TEST MATCH BREAKFAST: Ben Stokes sticks to his guns at the toss and the England star with an emotional tattoo

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Test Match Breakfast takes a look at some of the biggest issues around cricket during England's huge second Test against India at Edgbaston.
After the first day of the game, which saw India take control thanks to a fine century from captain Shubman Gill RICHARD GIBSON discusses a common theme at England tosses, why the players have been wearing black armbands and the umpire who is set to break a record.
Broad and Becks
Stuart Broad was ribbed by his Sky Sports commentary colleagues on his return to work on Wednesday, following a visit to Wimbledon earlier in the week featuring a fashion faux pas involving David Beckham.
Broad and Beckham were seated in the Royal Box on Monday wearing the same cream coloured jackets, leading co-commentator and Mail Sport columnist Nasser Hussain to ask: 'Who wore it better? You've copied him, haven't you!'
Broad, who was pictured alongside his partner Mollie King in the row behind football legend Beckham and ex-England manager Gareth Southgate, then revealed the sartorial clash was the least of his worries.
'Actually when he walked in to lunch he put his hand out to shake hands and he's had surgery, he's got a big plaster cast thing on his hand,' Broad said.
'It was a bit awkward because I was like 'how firm a handshake do I do here?' But ended up doing a sort of tappy handshake with him which was a little bit awkward!'
Meanwhile, Richard Thompson, the ECB chairman, missed the first day of the second Test in Birmingham to take up one of the Royal Box seats in SW19.
We'll have a bowl, please
Ben Stokes continued his trend of inserting the opposition whenever the coin lands his way on home soil.
Since taking over as England captain three years ago, he has done so on all but one occasion in home Tests.
The exception to this toss rule? Here in Birmingham two years ago when he batted first against Australia, declared eight wickets down in the first innings - and lost!
An emotional inking
Edgbaston Test matches have become emotional weeks for Chris Woakes following the death of his father Roger last year.
In addition to following the fortunes of his England all-rounder son, Woakes senior was an avid Warwickshire fan and regular at the ground.
Woakes, 36, was previously one of the England players without a tattoo, but that changed earlier this year when he had an image inked on his left arm in memory of his dad.
It is of a man in a flat cap, strolling with his arms behind his back, just as his dad did, pacing the boundary whenever he watched his matches as a youth.
Black armbands
England's players wore black armbands on day one in tribute to Wayne Larkins, who died last week aged 71.
Ex-Northamptonshire batsman Larkins had a reputation as a Bazballer ahead of his time, although it translated into just four 50-plus scores for his country in 49 innings, including a match-winning hundred against Australia in Hyderabad in 1989.
Bring out the measuring tape!
The boundary was on the smaller side at Edgbaston, potentially for tactical reasons given that India fielded two spinners and England like to be aggressive.
Midwicket and extra cover, areas in which sweeps both conventional and reverse might be struck, look particularly short distances from the batsmen.
But the measurements from the middle met the minimum standard as stated in Test match playing conditions that read: 'The aim shall be to maximize the size of the playing area at each venue. With respect to the size of the boundaries, no boundary shall be longer than 90 yards (82.29 meters), and no boundary should be shorter than 65 yards (59.43 metres) from the centre of the pitch to be used.'
Richard the record-breaker
Richard Kettleborough will break the record for most Tests umpired by an Englishman on Thursday when he stands in the second match of the series between West Indies and Australia.