promised a refund “as soon as possible” as well as two free tickets to other matches. Spectators will have a choice of Hundred, Blast or One-Day Cup games. Lancashire have also promised to “review” their “external stewarding provision”.Lancashire’s women’s team took on Ireland in the first fixture of the day, with Lancashire’s men’s team playing Worcestershire under lights in the evening.Related

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“Lancashire was hugely disappointed and frustrated to have had to reduce the capacity of today’s T20 double header, particularly at such short notice,” a Lancashire spokesperson said in a statement.”After extensive collaboration with Trafford Council on Wednesday evening, there was a concern around the capability of our external stewarding provider with regards to the number of qualified stewards that were available for the fixture”Unfortunately, as a result of this, the capacity had to be further reduced for today’s fixtures. As a consequence, we are undertaking an immediate review of our external stewarding provision.”Lancashire Cricket, as a members’ club, made the decision to prioritise members’ tickets.”We apologise unreservedly to those supporters that have had tickets cancelled. This is not a decision that was taken lightly but the safety and security of our supporters remains our number one priority.”Lancashire have also emailed members to apologise for, among other things, the difficulty – and cost – of attempting to contact the club by phone, cancelled tickets for the T20 match against Durham for reasons unrelated to stewarding, and difficulties for disabled spectators at Old Trafford.

For the first time since 2011, India conceded more than 550 at home

Matt Roller06-Feb-20212:54

Gambhir: Staying low helps Root in sweeping the ball well

Joe Root’s second double-hundred in three matches helped England turn the screw on the second day in Chennai, as India conceded more than 550 in a single innings of a home Test for the first time since 2011.Dom Sibley’s dismissal in the last over of the first day had provided India with an opening, with England in danger of wasting an impressive start to the Test and with memories of their last visit to Chepauk – when they had racked up 477 and lost by an innings – still fresh.Related

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But Ben Stokes opted to attack as the pitch started to show signs of wear, racking up 82 off 118 balls to take England to lunch unscathed, before Root’s stand with Ollie Pope in the afternoon session helped them towards 500. India were eventually rewarded for their bowlers’ hard work, taking four wickets for 52 in the evening session to leave England eight down, but their focus may now be on saving – rather than winning – the Test.After driving the scoring rate on the first evening in partnership with Sibley, Root played second fiddle for most of his stand with Stokes. Having survived an inswinging yorker from Jasprit Bumrah early in the day, jamming his bat down late to keep it out via an edge into the boot, Stokes decided to put his foot down, and launched R Ashwin for a straight six inside the first half-hour.There were signs in the first session that the pitch was not quite as flat as it had seemed on the first day, with puffs of dust from the surface and variable bounce for the spinners. Washington Sundar found some trampoline bounce from the footholes outside Stokes’ off stump, while Ashwin was convinced he had trapped Stokes lbw reverse-sweeping, only to discover on review that the ball had hit him on the glove.India burned their second review five balls later, when Shahbaz Nadeem’s arm ball struck Root on the pad, but ball-tracking confirmed that it would have missed the top of leg stump. Stokes had two further lives, when Ashwin put down a half-chance off his own bowling and Cheteshwar Pujara, diving at full stretch, failed to cling on at midwicket. Stokes made his intentions clear by slog-sweeping Nadeem for six three balls after the second drop, before reverse-sweeping him for a pair of boundaries to bring up fifty.Joe Root is all smiles after getting to his double-century•BCCI

Stokes continued to score freely after lunch, clubbing Nadeem over long-on and clipping Bumrah’s slower ball through midwicket, but eventually holed out, slog-sweeping straight down square leg’s throat where Pujara clung on despite initially fumbling.Pope joined Root at 387 for 4 and unsurprisingly looked slightly rusty after six months out through injury. Kohli used India’s third and final review when Pope swept to leg gully, but replays showed it had clearly hit the forearm rather than the glove.Root, meanwhile, picked up where he had left off on Friday, happily milking Sundar and Nadeem for singles to keep the score ticking over. He was creative in playing reverse-sweeps and laps, but reached his double with a more orthodox shot, skipping down the wicket to swing Ashwin over the long-on boundary for six.Root has scored 644 Test runs in five innings over the past four weeks, and his run tally in 2021 is more than double that of his nearest challenger, Steven Smith. As Rohit Sharma came on to bowl his part-time offspin before tea – which included an impression of Harbhajan Singh’s action – it seemed as though India were becoming increasingly desperate in their bid to dismiss him. He also passed Alec Stewart to go third in the list of England’s all-time leading run-scorers.But the breakthroughs arrived after the interval. Having miscued an Ashwin full toss over Pant’s head two overs before, Pope was struck in front while playing down the wrong line to a ball that didn’t turn and was plumb lbw to leave England five down. In the following over, Root was pinned in front of leg stump by Nadeem, playing down the wrong line to one that skidded on, and while England warmly applauded his epic innings, India sensed an opportunity to expose the tail at 477 for 6.Jos Buttler and Dom Bess rebuilt with an unflashy stand, with Buttler rifling Ashwin for a pair of fours, cutting balls either side of point. He benefitted from Kohli’s enthusiasm to review when he got a thin edge behind off Sundar, which was given not out by umpire Anil Chaudhary to India’s chagrin. Ultra-Edge confirmed that the decision would have been overturned if India had been able to review.The stand took the total past 500 as India’s hard graft continued, before the tireless Ishant Sharma took two wickets in two balls, extracting prodigious reverse-swing with the old ball. First, Buttler left one alone that he thought would miss his off stump only to look back and see it pegged back, before Jofra Archer made a mess of a similar delivery and was cleaned up first ball. Ishant’s double-strike took him to 299 career wickets, though he could not complete 300 with a hat-trick after overstepping.Jack Leach joined Bess, who offered a straightforward chance to Rohit at midwicket only to be put down, and with India’s no-ball struggles returning in the final half-hour, they had added 30 together by the close. When they resume in the morning, it will be the first time in 20 years that England’s first innings has extended into the third day uninterrupted.