Lunch, Day Two: England 109-1 (Crawley 52, Pope 12) trail India 224 all out (Nair 57, Atkinson 5-33) by 115 runs
England woke up on Friday needing quick wickets and a bright start with the bat. They managed both inside a tidy, often chaotic, first session at The Oval. Gus Atkinson, back in the side after two months out, ripped through India’s tail to claim 5 for 33 and close the visitors on 224. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett then clattered 92 in 12.5 overs, leaving England only 115 behind at lunch.
“It felt good to be back on my home ground,” Atkinson said. “The ball came out nicely and the pitch had just enough in it first thing.” A modest statement, yet his numbers stack up: four five-wicket hauls already, a bowling average hovering around 21, and – for those who like strike-rates – one of the sharpest in England’s post-war lists.
Key facts first
• India lost 4 for 6 in 18 balls, turning 218-6 into 224 all out.
• Atkinson removed Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna in eight legal deliveries.
• Chris Woakes, nursing what England call a “suspected dislocated shoulder”, is out of the match.
• England responded with 109-1 in 21 overs; Crawley fifty in 42 balls, Duckett 43 from 34.
Crawley’s intent was obvious. He leaned on anything full, slapped anything short and, almost casually, collected three extra-cover boundaries by lifting rather than driving. “We wanted to set the tempo,” he said. “If you sit back, you can get stuck here.” Twelve fours, only four singles – a very Crawley scorecard.
Duckett, typically audacious, twice reverse-pulled Akash Deep over the slips, then ramped Mohammed Siraj for the first two sixes of the morning. The left-hander threatened a third until Akash Deep found a fraction more bounce; Duckett feathered behind for 43, the bowler throwing an arm round him in something between banter and respect.
Former England opener Mark Butcher, watching for radio, put it neatly: “England have batted as though they’re trying to make tea in an hour. India bowled too many hittable balls, simple as that.”
India’s earlier collapse owed plenty to Atkinson but also to Josh Tongue, whose morning began scrappily – nine runs from a wayward first over – and improved quickly. Tongue nipped one back into Karun Nair’s pads, ending the No.6’s well-crafted 57. Nair burned a review on the way.
Washington briefly promised to shepherd the lower order, then fell into a short-ball trap five balls later, hooking straight to Jamie Overton at deep square. “That’s a shot I back nine times out of ten,” Washington admitted. “Today was the tenth.” Honest enough.
Siraj, all adrenaline and cross-bat flourish, lasted three deliveries, bowled making room. Prasidh Krishna prodded at a good length and nicked off. From 204-6 overnight, India’s innings ended inside 27 more deliveries.
Analysis, without the jargon
The pitch is still carrying through but the surface looks true once the ball softens. England’s openers took smart risks, particularly against the short boundary towards the Harleyford Road side. India, missing the injured Jasprit Bumrah, relied heavily on Siraj for pace and found little movement after the first half-hour. Unless the forecasted cloud thickens, batting should remain comfortable this afternoon.
However, Woakes’ absence shortens England’s seam options. Atkinson and Tongue cannot shoulder 50 overs between them, so Joe Root’s off-spin and perhaps Dan Lawrence’s mediums may enter the equation earlier than Ben Stokes would like.
Stokes summed it up in typically clipped fashion as the players walked off: “Good hour, but we haven’t won anything yet.” Fair enough – yet after a hurricane start, India already have work to do.
