T P SPIN AT THE TEST

THE GENERATION GAME

GARETH BATTY became only the third England spinner to open the bowling in the opponent’s first innings of a Test since 1928. The others were John Emburey at Old Trafford in 1988 and Graeme Swann at Lord’s in 2009, both against West Indies. Batty has broken one record: the 142 Tests England have played since this game and his last, in June 2005, are the most missed by anyone, smashing the record of 114 held by Surrey seamer Martin Bicknell.

WHEN Stuart Broad correctly challenged umpire Kumar Dharmasena’s decision to give him out lbw to Mehedi Hasan, it was the ninth DRS review in the England innings — a record for any Test innings. The turning pitch threw Dharmasena’s radar all over the place.

AND when Broad was eventually given out caught behind for debutant Mehedi’s sixth wicket — on review, naturally — it meant England had lost all 10 wickets to spin bowling in a Test innings for the first time since 1987-88, against Pakistan at Faisalabad.