England left
AT TRENT BRIDGE AS COLLAPSES go, England’s capitulation under brooding skies at Trent Bridge yesterday was spectacular, gifting India a likely win and foothold in this series.
Yet for all that it was eyecatching, Joe Root’s men being bowled out inside a single session in the afternoon, the fact it was hardly a surprise should set alarm bells ringing.
Yesterday’s disintegration from 54-0 to 161 all out was the third time in two years England have suffered the humiliation of failing to see out a session.
India were brilliant with the ball, as Hardik Pandya tormented Root’s men with 5-28 and the conditions gave maximum help, but England have form in this regard under coach Trevor Bayliss.
In Dhaka in 2016, England fell from 100-0 to 164 all out in less than 23 overs, losing the FORMER Australia paceman Mitchell Johnson, who terrified England during the 2013-14 Ashes and captured 313 Test wickets, has retired.
Left-armer Johnson quit international duty in 2015 but remained a useful bowler in Twenty20 events. He struggled with a back injury while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in this year’s Indian Premier League and said yesterday that his body was starting to give way.
“I’ve bowled my final ball,” Johnson wrote on Perth Now. second Test. Earlier this year, they were all out for 58 against New Zealand in Auckland.
This batting horror show left India completely in control of this third Specsavers Test with a first-innings lead of 168 – one they had, at 124-2, extended to 292 by the close. Anything more than another 40 will leave England needing to better their previous-best chase of 332 against Australia in 1928.
India made good use of helpful overheads as England wilted in an extended afternoon session. Had they located a better length earlier, they might have bowled out the hosts for double figures.
Extravagant swing in the morning allowed Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson to polish off the India tail in less than eight overs at a cost of 22 runs. But it was telling that Virat Kohli on the dressing room balcony greeted the last wicket with a smile not a grimace.
The early signs vindicated his reaction, with Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings surviving by the skin of their teeth as edges flew through the cordon. Cook was put down by Cheteshwar Pujara at first slip on 29.
Yet having survived to lunch, both men’s luck ran out shortly after, departing to consecutive deliveries, as Cook edged Ishant Sharma and Jennings glanced Jasprit Bumrah, both into Rishabh Pant’s gloves.
That then prompted a collapse before Jos Buttler was allowed to farm the strike and nudge up the total, adding 33 for the last wicket.
Buttler ended as England’s top scorer on 39, while Sam Curran, playing for Surrey against Lancashire after being dropped for this Test, scored 40.
If India had been unlucky before lunch, they clearly had a rethink and located a better length, pushing their average pitching length up from 6.8metres to 7.1m. And with the ball doing plenty, they merely had to keep nagging away as England’s batsmen failed. It took until Broad was pinned in front for England’s ninth wicket for a dismissal to be anything other than an edge behind. And while there was a moment of mild controversy as Root first stood his ground then shook his head after a referral confirmed he was caught low at second slip by KL Rahul, it was repetitive stuff. India came close to having the option of enforcing the follow-on, but with Ravi Ashwin nursing a hip injury that