TEST MATCH BREAKFAST: The Ashes legend in the Sky Sports commentary booth and why one of England's squad is back playing for his county this week

Daily Mail​

24-07-2025

Test Match Breakfast takes a look at some of the biggest issues around cricket during England's huge fourth Test against India at Old Trafford.
Ahead of day two of the crunch fourth game of the five-match series, RICHARD GIBSON discusses who Lancashire blamed for the early empty seats, the Australia legend in the commentary box and the series star who is back playing for his county.
Pointing the finger
Lancashire blamed fans for turning up late after thousands were left queuing as play got under way on the first morning.
Lines of people were snaking down Brian Statham Way and onto Talbot Road when play began at 11am, with ticket holders taking to social media to vent their frustration.
'If you're wondering why there's gaps in the stands at Emirates Old Trafford,' the Barmy Army posted on X, attaching a photograph of the throng in the streets.
Lancashire responded with a statement, saying: 'We are aware that some supporters experienced queues getting into Emirates Old Trafford this morning, which we apologise for.
'We saw nearly 9,000 supporters arrive at the ground very late despite encouraging early arrival, with all bags subject to searches on entry.
'The club will be looking at increasing the number of gates for the rest of the Test match.
'We strongly encourage ticket buyers to only bring bags if required, and if doing so to arrive as early as possible. Gates will be open at 9am for the rest of the game.'
The first four days of the penultimate game of the Rothesay Series are 21,500 sell-outs, but huge expanses of empty seats remained in the temporary stand into the afternoon session.
One supporter blasted the 'shameful scenes,' comparing it to the two minutes it took him to get into Lord's last week.
Social media user PitchedOutsideLeg added: 'Arrived Old Trafford 09:45. Still way back in huge queue moving slower than a snail's pace. Have paid over £100 for ticket. Several breweries in and around Stretford and Salford nearby. Hopefully whoever has orchestrated this hasn't also organised drinks there later.'
The Australian at Old Trafford
Ricky Ponting has joined the Sky Sports commentary team for this match, returning to the scene of one of his finest Test innings in the process.
Ponting's rearguard, fourth-innings hundred in Manchester staved off defeat in the third match of the iconic 2005 Ashes.
Although Australia 's captain was dismissed during a tense finale, last-wicket pair Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee negotiated the final 17 minutes, sparking unprecedented celebrations on the balcony of the away dressing room.
The draw sent England and Australia to Trent Bridge with the series deadlocked at 1-1.
Reliving 2005
The 20th anniversary of England's historic victory over Ponting's Australians has been commemorated with a special radio production by the BBC.
A collaboration between the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and Test Match Special is available to download from BBC Sounds and will be broadcast in full on Radio 5 Live at 8pm on Thursday night.
The 2005 Ashes: Settling the Score combines archive commentary, storytelling and classical music to soundtrack cricket's most famous summer this century.
Producer Tim Peach said the hour-long programme - narrated by actor Charles Dance, and including works by Prokofiev, Bizet and Mendelssohn - presented a challenge. 'How do you tell a story that is so well known to our audience in a different way?'
Back to the day job
Josh Tongue was dispatched to play for County Championship title challengers Nottinghamshire against Hampshire at Southampton just before the start.
Tongue, 27, featured in the first two Tests of the Anderson-Tendulkar series, but has been surplus to requirements both at Lord's and here, and will be subbed into the Division One encounter at the start of the third day.
Linking up with his county colleagues required a four-hour drive for the fast bowler.
Not as arduous a journey as faced by Yorkshire's Will Luxton earlier this week. Sent to play for a county select XI after being omitted from Yorkshire's plans to face Surrey, Luxton was then summoned from Beckenham to Scarborough at 7pm the night before the game because of a delay to Pakistan international Imam-ul-Haq's visa.
The former England Under-19 batsman did not arrive on the east coast until the early hours, but made light of any fatigue by hitting a season's best 71 off champions Surrey that afternoon after Imam was denied a debut due to a lack of a paperwork.
The giant party stand
Old Trafford's party stand is big enough to house Test cricketers of all nations and both sexes twice over.
For the record, the 71-row temporary structure can seat around 8,000 people while the combined men and women's Test player totals is yet to hit the 4,000 mark.
Ringing the bell
Neil Fairbrother manages the affairs of a number of England cricketers including captain Ben Stokes and the world's No 1 batsman Joe Root.
However, it is for his feats as one of Lancashire's best ever players - no one has appeared for the club in more Lord's finals - that Fairbrother has been asked to ring the five-minute bell on the second morning.