Tyler Watts, 17, becomes youngest winner of Sunnehanna Amateur with record-breaking score
Saturday was the conclusion of the 84th Sunnehanna Amateur, and never in the event's history has there been a younger winner than Tyler Watts.
The 17-year-old punctuated the biggest win of his career with a closing 6-under 64 to win by four shots at Sunnehanna Country Club in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, about an hour and a half from the site of this week's U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. Watts fired consecutive 64s in the third and final round, and the 2026 Tennessee commit beat Boise State's Cole Rueck by four shots to win the first event of the Elite Amateur Golf Series.
Watts, who's ranked sixth in the AJGA rankings, carded five straight birdies on Nos. 4-8 to turn in 30 during the final round. He added a pair of birdies on the back nine, and one lone blemish on the card didn't change the result. His 19-under 261 mark is the lowest 72-hole score in the history of the Sunnehanna Amateur.
"This is my first year here, and it's an honor to be able to walk away with the trophy," Watts told Ben Adelberg with The Back of the Range. "I just know after this week that there's a lot of history behind this tournament, and it's a true honor to win."
Earlier this year, Watts finished T-6 in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and then T-5 at the Team TaylorMade Invitational earlier this month. Last year, he made the final of the U.S. Junior Amateur, falling 4 and 3 to soon-to-be Florida freshman Trevor Gutschewski, who played in the U.S. Open this week thanks to his win.
The Sunnehanna Amateur is the first of seven events in the Elite Amateur Golf Series, which features the top amateur events of the summer, concluding at the Western Amateur. Past Sunnehanna champions include Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson, Lucas Glover and more.
The next event in the Elite Amateur Golf Series is the Northeast Amateur, which begins Wednesday, June 18 at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rhode Island.
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Late Crawley wicket a galling blow – but no team embraces a run chase like England
You can never write off England, and no team has embraced a fourth-innings run chase like them, but the dismissal of Zak Crawley with the final ball of the day was a galling set-back. England would probably have taken 50 for one at the close when they started their innings but, with a batsman short, it will take one or two outstanding individual performances to give them a chance on a fourth day when clouds are forecast and the pitch is still offering plenty of assistance; both Crawley and Ben Duckett were hit by painful blows from nasty lifting deliveries. They are 324 short of their 374 target, which if achieved would smash the record for a winning fourth-innings score at the Oval, that has stood since 1902, and be England's second-highest of all time. Recent history gives England a crumb of comfort: they chased 378 against India at Edgbaston four years ago and 371 at Headingley last month. But the reality is India are in sight of a series-levelling win and the perfect yorker from Mohammed Siraj that undid a fifty stand by Crawley and Duckett was the ending they deserved. For Crawley it brought to a close a match in which he scored a stirring 64 in the first innings but failed to go on, dropped two catches and fell for 14 just when England needed him to hang on and see the day through. Sums up his career really. Six dropped catches in India's second innings – three on Saturday when conditions were best for batting – compounded the loss of the injured Chris Woakes and while the seamers showed huge heart, India dictated terms, making 396. Yashasvi Jaiswal was dropped three times in his 118 but it was a classy performance from one of the world's great talents and he has proved over the course of the series that he can play and adapt to English conditions. An innings of 66 for nightwatchman Akash Deep, who averaged six with the bat in Test cricket, started the agony for England and fifties for the usual suspects Washington Sundar and Ravi Jadeja piled on the frustration as India made the most of the fielding errors. The perseverance shown by Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton to carry the attack without Woakes proved the benefit of picking fresh legs but was also credit to their individual resilience despite a lack of bowling recently. They also kept their heads as the fielders let them down and the wheels only really fell off in the final-wicket stand of 39 in 25 balls as Sundar slammed four fours and four sixes; No 11 Prasidh Krishna faced just two balls. After a poor first session, when Deep chanced his arm and England let it drift badly, missing the presence of their captain Ben Stokes, the seamers responded in the afternoon. Tongue dug deep to finish with five for 125 and Atkinson three for 127, both certainties now for the Ashes tour. Jamie Overton, too, kept pounding in with the old ball as the three seamers rotated almost non-stop throughout the innings. Tongue showed why England like him. He is a wicket-taker. He does spray it sometimes but has a huge heart and an unpredictability that makes him dangerous. He ended the series as England's leading wicket-taker with 19 at 29.05 and is more than just a mop for the tail: six of his eight wickets in this match were genuine batsmen and he became the first to dismiss Ravi Jadeja in a second innings in this series. He can roll over the best players as well as the rabbits. Atkinson bowled 48.4 overs, and while he leaked runs in the second innings, he maintained his pace, averaging 85mph across seven overs after lunch with the old ball and was the best bowler across the game for England with eight wickets in his return Test. Atkinson, Tongue, Jofra Archer's return, Ben Stokes bowling better than ever and hopefully Mark Wood getting fit gives England potency with the ball in Australia. Brydon Carse bowled with little luck on pitches that gave him nothing in four Tests and will surely be more successful in Australia. Overton, Olly Stone and Sam Cook are scrambling for one of the last places. It is a battery of quicks that Rob Key set as a target 18 months ago. If this match goes as expected, England will look at eight dropped catches in the second innings of the fourth and fifth Tests; mistakes that cost them victory at Old Trafford and a more manageable target here. To go from 311 ahead, and India nought for two, at lunch on day four in Manchester to this situation is another indication of England's inability to close out series: they should not have drawn the 2023 Ashes and lost the final Test of series four out of five times last year. In Manchester they dropped Shubman Gill on 46 and Jadeja first ball. Both made match-saving hundreds. This time it was Jaiswal who benefited twice on day three, and once on Saturday. Deep was missed, too, on 21 by Crawley at slip and put on 107 with Jaiswal, the highest stand of the match. Five of the chances went down in the slips (one at leg slip). Another sign of the weariness caused by the schedule? Deep finally fell to a leading edge off Overton and England were on a roll when Atkinson removed Gill with the first ball after lunch, his series tally ending on 754 runs, the second highest for a captain. Atkinson exposed Karun Nair's weakness outside off stump with some extra bounce. Jaiswal was dropped on 110 flicking a sharp chance to Duckett at leg slip but he was beginning to become frustrated by a lack of scoring. He soon after played an impatient cut straight to backward point. When Tongue knocked over Jadeja and Siraj in three deliveries with the second new ball, it felt England still had a chance. But Sundar seized the opportunity to rub their noses in it one more time. A tired Smith, who has kept for 1,052 overs in the series, was not awake to snuff out a hastily run bye off the final ball of the 84th over and from then on Sundar farmed the strike expertly and reinforced India's dominance. The Josh Tongue paradox Josh Tongue held the ball aloft sheepishly, keeping his cap on as he led England off. Perhaps his bashfulness was understandable: wickets earned from miscued hacks into the leg side, after all, are seldom celebrated with much vigour. Yet Tongue's dismissal of Washington Sundar, caught by a tumbling Zak Crawley at midwicket, completed his metamorphosis at The Oval. Scarcely 48 hours earlier, Tongue had begun his match with one of the most egregious overs in English Test history: three sets of wides, including two sets of five wides. But this ignominy was the prelude to a fine Test match, which perfectly encapsulated the Tongue paradox: his penchant for oscillating between the maddening and the magnificent, often at a ball's notice. His eight wickets in the Test cost 182 runs, and mean that England still harbour ambitions, however slight, of securing a 3-1 series victory. Despite missing two of the five Test matches, and being dropped to make way for Jofra Archer at Lord's, Tongue ends what will almost certainty be the penultimate day of the series as the top wicket-taker on either side. His 19 wickets have come at a rate of one every 40 balls, a figure that bears comparison with the best strike rates in Test history. Tongue's economy rate this series, of course, puts him in very different company: he has leaked 4.34 an over, giving him an average of 29.1. This has been Tongue unfiltered, threatening the stumps and the boundary ropes in equal measure. So it was on the third day at the Oval. Ridiculous to sublime During a ragtag morning for England, Tongue erred too often in his line, bowling by turns too wide and too straight, conceding 38 runs in eight overs. And yet he was still England's most threatening bowler of the first session. In three deliveries, he almost dismissed Akash Deep three times. First, Tongue got a ball to rear up uncomfortably and bouncing to where short leg would have been; then, he trapped Deep on the pads with a delivery that moved in, with the batsman only reprieved by umpire's call on lbw. Finally, Tongue induced Deep to slash to third slip, only for Zak Crawley to squander a hard chance. As England's desperation grew after lunch, Ollie Pope continually turned to Tongue. With Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton short of first-class bowling, and Chris Woakes ruled out with the shoulder injury sustained on day one, Tongue was both England's most robust quick bowler and their most threatening one. Over one-third of the overs in India's second innings – 30 out of 88 – were bowled by Tongue. Occasionally, England had reason to rue Tongue's radar. He was by turns too full and too wide to Dhruv Jurel, conceding consecutive boundaries and then fed Washington's pull shot, yielding 15 in an over. But for Pope and the rest of England, the overwhelming feeling was gratitude: for not just Tongue's remarkable physical resilience, but also his venom as a bowler. After a sumptuous delivery induced KL Rahul to edge to the slips on the second evening, on the third day Tongue tied down Yashasvi Jaiswal before the batsman picked out backward point and cramped up Ravindra Jadeja from around the wicket. His late fortune was deserved indeed: Mohammed Siraj was given out lbw despite an inside edge, but India were out of reviews, before Washington's late hoick. When helping England to victory in the opening Test at Headingley, Tongue was mocked for his penchant for 'rabbit pie' - that is, eviscerating the tail. But in two Tests since, he has proved how dangerous he is against the top-order too. Ten of his 12 wickets at Edgbaston or The Oval were batsmen in India's top six. Several of these dismissals were from sumptuous deliveries; none were more spectacular than the dismissals of Sai Sudharsan and Ravindra Jadeja in India's first innings, both deceived by outswingers from around the wicket. Yet if England were grateful for Tongue, Tongue has good reason to be grateful for England, too. A cricketer's career does not just depend upon their talents and performances, but how receptive the regime of the day is to their gifts. Tongue's fortune is that he is a bowler completely in sync with the demands of the age. In the early 2010s, Steven Finn took wickets for England at a strike rate that approached Tongue's 44. But he was ill-suited to the demands of 'bowling dry', the mantra under Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss. In previous eras, Steve Harmison and Devon Malcolm, two other bowlers prone to wildly oscillating fortunes, were also treated with mistrust. Aged 27, Tongue has experienced myriad difficulties: his injuries were so unrelenting that he considered retirement three years ago. But, since his England debut two years ago, Tongue has enjoyed complete clarity about his approach. England embrace the trade-offs that come with a bowler of Tongue's ilk. The deliveries sprayed wide can look ugly, yes. But, as Tongue has reaffirmed at The Oval, the reward for such faith is deliveries that can dismiss the world's very best. 07:08 PM BST CLOSE: ENG 50/1 chasing 374 to win Crawley pulls away with Siraj in his gather, about to bowl and then smirks. Gill also smiles but more about what his team-mates are saying than amusement at Crawley's antics. Crawley probes mid-off and mid-on, blocks and leaves to register four dot balls for the bowler. Gill sends two men out on the hook and then gulls the opener with a wonderful yorker. Tomorrow will be unmissable. Here's the Everest they have to climb with eight wickets left (presuming Woakes won't bat). England probably would have taken 50 for one (effectively two, because of Woakes) in that passage of play, but the loss of Crawley so late is a psychological hammer blow. They need at least two men to play very significant knocks tomorrow... 07:04 PM BST Wicket! Crawley b Siraj 14 Put men out on the hook and then diddled him with the inswinging yorker that knocks back off and middle. Even the staunchest England fan would have to concede that was magnificent. Crawley is so tall and so heavy on his feet it's hard fro him to get his bat down quickly to a screaming inducker. FOW 50/1 06:58 PM BST OVER 13: ENG 50/0 (Crawley 14 Duckett 34) Crawley gets the scoreboard moving after being stuck on 13 for more than half an hour by driving Prasidh for a single to mid-on. Duckett closes the face too soon and nicks it past gully for a single off his leading edge when trying to whisk it through midwicket for four. Crawley plays tip and walk to the cover sweeper, actually it was a leg-bye, and Duckett brings up the 50 partnership with a two driven through cover. One over to come. And it will be Siraj. 06:54 PM BST OVER 12: ENG 44/0 (Crawley 13 Duckett 30) Duckett is batting at the Vauxhall End on the edge of the shadow cast by the huge JM Finn stand while Siraj gallops in from the Pavilion End which is still bathed in the sunshine of an August lion day. Duckett steers a single behind point with the bottom sixth of his bat and Crawley, who hasn't scored for a while, tries to break the shackles with a big waft outside off without moving his feet, surviving by a coat of varnish and the skin of his teeth. As Ben Duckett indulges in a bit of digit-related timewasting, there's some beer snake related japes taking place in the JM Finn Stand. It's been a long day on the beers for many... 06:48 PM BST OVER 11: ENG 43/0 (Crawley 13 Duckett 29) Prasidh changes ends and beats Duckett from round the wicket. Jurel appeals from behind the stumps but Prasidh wants nothing to do with it and turns his back. He was nowhere near it. The next ball is a brute that kicks up and smashes into the middle finger of Duckett's left hand. He calls for the physio. When his glove comes off his hand is white, as if covered in chalk. It must be the drying spray. England use the opportunity to chew up some time. After a four-minute stoppage he cuffs a straight one to mid-on and hurtles through for a single. Right 12 minutes to go, which should be three overs. 06:42 PM BST OVER 10: ENG 42/0 (Crawley 13 Duckett 28) Siraj continues over the wicket to Duckett. He takes out gully to try to block cover and immediately hangs one outside off, inviting Duckett to have a dart at it and he does, flashing hard through the vacant area for four. Duckett works a single off middle with a stir of the left wrist putting Crawley on strike. Gully comes back for the right-hander but he doesn't come into play and Siraj ends the over with a big nip-backer that hits Crawley on the thighpad. Nice and measured has England's chase been for their first 10 overs. Some defensive strokes and leaves, controlled attacking shots, so far so very good. Conditions of course very different from England's first innings when their opening pair had to throw the Indian seamers off their length. And even when they have been batting conventionally Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have scored 42 off those first 10 overs. 06:35 PM BST OVER 9: ENG 37/0 (Crawley 13 Duckett 23) They want Duckett to drive and he obliges with an on-drive, the bat not quite steady in his hands as it comes through the line, and they run two. A hen's tooth! Jadeja is beaten in the field by another Duckett on-drive that skips over his outstretched hand as he dived headlong to his left, allowing England to run three to the world's best outfielder. 06:29 PM BST OVER 8: ENG 32/0 (Crawley 13 Duckett 18) Duckett's heart leaps into his mouth when Duckett closes the face on one that was too close to him to chop and he almost dragged it on. He skipped back in case he needed to boot it away after it bounced but it rolled pas his off-stump. But after 16 dot balls from India, Siraj overpitches and Duckett check-drives it for four through mid-off then works a quick single off his pads to backward square. 06:25 PM BST OVER 7: ENG 27/0 (Crawley 13 Duckett 13) England's openers have to be careful here. They're demonstrably becoming twitchier with each dot ball as India try to turn the screw with discipline on a fourth-stump line, giving them no opportunity to free their arms and unable to charge because of the uneven bounce. Another maiden. Here comes Siraj. The Oval have raised another £25,000 for Mind today, in memory of Graham Thorpe, taking the total to over £150,000. Been a really well executed campaign. 06:22 PM BST OVER 6: ENG 27/0 (Crawley 13 Duckett 13) Duckett is being tested with fuller balls in the channel. His forte is square of the wicket and behind it so they're trying to give him nothing in those areas, making him drive. He can't middle any of his attempts, plays and misses at a wider one then ends up exasperated when he can't beat square leg from an attempted in-ducking yorker that ends up as a full toss. Maiden. 06:17 PM BST OVER 5: ENG 27/0 (Crawley 13 Duckett 13) Deep, who was wound up by Duckett's swashbuckling strokes in the first innings and consequently gave him that deceptively tender send off, is worked for two by the left-hander through mid-on and then skelped for a single behind square leg. Surprised he hasn't been up in his grill yet. Uneven bounce from both ends! Until England's second innings the uneven bounce had been achieved by pace bowlers from the Pavilion End only. This Oval pitch is not flattening out. 06:13 PM BST OVER 4: ENG 24/0 (Crawley 13 Duckett 10) What was shaping up to be a quieter over with three singles stroked around concludes with Duckett taking on a pull stroke to a ball that was never short enough and plinking it off the toe just over mid-off. They run a single. Then Crawley smears a back-foot drive off Prasidh almost perfectly square for four, bisecting both scrambling sweepers. 06:10 PM BST OVER 3: ENG 16/0 (Crawley 7 Duckett 8) Zak Crawley in microcosm to successive balls, a wild, expansive drive with little lateral foot movement to an outswinger, playing and missing, followed by a square drive with full flowing arms that tears away for four. The next delivery leaps off a good length and smashes into his biceps. Crawley works a single off his pads and Duckett is beaten by the final ball which rears up off a good length and whistles past the splice as the batsman's eyes widen in utter bemusement. 06:02 PM BST OVER 2: ENG 10/0 (Crawley 2 Duckett 8) Crawley again drives to the cover sweeper and strolls a single. Prasidh errs to short and straight to Duckett who rides the bounce and cuffs it round the corner fine for four. The next ball is also too legside if fuller but Duckett tucks in just as greedily, whisking it behind the square leg umpire for four. He improves as the over progresses with encouragement from the keeper and his captain. 05:58 PM BST OVER 1: ENG 1/0 (Crawley 1 Duckett 0) Subman Gill is determined not to let England get off to a flyer, posting a point sweeper and a deep extra-cover. Crawley is off the mark from the second ball, patting a drive for a single down to the latter of the two off-side boundary riders off Akash Deep. Deep arrows one from round the wicket into Duckett's front knee. He appeals but concedes that it jagged too much to risk a review. Prasidh Krishna, who had fun in that 39-run 10th wicket partnership even though he finished on 0 not out, will share new ball duties. 05:51 PM BST Play can continue until 7pm England got through 69 overs plus two for the change of innings leaving far too many to come (19 on a normal day, 27 today) but play is scheduled to end at 7pm nonetheless. 05:49 PM BST England require 373 to win the series India need nine wickets (10 if it's a nipper and Woakes has to bat) to square it. 05:47 PM BST A five-for for Tongue He ends with 30-4-125-5, Atkinson with 27-3-127-3 and Overton 22-2-98-2. If any of them are asked to go out as nightwatchmen they will be well within their rights to invite the batsmen to go forth and multiply. 05:42 PM BST Wicket! Washington c Crawley b Tongue 53 Tongue registers a minor victory with one that spits up and hits Sundar on the glove. The batsman turns down singles to long leg and deep backward point then plays and misses outside off. A leading edge just sails past Tongue in his followthrough. No run. Can Tongue keep him there with the last ball? Better than that he entices the swipe across the line that goes up the chimney at midwicket. Both Pope and Crawley go for the catch and Crawley's height wins out, holding on even as he was blindsided by Pope. Crwaley shouted that it was his but Pope kept going. FOW 396/10 05:38 PM BST OVER 86: IND 396/9 (Washington 53 Prasidh 0) Atkinson goes full to Washington who cloths a drive over mid-off and runs two. He would have been out with a direct hit but Pope shies wide as he has done a couple of times this series. He could even have thrown it to the bowler but he must be frazzled. Two balls later Atkinson gives him one in the slot and Washington slashes it through gully for four. The next ball was supposed to be the bouncer but it doesn't get up and the tall left-hander absolutely munches it through midwicket off the back foot for four. He brings up his fifty by pulling Atkinson for six to cow corner with murderous power. Four sixes in three overs have knocked the ball out of shape. Washington winds up but plinks the last ball over the bowler's head that plugs 10 yards in from the boundary and he walks the single he wanted to take the strike. It took a long time for England to unravel, given that all their wicket-taking had to be done by three seamers, but it has happened during India's 10th wicket stand. The optics as they say are not good as Washington Sundar hits his sixes. India psychologically right on top. 05:31 PM BST OVER 86: IND 379/9 (Washington 36 Prasidh 0) Even better hooks shots, again bringing it round from down to up like a gyroscope and carting Tongue for a pair of sixes to take the lead past 350. Good catches in the crowd a dozen rows back but far too high for Brook down on the fence. Tongue comes over the wicket to change the angle and slants one so far across the left-hander it's called wide. That wide is followed by another, a short ball that veers too far away from the bat. He tucks a single off the fifth ball to square leg. In comes the field for Prasidh. Pope takes the helmet to stand at short leg. Two slips, gully, leg gully. But Tongue, thoroughly pooped, doesn't make him play. 05:25 PM BST OVER 85: IND 364/9 (Washington 23 Prasidh 0) Washington protects Prasidh by not taking available singles, then hooks Atkinson high and hard, not rolling his writs at all, quite the opposite for six. Atkinson also slips into T20 mode by pushing the last ball full and wide to keep Prasidh on strike for Tongue but Prasidh is alive to it, backs up at full pelt and burgles a bye. Smith should have been switched on to that but in his defence he has kept to more than a thousand overs in five weeks. He must be fried. 05:21 PM BST OVER 84: IND 357/9 (Washington 17 Prasidh 0) Brook took that catch but seemed still be dwelling on the drops, barely cracking a smile. My word these three seamers have been magnificent and Tongue takes a second in the over. Siraj would not be out had Gill and Jurel not wasted two. India lead by 334. Just when you think England are completely out of it today, they find a wicket. I mean, they are almost completely out of it. But it's not beyond them. Josh Tongue, meanwhile, is up to 17 wickets for the series, level with Ben Stokes as England's most. A stat that doesn't sound quite true but definitely is. Tongue has bowled bravely since his day one shocker. 05:16 PM BST Wicket! Siraj lbw b Tongue 0 Rabbit pie! He went back and across and was pinned. He would have reviewed it but India have burned all three. Looked stone dead anyway, hitting leg stump. FOW 357/9 In fact there was a scratch of an inside edge that would have reprieved him had there been a review left. 05:11 PM BST Wicket! Jadeja c Brook b Tongue 53 Clung on to one that flew at him off a chunky edge as Jadeja shuffled back and had an almighty swipe at it. FOW 357/8 05:11 PM BST OVER 83: IND 356/7 (Jadeja 53 Washington 16) Atkinson ends his 25th over and 47th in three days by beating Jadeja with a nip-backer from round the wicket that scudded into the top bar of the knee roll. Good nut but it did too much as Jamie Smith confirms. 05:07 PM BST OVER 82: IND 354/7 (Jadeja 52 Washington 15) Jadeja brings up another Test fifty, his fifth of the series to go with his century, after slapping a shorter ball off the back foot through point. Dawson did claw it back from the foam pyramids but the third umpire noticed that he was still in contact with the ball when his knee touched the sponge. Jadeja clips a single off Tongue off his toes then Washington also flicks a straight one through midwicket. Crawley at deep backward square didn't move even through the ball was trickling, shouting that he couldn't see the ball. Tongue then beats Sundar outside off-stump with a lovely ball that angles in and nibbles away from the edge then arrows a bouncer towards his throat. Washington limboed out of the way and kept his hands low. 05:01 PM BST OVER 81: IND 345/7 (Jadeja 47 Washington 11) Atkinson starts with four full balls and two that are back of a length from round the wicket. Jadeja takes singles off the two shorter balls, wotrking them off his body through the onside and Washy works a single off one of the fuller ones to mid-on. Atkinosn brings up his century: 24-3-102-3. 04:56 PM BST OVER 80: IND 342/7 (Jadeja 45 Washington 10) Whippage from Washington to whisk Root through midwicket for four. The off-spinner rattles through five fot balls to get to the new ball which England take immediately and entrust to Atkinson. 04:54 PM BST OVER 79: IND 338/7 (Jadeja 45 Washington 6) Blimey! There's the crack of a rifle when Jadeja collars an Overton bouncer and carts it for four through midwicket so hard that the sweeper had no chance. He steers two through gully off an edge but with soft hands then slices a cut for a single. 04:49 PM BST OVER 78: IND 330/7 (Jadeja 38 Washington 5) Root replaces Bethell given it's now two left-handers. They take him for three singles without any drama in the strokes but some risk in the running. The lead is 307. 04:47 PM BST OVER 77: IND 327/7 (Jadeja 36 Washington 4) Enter Washington Sundar who is treated to some chin music with men out for the hook and uppercut. He sways out of the way of a 90mph bouncer having got off the mark with a back foot punch for two. He doubles his scopre by squirting the attempted yorker out through point for another two. Random observation: Kumar Dharmasena is getting more like Steve Bucknor in his finger-raising technique. Absolutely. The hanging judge delivers a long, lingering verdict. 04:39 PM BST Wicket! Jurel lbw b Overton 34 Yes, plumb. It was hitting the top of off as Overton squared him up with swing and late movement with a ball that's almost 77 overs old. A peach. FOW 323/7 04:38 PM BST India review Jurel lbw b Overton Wobbly outswinger. Seemed pretty plumb though it hit him on the back leg above the knee as he squared up. 04:38 PM BST OVER 76: IND 322/6 (Jadeja 35 Jurel 34) The two Js keep motoring along, taking one singles each off Bethell to take the lead to 299. How much could England chase on this pitch? They might think 350 is just about viable. But even by England's standards in fourth innings chases that would be quite something. It will be a hell of an effort for England to win from here. And India will think they can still be batting at the close of play. 04:36 PM BST OVER 75: IND 320/6 (Jadeja 34 Jurel 33) Overton bends his back and bangs in a 90mph bouncer that Jadeja takes on, loses control of the stroke as the ball gets big on him and top edges over very fine leg for six. The next ball is the old combination, fast and angled across the left-hander who can't help going fishing but doesn't land a fish. 04:31 PM BST OVER 74: IND 312/6 (Jadeja 27 Jurel 32) The fella in the red T-shirt declines the invitation to move, saying quite reasonably that he has been sitting there all day. So they find him a Surrey T-shirt and Jadeja gives him the thumbs up when he puts it on. Maenwhile Jurel cuts Bethell for two as England bide their time. 04:27 PM BST OVER 73: IND 310/6 (Jadeja 27 Jurel 30) Overton replaces Root at the Vauxhall End. He's still maintaining a fair old lick, bowling at 86mph. Stuart Broad would like some Pudsey Plunkett action from him, hammering the middle of the pitch but after a couple of rib-ticklers to start with he starts pitching it up and Jurel clips him for two through midwicket and then glances a single. Jadeja asks for a man in a red T-shirt behind the bowler's arm to move or change his shirt. The chap looks in puzzlement at himself on the big screen and the fourth umpire asks a steward to pass the message on. 04:22 PM BST OVER 72: IND 307/6 (Jadeja 27 Jurel 27) Spin from Bethell, only his second over at the innings, starts the potentially marathon third session which can go on until 7pm to make up for the overs lost on Thursday. A couple of pies, a long hop and one sprayed down legside from round the wicket escape with only a single as punishment but they push him around for two more before he ends the over with turn and bounce as Jadeja nicks into his pad. Bethell has taken three wickets in Tests, 15 in all in red-ball matches in his career to date. 04:02 PM BST TEA: IND 304/6 This is punishing for England. The seamers are dead on their feet and India still have their strong lower order left to cash in and push the lead well beyond 320. England chased 371 at Leeds but that was a much flatter pitch and glorious weather. It will be harder at the Oval. It could be a brutal final session. The loss of Woakes has forced Tongue and Atkinson to shoulder the burden and they have given everything. England's drop count is up to six, the most in a home Test for 19 years. There are nine overs until the new ball but who is going to have the energy to be a threat? 03:58 PM BST OVER 71: IND 304/6 (Jadeja 26 Jurel 25) Tongue is in need of a drink and a bun. He starts with a half-volley that Jurel creams through mid-off for four then bangs the next one in at 83mph and Jurel swivels to pull it hard and dismissively for four just behind square. Tongue finds the leading edge when Jurel closes the face too soon on a legside whisk but the right-hander still takes two through gully before ending the over with a hard-run three through midwicket to extend the lead to 281. Whatever the result we have to give much credit to Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue for their stamina. Both have bowled every day, between 40 and 50 overs each so far, and with all the discouragement that comes from dropped catches. They have deserved the cooler weather. 03:53 PM BST OVER 70: IND 291/6 (Jadeja 26 Jurel 12) Root replaces Atkinson and starts with a drag down that Jurel pummels for four through point. They milk him for three more singles, rotating the strike, making the sweepers stretch their legs. Should be tea after the next over. 03:51 PM BST OVER 69: IND 284/6 (Jadeja 25 Jurel 6) Jadeja's second innings scores in this series: 25*, 69*, 61*, 107* and 25*. 03:46 PM BST OVER 68: IND 282/6 (Jadeja 24 Jurel 5) Atkinson is still bowling a sharp 85mph in his 23rd over, bowling admirably tight for five balls but with one aberration that sits up outside off and Jurel is in like Flynn to cleave it for four. Shot! They'll be cooked by the time the new ball is due unless they get a breather soon. 03:40 PM BST OVER 67: IND 278/6 (Jadeja 24 Jurel 1) Jadeja starts the over by steering a drive through point for two and ends it with his sock and boot off having been struck on the right big Bromley by Bow. 03:37 PM BST NOT OUT Nope. Superb ball but it hit his big toe outside the line. He may not be out but he is down with his boot off and the physio taking a look. 03:36 PM BST India review Jadeja lbw b Tongue Hooping sandshoe crusher from round the wicket. Did it hit him in line or outside off? 03:32 PM BST OVER 66: IND 276/6 (Jadeja 22 Jurel 1) Running mix-up between Jadeja and Jurel, making up for the absence of Pant to inject some 'Yes!? No! Sorry!' antics into an action-packed match. Jurel set off after dabbing one down through gull, skidding to a halt when Jadeja sent him back and diving into the crease to beat the throw. Jurel gets off the mark with a flick through midwicket and Jadeja sprints down to complete one of his own to mid-on. Terrific series in England by Yashasvi Jaiswal with a 50 in every Test except Lord's. An orthodox Duckett, he too gives his side momentum - and often goes on for longer. His footwork has evolved as this series has gone on. 03:28 PM BST OVER 65: IND 273/6 (Jadeja 20 Jurel 0) The three seamers with a man down cannot be faulted for effort. After Tongue takes his second wicket of the innings. Pope brings back Gus Atkinson after only a 35 minute rest following a seven-over spell. 03:22 PM BST Wicket! Jaiswal c Overton b Tongue 118 Good, diving catch at deep backward point when Jasiwal uppercuts for the umpteenth time and slices it to the fielder's right. Atkinson, Tongue and Overton have caught well. The others not so much. FOW 273/6 03:21 PM BST OVER 64: IND 272/5 (Jaiswal 118 Jadeja 19) Ponting feels that Pope's field is too defensive for Root, leaving singles for straight drives. It's a field designed to keep the scoring down rather than invite the batsman to chance his arm. He suggests long-off should come up but so far he stays put and Jadeja strokes a long single down the ground. It does keep the runs down so job done but there's a sense of drift now. 03:18 PM BST OVER 63: IND 271/5 (Jaiswal 118 Jadeja 18) Jadeja drives Tongue for a single and Jaiswal cuts him hard for two which would have been four save for Overton's excellent, sliding save. 03:15 PM BST OVER 62: IND 268/5 (Jaiswal 116 Jadeja 17) Root starts with a maiden to Jaiswal, varying his pace. Jaiswal eschews risk and shows him the maker's name. 03:13 PM BST OVER 61: IND 268/5 (Jaiswal 116 Jadeja 17) Smith is being given a torrid time by the late swinging ball and concedes four byes when it tails away from outside off like a drunken wasp. Byes used to be a badge of shame but of the 24 he has conceded in the match to date I can't think of many that were his fault. Time for Joe Root to see if his arm is still 24 carat. 03:10 PM BST OVER 60: IND 263/5 (Jaiswal 115 Jadeja 17) Jadeja launches himself off his feet in pursuit of a cut and lashes it off the edge through vacant second slip for four. Brook had just been moved to a catching midwicket and Root had no chance as lone slip of reaching it. Jadeja nails another cut, this time a more orthodox version and fillets it for four through point. Back comes second slip, bolting the empty stable door. 03:05 PM BST OVER 59: IND 255/5 (Jaiswal 115 Jadeja 9) Tongue replaces Atkinson and Jadeja squirts a drive off the inside edge for a single. Duckett's was the sixth dropped chance of the innings. This was the fifth. 02:59 PM BST OVER 58: IND 254/5 (Jaiswal 115 Jadeja 8) Pope, who is back on the field, sticks with his Surrey team-mate Overton from the Vauxhall End. Jaiswal flicks a pair of singles behind square and is then dropped by Duckett at leg-gully. Yet another hard chance low to his left. He got his hand to it but couldn't cling on. He may lack guile but Overton has also lacked luck. Jaiswal fell into their trap but they let him wriggle free. The ball races down for four, too. Overton backs it up with a crafty inswinging yorker from round the wicket that Jaiswal chisels out for a single down to third man but only in the nick of time. 02:49 PM BST OVER 57: IND 246/5 (Jaiswal 109 Jadeja 6) Atkinson stays on for a seventh over of his spell since lunch and screeches one past Jadeja's edge who pulled his bat inside the line. Pope's off the field again making Brook, I think, captain for now. When Atkinosn hoopsan inswinger past Jadeja's tuchas for four byes Pope returns, along with the drinks waiters. 02:45 PM BST OVER 56: IND 239/5 (Jaiswal 109 Jadeja 5) Jadeja drives Overton for three after exchanging singles with his fellow left-hander. Some hard bounce for the tall, bulky Overton but not enough variety in his red-ball bowling. He pounds away diligently, a bit of outswing but not much evidence of guile. 02:41 PM BST OVER 55: IND 234/5 (Jaiswal 108 Jadeja 1) That extra bounce will encourage Siraj and Deep but it's only from the Pavilion End and when bowling over the wicket to right-handers so far. Jadeja, who averages over 90 for the series with a century and four half-centuries, gets off the mark first ball with a flick off his pads for a single. The Jaiswal gives it some humpty outside off, crashing a half-volley to the cover boundary with a free-flowing drive that makes his left thigh cramp up on the stretch. Fair to say Karun Nair lived a pretty charmed life there. 02:35 PM BST Wicket! Nair c Smith b Atkinson 17 Not too costly that drop in the previous over. Atkinson extracts some extra bounce to surprise Nair who hasn't judged length well since being struck by his first ball and he gloves it through to the keeper. FOW 229/5 02:34 PM BST OVER 54: IND 225/4 (Jaiswal 104 Nair 13) Brook drops Nair low to his right at second slip. It died on him and Crawley tried to help out by diving across but couldn't get there. Tough chance but yet another spill in the cordon. It seemed to hit the ends of the fingers on his right hand and burst through. Overton turns on his heel after bending his back to find the splice off a good length. Super difficult catch for Harry Brook, but exactly the sort that England need to be taken if they are to get themselves back into the match. Ollie Pope has thrown everything at India, rotating the three seamers all day so far. I think it was the right strategy - but it leaves England very vulnerable now, as their seamers tire. India will, you suspect, attack England's part-time spinners when they eventually have to bowl. England are missing Ben Stokes's captaincy, of course – but his job is much easier when he can bowl himself. 02:31 PM BST OVER 53: IND 224/4 (Jaiswal 104 Nair 12) Nair drives Atkinson loosely and uppishly between extra-cover and mid-off for two to stretch India's lead to 200. Sri Lanka knocked off 219 for the loss of only two wickets to cruise to victory at the Oval last year and prevented England's hopes of a whitewash summer but the highest ever run chase in Kennington is still the Hirst-Rhodes 263 in 1902 when they may have got them in singles but probably didn't state that they were going to do so. When Kirkheaton ruled the world (of cricket). 02:25 PM BST OVER 52: IND 221/4 (Jaiswal 104 Nair 9) This could be the signal for India to counter-attack: Overton is replacing Tongue. The Surrey quick beats Jaiswal with an outswinger, tries to tempt the uppercut but the ball balloons high for a wide and then sprays it on to the left-hander's pads who feathers it on to his thighpad and down to fine, fine leg for four. 02:22 PM BST OVER 51: IND 216/4 (Jaiswal 100 Nair 9) And there it is, Jasiwal's sixth Test century and fourth against England, brought up off Atkinson with an open-face drive for two through point followed by a back-foot jab also square of the wicket into the offside. Off comes the helmet, up goes the bat and he embraces Nair enthusiastically before making a hear sign with his hands and blowing a kiss to the dressing room or maybe someone special in the family section. Nair is given another gimme down the legside and tickles Atkinson wide of the diving Smith for four. 02:17 PM BST OVER 50: IND 209/4 (Jaiswal 97 Nair 5) England know that Jaiswal is jittery and try to squeeze him as he stands on the threshold of a second century of the series. The short wide one inviting the uppercut is their weapon of choice. Twice he flashes and misses, carves two down to deep backward point and is then rapped on the gloves. Tongue's bouncer hits a trampette on the pitch and absolutely ramps over Jaiswal's head and Smith can only tip it over the bar, doubling the wide to two as they stroll through. 02:13 PM BST OVER 49: IND 205/4 (Jaiswal 95 Nair 5) Jaiswal, not spotting that Atkinson had moved his third man finer for the uppercut, has a waft at one outside off and then asks Nair why he hadn't told him the fielder had moved. Atkinson seems to tell him it's his own duty to know where the fielders are. Jaiswal plays tip and run to square leg and Nair gloves the nip-backer down the legside for four before being thumped on the thighpad with another nip-backer. 02:07 PM BST OVER 48: IND 200/4 (Jaiswal 94 Nair 1) Tongue gives Jaiswal too much width and he cuts hard for two and four to move into the nineties. Between those two scoring strokes, Tongue had arrowed one in from round the wicket to smack the left-hander on the knee. He yelps out an appeal that lacks all conviction because he knew it would miss leg-stump, sadly. So did Jaiswal who was trying to flick it. A great passage for England after that torrid first session. But the question is what comes after Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue, when their spells eventually come to an end. Jamie Overton has been very underwhelming on his home ground. And Ollie Pope, perhaps understandably, is showing no inclination to bowl spin. 02:03 PM BST OVER 47: IND 193/4 (Jaiswal 87 Nair 1) The mood has changed and England re right back in this if they can strike while the iron is hot. Jaiswal throws everything but the kitchen sink at one that takes off and the ball vaults his bat, forcing the keeper on to his pogo stick to collect. He tries the uppercut again and is beaten and then squirts a single off a thick edge to third man when aiming for extra-cover. Atkinson is relentlessly accurate. 01:59 PM BST OVER 46: IND 192/4 (Jaiswal 86 Nair 1) Nair, unsettled, goes fishing outside off as Tongue tests him in the corridor, beating the edge twice. When he strays on to Nair's legs, though, he whisks it away for a single to get off the mark and Jaiswal crashes a cut for a single to get his afternoon account rolling. 01:54 PM BST OVER 45: IND 190/4 (Jaiswal 85 Nair 0) Atkinson has had the equivalent of Popeye's spinach for lunch, starting by trapping Gill absolutely plumb and then hurting Nair with the next one that reared from back of a length to smash his fingers into the handle after misjudging the length. It's the third time in the series that Gill has been pinned leg-before by a nip-backer. He has scored 754 runs all the same, mind. Nair is in agony. His right index finger looks like a it has been stuck in a door jamb. They spray it and tape it up and then spray it again. After a five minute delay he fist bumps with his partner, using the other hand, and takes his guard. He gets up the other end with a leg-bye but has clearly been rattled. Huge respect for Gus Atkinson, starting the session so well after such a soft morning for England. 01:45 PM BST Wicket! Gill lbw b Atkinson 11 Stone dead. Hitting the top third of middle stump. Excellent with the first ball after lunch, finally finding that fuller length and nipping it back into Gill's front knee. FOW 189/4 01:42 PM BST India review Gill lbw b Atkinson Kumar Dharmasena eventually gave it out. Hit him on the knee roll. Looked dead to me. Looked as though it hit him in line. No bat or Gill would have reviewed much earlier. Nipped back from a fuller length. 01:41 PM BST Good afternoon A third poor session for England in succession leaves India 166 ahead with seven wickets in hand. I'm sure they would be confident of chasing 280 but as my colleague pointed out, the trouble is they may well be chasing 380 if they keep bowling and catching like this. 01:07 PM BST Lunch verdict England Deep in trouble. Nightwatchman Akash Deep's career-best 66 punished England, who took their dropped catches to four in this innings and really only have themselves to blame for their predicament. Yashasvi Jaiswal has been outstanding, and he has capitalised on being dropped twice on Friday, reaching lunch 85 not out after a 107-run stand with Deep. Jamie Oerton's eight over spell brought the one wicket, but Gus Atkinson looks down on pace and England running out of ways to turn with Chris Woakes injured. It is testy too. Jaiswal's time wasting to prevent England fitting in one more over before lunch led to more words being exchanged as the two teams walked off. India have done a superb job in winding England up this week. 01:03 PM BST An almost perfect session for India Unbelievable time wasting from Yashasvi Jaiswal in that over - and poor that Ahsan Raza let him get away with it. Anyway, it completes an almost perfect session for India. 01:03 PM BST OVER 44: IND 189/3 (Jaiswal 85 Gill 11) Gill moves past 750 runs for the series - the Indian record is 774 - with a magnificent extra-cover drive for four off Tongue. The non-striker Jaiswal wants this to be the last over before lunch: he starts limping, then holding his back. He'll never make a poker player. I'm not sure Gill needs any help - he has started superbly and takes a single off the final ball of a session. It was emphatically India's session, with the nightwatchman Akash Deep the only wicket to fall as they extended their lead to 166 runs. Jaiswal has words with Crawley and Pope on the way off. Not entirely civil, but nothing to compare with yesterday's needle. 12:59 PM BST India holding all the cards A wry smile from Shubman Gill as Jamie Overton gave him a bit of a stare after that over. Gill knows India have plenty to smile about after this session. England simply look shattered. We've only had a lone over of spin, from Jacob Bethell at the start of the day, all innings. 12:57 PM BST OVER 43: IND 181/3 (Jaiswal 84 Gill 4) Shubman GIll gets off the mark with an elegant cut behind square for four. Rubbish ball, beautiful shot. 12:53 PM BST Smith needs to set change tone for England We are reluctant to criticise Jamie Smith as a wicketkeeper, aren't we, because he is such a wonderful batsman. And by nature he is quiet if not silent. But as a keeper in situations like this, tired as he must be at the end of this series, he has to set more of an example in the field. India's batsmen are playing balls into the covers or wherever and he is not running up to the stumps to take a return. England look limp and out on their feet and it is up to their captain and their keeper, above all, to change the tone. 12:51 PM BST Wicket! Deep c Atkinson b J Overton 66 A wicket at last. Deep tries to turn a bumper to leg and gets a leading edge that is well caught by Atkinson running in from backward point. His teammates all stand to applaud one of the better innings by an Indian nightwatchman: 66 from 94 balls with 12 wound-salting fours. FOW: 177/3 12:49 PM BST OVER 42: IND 177/2 (Jaiswal 84 Deep 66) Jaiswal takes a single off the first ball of Tongue's second spell. He's been happy to play second fiddle to Akash Deep, an unlikely division of labour but one that makes perfect sense - not least because Jaiswal could savage the part-time spinners this afternoon. Deep tries to drive Tongue and edges just wide of gully for four. That one certainly carried but was too wide for the diving fieldedr. The boundary brings up a precious, potentially series-saving hundred partnership. Deep gets four more later in the over with a gloved pull, straight over the head of Jamie Smith. England are starting to lose their rag, never mind the plot. 12:46 PM BST OVER 41: IND 167/2 (Jaiswal 83 Deep 57) Deep thick edges Overton to the left of gully for four. It wouldn't have carried, though that doesn't reduce Overton's frustration. Oh dear. Overton finishes the over with a poor delivery that boings down the leg side for four byes. This time yesterday India looked a beaten team; now England are in the same position. 12:41 PM BST OVER 40: IND 158/2 (Jaiswal 82 Deep 53) The inability of India's lower order has been a recurring feature of this series. Their Nos 9-11 have scored 61 runs at an average of 3.81 – but now Akash Deep, who should be batting at No9, has almost matched that on his own. It's a perverse twist in a series that has been full of them. 12:37 PM BST OVER 39: IND 155/2 (Jaiswal 81 Deep 51) A harmless over from Overton. Ricky Ponting thinks England's bowling has been 'way too short' this morning. It's foolish to write England off unless they are chasing 450+, but right now it feels like India are in control of the game. It's hard to argue they don't deserve a 2-2 draw. 12:32 PM BST OVER 38: IND 154/2 (Jaiswal 80 Deep 51) Well played Akash Deep! He mows Atkinson for four to reach his first Test fifty, clenches his gloved fist in celebration and thumps his chest. Even Gautam Gambhir is smiling. Deep's fifty took just 70 balls and included nine fours - many smeared through leg side, but there's nothing wrong with that when you're a nightwatchman. 12:27 PM BST OVER 37: IND 150/2 (Jaiswal 80 Deep 47) Jamie Overton's effort can't be faulted, but he doesn't look like taking his first wicket of the match. Right now - and I appreciate it's a very small sample size - his Test averages are 49 with the bat, 125 with the ball. 12:24 PM BST Atkinson and Tongue ploughing a lone furrow These are the best bowling conditions of the morning. I have to say, I'm feeling a bit for Aktinson and Tongue who are ploughing a lone furrow, really. 12:23 PM BST OVER 36: IND 150/2 (Jaiswal 80 Deep 47) Two weary long hops from Atkinson are slapped for four by Deep, who is closing in on a memorable first Test fifty. Atkinson looked shattered, which is no surprise really: he has bowled 33.4 overs in just over two days. 12:18 PM BST England in the last-chance saloon This spell by Gus Atkinson looks like England's last chance. If he doesn't strike, it is going to be 2-2. Who else bar Josh Tongue is going to take the wickets - and he needs a rest until after lunch after his fine opening spell. 12:17 PM BST OVER 35: IND 142/2 (Jaiswal 80 Deep 39) Deep plays a defensive shot off Overton that dribbles back towards the stumps. He kicks the ball away, then loses his balance and almost falls onto the stumps. Overton moves around the wicket, Deep pushes a single into the off side. India lead by 119. 12:15 PM BST Crawley's catching lets England down Pretty grim morning for England so far. Crawley dropped a second catch of the innings; two years ago against Australia, when he was at second not third slip, we were lauding his brilliant catching when the game was on the line. He batted well in the first innings here but his hands have deserted him at a key moment. 12:14 PM BST OVER 34: IND 139/2 (Jaiswal 79 Deep 38) Atkinson replaces Tongue. His first ball is on the short side and pulled disdainfully over midwicket for four by Deep. Have some of that! Jaiswal glides four more wide of the slips; he was in complete control that time. India lead by 116 runs, an unthinkable scenario when Crawley and Duckett were smashing them everywhere yesterday morning. 12:10 PM BST OVER 33: IND 129/2 (Jaiswal 74 Deep 33) England have seen enough of line and length: it's time for Jamie Overton to bowl some short stuff, with catchers scattered behind square on both sides of the wicket. Nothing doing in that over. 12:02 PM BST OVER 32: IND 127/2 (Jaiswal 73 Deep 32) Tongue begins an LBW appeal against Jaiswal, then stops as his brain registers that it was too high. After a frustrating, slightly ominous first hour for England, it's time for drinks. 11:57 AM BST OVER 31: IND 126/2 (Jaiswal 73 Deep 32) Deep works Overton for a single to reach the highest Test score of his fledgling career. Yesterday he put his arm round Ben Duckett; today he has hoofed the stand-in captain Ollie Pope up the trousers. 11:52 AM BST OVER 30: IND 121/2 (Jaiswal 71 Deep 29) Tongue has bowled pretty well this morning without recapturing the threat of yesterday evening. Deep pushes him through point for a couple to bring up a superb fifty partnership, one that he has dominated. The over ends with consecutive deliveries that straighten to beat Deep's outside edge. Nicely bowled. 11:48 AM BST OVER 29: IND 118/2 (Jaiswal 70 Deep 27) Jamie Overton replaces Atkinson and is steered over the slips for four by Jaiswal, a deliberate and high-class stroke. India's lead ticks up to 95, and England have problems. 11:43 AM BST Jaiswal could yet overtake Tendulkar Yashasvi Jaiswal is so dangerous because he is the only Indian specialist batsman (Rishabh Pant being a keeper/bat) who has hit top gear in this series. He can take the game away from England this morning. And as he has already passed 2000 Test runs, and is only 23, and India will play at least ten Tests every year, Jaiswal is probably the one batsman now playing who could overtake Joe Root if he overtakes Sachin Tendulkar as the highest Test run-scorer. 11:42 AM BST OVER 28: IND 113/2 (Jaiswal 65 Deep 27) Too straight from Tongue, allowing Deep to tickle the ball to fine leg for four. His innings is really hurting England. Increasingly it looks like the series will end as it began: with England chasing a huge target in the fourth innings. 11:39 AM BST OVER 27: IND 107/2 (Jaiswal 64 Deep 22) 11:36 AM BST OVER 26: IND 105/2 (Jaiswal 63 Deep 21) Akash Deep has two lives in two balls! First he survived an LBW review from a superb Tongue nipbacker, then he was shelled by the diving Crawley at third slip. That's the fourth dropped catch of the innings, a fairly straightforward one for a slipper of Crawley's quality. The LBW was an excellent bit of umpiring from Ahsan Raza. It looked plumb - Tongue barely appealed - but the ball came back a long way and would only have hit the outside of leg stump. That meant it was umpire's call, and Raza had given it not out on the field. 11:30 AM BST Deep making crucial contribution Already into the category of very annoying contribution - or very handy one, depending on your perspective - from Akash Deep. It's not just the 20 runs he's already scored; it's also that he is helping to shield Shubman Gill and co from the new ball. That could be crucial given how much easier has been against the old ball all series. 11:29 AM BST OVER 25: IND 105/2 (Jaiswal 63 Deep 21) Jaiswal, who played very aggressively last night, has been more controlled this morning. With the exception of one cut over the slips, he has dealt in sharp singles and the occasional two. Perhaps the plan is to see off the seamers and make hay when England are forced to turn to Bethell and/or Root. It helps that conditions look more friendly for batting today. 11:25 AM BST OVER 24: IND 102/2 (Jaiswal 61 Deep 19) I'm not sure I love England's logic here, relating to Bethell. No real problem with him being use an end swapper to start the day, but it did provide Deep with an opportunity to get his eye in against some slow stuff, which he's used nicely. If, though, Bethell was going to bowl this morning, why didn't he bowl last night in the fading light? 11:22 AM BST OVER 23: IND 101/2 (Jaiswal 61 Deep 19) Jaiswal thick edges Atkinson for two to bring up India's hundred. There hasn't been much movement for England this morning. The Oval pitch usually flattens out as the match progresses, so we might be in for one of those peculiar Tests in which the majority of runs are scored in the second innings. Christchurch 2002, aka Astle's Test, is the ultimate example. 11:17 AM BST OVER 22: IND 97/2 (Jaiswal 58 Deep 18) A touch of fortune for Jaiswal, who slices a cut off Tongue over the cordon for four. He was caught betwixt and between, whether to go hard or try to control the stroke. He did neither but got away with it. Deep gets a boundary to the same area, the difference being that he was in control of the stroke. This is an excellent start from India, who have added 22 in four overs. 11:12 AM BST OVER 21: IND 88/2 (Jaiswal 53 Deep 14) Akash Deep, a subscriber to the good time > long time approach of batting, drags Atkinson through midwicket for four. These are useful runs, especially as the manner of them - pretty much everything mowed into the leg side - will irritate England. 11:07 AM BST Australia will note Root's loss of temper England have been bullied this week. India turned up looking for a fight, starting with the row with the groundsman, and definitely set out to upset England, sensing they would be more vulnerable without Stokes. Australia must have noted how they ruffled Joe Root. 11:06 AM BST OVER 20: IND 82/2 (Jaiswal 52 Deep 10) As expected, that Bethell over was purely to allow a change of ends. Josh Tongue replaces Atkinson at the Vauxhall End, where he bowled so menacingly last night. A solid start from Tongue - just one delivery off line, and a bit of extra bounce that Jaiswal handles well. 11:03 AM BST OVER 19: IND 81/2 (Jaiswal 51 Deep 10) The nightwatchman Akash Deep heaves Bethell over midwicket for four, and why not. A not dissimilar heave next ball brings two more runs. Every little helps; India lead by 58. 11:00 AM BST Bethell to open the bowling England are going to open the bowling with... Jacob Bethell. That must be to facilitate a change of ends for Gus Atkinson, which would allow Josh Tongue to bowl from the same end as yesterday evening. 10:54 AM BST The big question: which Josh Tongue will turn up? Good morning from the Oval. One of those lovely days where it feels like anything could happen. England or India could win, or neither of them could win. Cutting analysis, I know. England bowled well last night, and created five chances plus a run out, but only took two of them. The big question this morning is which Josh Tongue turns up? 10:53 AM BST 'Win today and you'll win the Test match' 10:38 AM BST The mighty Mohammed Siraj talks to Sky Sports I love to play for my country. In my mind it's simple: I give everything for my country and the rest will follow. [On his superior record in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah] I love the responsibility. I miss Jasprit because he's the senior bowler and he set the example - I like that. But when he's not part of the game I embrace the pressure and responsibility of being the lead bowler. On a day like this I'll put my feet up, chill, relax and wait for my opportunity to bowl. I bat a lot in the nets so when I don't deliver in the middle I'm very disappointed. I feel like I've let the team down. [On his role in the needle in this series] I want to give everything for India whenever I'm on the park. When I go to bed at night I need to know I have given everything; that will give me a good night's sleep. [What's your favourite wicket of the series?] Jacob Bethell. What a plan! 10:08 AM BST England fold as India fight back on bad-tempered but captivating day It was a day to remember Graham Thorpe at the Oval and he would have relished the kind of full-blooded scrap that unfolded. England needed a player of his mettle too, one who could bind the middle order together, ignore the wind-up tactics and bat his team to a series-winning position. Instead England lost their grip on the game, folding from a strong position in their first innings then dropping three catches and missing a run-out as India built their lead in the evening light to 52. England are an impossible team to write off, and a low-scoring game can flip in an instant, but a man down because of Chris Woakes's dislocated shoulder will be a difficult handicap to overcome and the biggest series win of the Stokes-McCullum era could slip away on Saturday. Read more... 10:04 AM BST Prasidh Krishna: India planned to ruffle Joe Root Prasidh Krishna said India had a pre-conceived plan to ruffle Joe Root at the Oval, leading to a heated exchange between the pair. On a day of high drama and terse words, Krishna drew an unusually animated response from the normally composed Root after sledging the England batsman when he was on nought. Root, the world's top-ranked Test batsman, then hit Krishna for four, and returned a verbal volley. Read more... 10:03 AM BST Brittle England batsmen fail to grind out ugly runs Already, ahead of this winter's Ashes, this England team had been hailed as having their 'most imposing' batting line-up sent to tour Australia. Not any more they won't, not after they lost seven wickets in an afternoon session that was only slightly extended. India's seamers reacted well after they had been thoroughly trashed before lunch by Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett: they pitched the ball fuller and got more out of the pitch than England, as they have done for much of the summer, except when Ben Stokes has been bowling. Nevertheless, the image that England wanted to take to Australia, of being a 'most imposing' batting line-up, evaporated in the time it took for them to descend from 129 for one to 247 all out with the series on the line. Read more... 09:48 AM BST Good morning India are the team that won't die. Twice, on day four at Old Trafford and day two at The Oval, they went to lunch with the series apparently done and dusted. Two contrasting but equally defiant fightbacks – serene with the bat last weekend, bristling with the ball yesterday afternoon – have left them as slight favourites to claim a 2-2 draw in the series. That would be a fitting result at the end of such a tight series, but England won't be thinking like that. It's seven years since their last landmark series win at home, a 4-1 victory over Virat Kohli's India, and if they fail here the missed opportunity will gnaw at them going into the Ashes. England looked irritable at times on Friday, most notably when Prasidh Krishna's sledging got an unexpected rise out of Joe Root. 'That was the plan [to unsettle Root], but I didn't really expect the couple of words that I said to get such a big reaction from him,' said Krishna. 'It was a very small thing. I think it was just a competitive edge amongst us that was coming out. But I love the guy that he is, he's a legend of the game.' India will resume on 75 for 2, with the dangerous Yashasvi Jaiswal – who was dropped by Harry Brook and the substitute Liam Dawson – on 51 not out. The injury to Chris Woakes means England only have three specialist bowlers; that includes the struggling Jamie Overton, who admittedly harsh match figures of 21-1-88-0 are out of step with a seam-dominated contest. It's a big first hour, big first session, big whole day. By stumps, we may finally know which way this series is going to go. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
San Francisco Chronicle
15 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Celtics minority owner reaches deal to buy Connecticut Sun for record $325 million, AP source says
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — A group led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca has reached a deal to buy the Connecticut Sun for a record $325 million and move the team to Boston, according to a person familiar with the sale. The franchise wouldn't play in Boston until the 2027 season. Pagliuca also would contribute $100 million for a new practice facility in Boston for the team, the person said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Saturday because the deal hasn't been publicly announced. The sale is pending approval of the league and its Board of Governors. 'Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams,' the league said in a statement. The Sun have played regular season games at TD Garden the last two years, including one against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in July. The league has announced five expansion teams that will begin play over the next five seasons with Portland (2026), Toronto (2026), Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030) joining the WNBA. Each paid a then-record $250 million expansion fee. Nine other cities bid for expansion teams, including Houston, which the league singled out as getting a team in the future when it announced Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia in June. Boston did not. 'No groups from Boston applied for a team at that time and those other cities remain under consideration based on the extensive work they did as part of the expansion process and currently have priority over Boston. Celtics' prospective ownership team has also reached out to the league office and asked that Boston receive strong consideration for a WNBA franchise at the appropriate time.' The Boston Globe first reported the sale. The Sun are owned by the Mohegan Tribe, which runs the casino where the team has played since 2003. The Tribe bought the franchise for $10 million and relocated it from Orlando that year. The Connecticut franchise was the first in the league to be run by a non-NBA owner and also became the first to turn a profit. The WNBA has experienced rapid growth the last few seasons and ownership groups have been investing more into their teams, including player experiences. That has come in the way of practice facilities. The Sun are one of the few teams in the league that haven't announced any plans for a new training facility. Connecticut practices either at the arena in the casino or a local community center. Despite the lack of facilities, the Sun have been one of the most successful teams in the league, making the postseason in 16 seasons, including a run of six straight semifinal appearances. But the team was hit hard this offseason with the entire starting five from last season leaving either via free agency or trade. Connecticut is currently in last place in the WNBA at 5-21. The team sent out a letter to season ticket holders last week saying they'd still be playing at the casino next year. The last team to be sold in the WNBA was in 2021 when real estate investor Larry Gottesdiener led a group that bought the Atlanta Dream for under $10 million. A year earlier, Mark Davis paid roughly $2 million for the Las Vegas Aces.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kraken Veteran Forward Lands On Top 10 Worst Contract List
Seattle Kraken forward Chandler Stephenson appeared at No.3 on The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn's top 10 worst contracts list in 2025.
