
Fiery rivalry turned Lord's Test into brilliant box office – I can't wait for the sequel
For England, Liam Dawson returns after an eight-year Test absence. I was involved with the side when he was picked and played in 2016 – he was a good cricketer then, and is a better one now. He is recognised as the best all-round spinning option in the country and my view is that England are stronger with him. Shoaib Bashir has great potential and seems to be making good strides forward as a young spin bowler, but in his place comes a vastly experienced 35-year-old who has played all formats and all round the world, has 18 first-class hundreds to his name and is clearly a better all-round package.
My preference as a captain was always to have a left-arm spinner in the lineup, and at Middlesex I was lucky to play with Phil Tufnell, who was as good as they came. As a match wears on they are able to take advantage of the rough to left-handed batters, and have the option of bowling over the wicket to right-handers – as we've seen Ravindra Jadeja do in this series – landing the ball just outside leg stump, an unusual trajectory that leaves some batters unsure what to play and what to leave. Ben Stokes can be confident as captain that if he throws the ball to Dawson on day one or day five, he has the experience and the knowhow to set fields accordingly and play his part as a key member of the bowling unit.
India may also have a fresh left-arm spinning option if, as rumoured, Kuldeep Yadav comes into the side in Manchester. Traditionally the Old Trafford surface tends to be dry and abrasive, and to turn as the game goes on. If ever there was a pitch where it would make sense for Kuldeep to come in, this would be it. One down with two to play, they have to go for broke at Old Trafford, which means Jasprit Bumrah will make his third and possibly final appearance of the series – and they also have to respond to the knee injury that has ruled Nitish Kumar Reddy out of the remainder of the series, decide whether Karun Nair has done enough to keep his place, and assess whether Rishabh Pant has recovered fully from the hand injury that prevented him keeping wicket at Lord's.
The rivalry between the sides ramped up a gear during the last game, with some angry scenes breaking out towards the end of day three as a result of Zak Crawley's rather crass time-wasting. Batters at the end of a long day are always prone to pulling away or tying up a shoelace but this was particularly poor and it really exposed the umpires, who throughout the match seemed most intent on keeping quiet and not getting involved. On the Saturday, I watched England bowl for an hour, by the end of which they were four overs behind the rate, at which point they had the most leisurely drinks break. It seemed to take for ever as the players milled around, had a chat, sat down for a bit. There was no urgency at all and the umpires just let it carry on.
Many people would say Crawley was just being professional, doing whatever it took to help his side, and if the umpires weren't bothered then carry on. But I thought he pushed things too far and what can happen then, and did happen, is the opposition taking umbrage and discipline started breaking down. Shubman Gill, the India captain, got quite animated and to be honest I didn't know he had that in him.
Importantly he was backed up by the rest of his players – it is in moments such as this that you see how together a team are. While I was not a fan of what happened, Gill saw his team were right there with him and showed real togetherness. It reminded me a bit of an incident in 1998 when England were playing South Africa at Lord's: Dean Headley was told to bowl short at Allan Donald and did so with pace and aggression, but then when his turn came to bat the whole South Africa team ran from wherever they were around the field to surround him as he walked out and give him plenty to think about. It showed everyone that they were a team – if you attack one of us, you attack all of us.
Sign up to The Spin
Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action
after newsletter promotion
Mohammed Siraj was fined for his reaction to the dismissal of Ben Duckett the following morning. Siraj is a big character, a wholehearted player, and even without Crawley's time-wasting his emotions would have been charged by being part of a really testing new-ball battle against two England openers who try to play shots, get on top and dominate. So when he got Duckett out there was a release of that emotion, and obviously he said a few things.
I'm not a fan of bowlers getting up in someone's face after a wicket – they've got the batter out, they've won the battle, well done, move on – and even the slightest physical contact is a massive no-no. To me, Siraj got too close to Duckett. But at the same time we have to understand these are human beings who are playing for their countries, and it means a lot to them. It would be much worse for there to be no reaction because it doesn't mean much. Imperfect as they were, moments such as this helped to turn the third Test into brilliant box office, and I can't wait for the sequel.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


ITV News
22 minutes ago
- ITV News
Chloe Kelly on celebration
England match winner Chloe Kelly explained her celebration after tapping in a rebound from her saved penalty against Italy in the Euro 2025 semi-final!


The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
India face anxious wait over scan results on Rishabh Pant's right foot
India are anxiously awaiting the results of scans on Rishabh Pant's right foot that could have considerable 'consequences' on the fourth Rothesay Test against England. Pant brought trademark chaos after India had slipped from 94 without loss to 140 for three at Emirates Old Trafford, slog sweeping Jofra Archer for four and belting Brydon Carse for a straight six. But he inside-edged a reverse sweep off Chris Woakes' yorker flush on to his boot, which he removed to reveal a foot that became increasingly swollen and bruised as he received lengthy treatment. Pant, who has made 462 runs at 77 in this series, retired hurt on 37 and was taken off the field in agony on a golf buggy, leaving his availability for the rest of the Test in major doubt. He went for scans and Sai Sudharsan, who top-scored with 61 in India's 264 for four and was at the other end when Pant was injured, admitted the tourists are waiting with baited breath on the outcome. 'He was in a lot of pain,' Sudharsan said. 'He's gone for scans and we'll get to know overnight. 'He was batting really well here. We miss a batter if he doesn't come back again, so it would definitely have consequences. We'll try to give our best and bat long so that we negotiate that loss.' England spinner Liam Dawson, who marked his first Test appearance in eight years by taking the prize wicket of India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for 58, believes Pant's situation is bleak. 'Our thoughts are with him, it didn't look a great injury so I hope he's alright,' Dawson said. 'He's obviously a very good player but I can't see him taking much more part in this game.' Dawson admitted he thought his hopes of an England recall had vanished before Shoaib Bashir's Test summer was ended by a finger injury he sustained in last week's nail-biting win at Lord's. The 35-year-old claimed figures of one for 45 from 15 overs, having Jaiswal caught at slip for his first Test wicket in 2,929 days since dismissing ex-South Africa batter Hashim Amla at Trent Bridge. 'I've said to a few people that the age I'm at, I thought Test cricket was gone,' Dawson said. 'To be back involved is really cool and I've got to try and enjoy each day that I get. 'I do feel I'm a better bowler than what I was a few years ago. I was nervous. I'd not played for a number of years. The biggest thing for me is I understood what to expect whereas before, I didn't. 'Hopefully I'll get a couple more. It's one wicket, I've done nothing special.' However, Ashes 2005-winning captain Michael Vaughan has seen enough to convince him Dawson, rather than Bashir, should be England's frontline spinner for this winter's blockbuster Ashes series in Australia. It is Dawson's all-round abilities – he has more than 10,000 first-class runs with 18 hundreds and is regarded as a fine fielder – that makes him such an attractive option for Vaughan. 'He is a good cricketer,' Vaughan told the BBC'S Test Match Special. 'He has been around the blocks. He knows his game. You could see that from the first ball he bowled. 'I think England are a better team with him in the side. On the pitches we are seeing in the UK and potentially Australia, I want to see a batting line-up that is absolutely packed. 'He has the all-round package and for this England side, and going forward to Australia, they are stronger with this style of cricketer in it.'


The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Liverpool secure signing of sought-after French forward
Liverpool have completed the signing of French forward Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for an initial fee of £69m, potentially rising to £79m. The 23-year-old has signed a six-year contract at Anfield after successfully passing his medical. Liverpool secured Ekitike despite late interest from Manchester United and a rejected £70m bid from Newcastle United. The club views Ekitike as a multi-functional forward with the potential to become one of the world's best, comparing his talent to Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé. This transfer marks Liverpool's fourth major summer signing, bringing their total spending to £250m, with potential add-ons increasing it to £300m.