Key events
James Wallace
“I feel for the Kiwi’s plight. Getting dragged on and off the pitch like a yoyo on amphetamines stops the batters being able to find their rhythm. It’ll be a pyrrhic victory. Best to postpone play til the morrow.”
You may well get your wish Aaron Davies. Still raining at Lord’s. I’m going to hand over to Daniel Gallan who will bring you soggy updates for the next few hours. Thanks for your company, goodbye.
The rain has really set in I’m afraid and the whole square is now being covered up.
Rain/bad light stop play – New Zealand 55-5
There’s a light rain in the air but the umpire’s seem to be twitchy about the light. Yep, they are taking them off. The rain is heavier now and the tarpaulin covers are being dragged on to supplement the hover cover. This might be a slightly longer delay I’m afraid.
21st over: New Zealand 55-5 (Conway 19, Blundell 2) Josh Tongue really does look horrible to face. He charges in and whangs the ball into the wicket back of a length, the ball spitting and jagging off the surface. Blundell drop and runs into the off side like a man who is particularly keen to get off strike.
20th over: New Zealand 54-5 (Conway 19, Blundell 1) Tom Blundell joins Conway in the middle of a gloomy Lord’s. Robinson has his dander well and truly up, every ball brings an oooh and an aaaah from the crowd and even from a few grizzled hacks in the press box.
Blundell shuffles across and nudges a single to the leg side, he’s off the mark.
WICKET! Daryl Mitchell lbw b Robinson 0 (New Zealand 54-5)
Jamie Smith is stood up the stumps to Robinson. The mind wanders back to the Ashes series just go… GONE! Robinson pins Mitchell in front and the umpire raises the finger. This looks out on first look but Mitchell sends it upstairs. Clipping leg! The batter has to go but it wasn’t as clear cut as it looked in real time, New Zealand retain their review as it is Umpire’s call. Every cloud… England well on top, they might wrap this up today if they get enough play between rain squalls.
19th over: New Zealand 53-4 (Conway 19, Mitchell 0) The crowd coo as they see the Robinson wicket delivery replayed on the big screen. Josh Tongue hustles in from the Pavilion End, back of a length and sharp bounce to Conway who he has hopping on the crease. Brilliant over from Tongue, hostile and accurate, Conway does well to survive. A maiden.
WICKET! Rachin Ravindra b Robinson 8 (New Zealand 53-4)
Robinson resumes from the Nursery End, Ravindra plays with soft hands to guide down past gully for a couple. He’s beaten next delivery by a a ball outside off that seems to shoot through a bit low. I think you are just happy if those aren’t straight. Loud groans around Lord’s as Ravindra plays and misses at the next ball. Robinson strays onto the pads and is clipped away for another couple. One ball left in the over…
BOWLED HIM! That is a peach from Ollie Robinson, 81mph and nipping just enough up the slope to beat the forward defence and knock the off bail out of it’s groove. England get their first wicket of the day and Rachin Ravindra’s miserable match is over.
18th over: New Zealand 53-4 (Conway 19)
Good news! The rain has passed over for now and the hover comes off to a loud cheer. Back come the players.
17th over: New Zealand 49-3 (Conway 19, Ravindra 4) Time for Josh Tongue. He starts over the wicket with three slips in place. Shot! Ravindra gets off the mark with a handsome drive through cover off a full ball. Tongue draws his length back a bit and there’s just a leg bye off the rest of the over.
Bad news, it is raining again. Argh!
16th over: New Zealand 44-3 (Conway 19, Ravindra 0) A maiden from Atkinson to Conway. Ben Stokes has a short leg in position, it’s newbie Emilio Gay under the lid at Boot Hill.
Nasser Hussain has been talking about lunch fiasco on Sky:
“The sunniest part of the day, everybody was having lunch. When the weather was good, we were eating and then when the weather’s bad we’re trying to play cricket. That can’t make sense.”
15th over: New Zealand 44-3 (Conway 19, Ravindra 0) Ollie Robinson probing away under lights, these are very tricky batting conditions. Conway is squared up but manages to squirt a single into the off side.
Play Resumes (for now)
14th over: New Zealand 43-3 (Conway 18, Ravindra 0) Devon Conway flashes at the the very first ball back off Gus Atkinson, it is in the air but flies in the gap past gully for four. Conway is a dangerous player if he gets in, New Zealand just need a couple of their batters to get a decent score – the target is 210 runs, partnerships are crucial.
It might be one of those afternoons folks. Here come the players again after the squally shower has passed. The clouds behind the Pavilion don’t look too promising but we might get a bit more play in here in a moment or two.
Rain Stops Play – New Zealand 37-3
Sure enough the rain arrives and the players scuttle from the pitch. Boos ring around Lord’s. You understand the frustration from the crowd, they’ve just spent an hour looking at an empty pitch with clear skies and pockets of blue above. The players were taking lunch during that time.
I don’t think many of them will share this sentiment from Andy Bowles:
“Imagine you’d spent the morning lovingly preparing lunch for 22 people, carefully timed so as to be ready at 12:30. If they suddenly announced that they were going outside to play with a bat and ball, leaving the food to spoil, wouldn’t you be fairly annoyed? I think the Lord’s catering staff are entitled to as much consideration as anyone else.”
I’m afraid I can’t get on board with this either, this is international sport not a village fête… but each to their own.
13th over: New Zealand 37-3 (Conway 13, Ravindra 0) Ollie Robinson from the Pavilion End. He looks dangerous immediately, jagging one back to Conway off the pitch. New Zealand then get their first run with a Conway glide pas point. Ooooft! That’s a vicious ball! Angled in to Ravindra and moving late, the batter drawn into the shot and lucky not to take the edge. The clouds are building up over the back of Lord’s, we might not be on for much longer here….
12th over: New Zealand 36-3 (Conway 12, Ravindra 0) Atkinson steams in to bowl the first ball of the day and the final one of his over after pocketing O’Rourke with a beautiful delivery in the last act of yesterday’s play. It’s a good ball, on a length, pulling Ravindra forward to defend. The crowd applaud with relief as much as anything, they’ve seen some cricket at last!
Here come the players! The crowd cheer as the hover cover is sent on its way and Ben Stokes leads out his men. Jerusalem blurts out across the tannoy (brand name). Gus Atkinson has the ball in hand from the Nursery End. Rachin Ravindra is on strike. Watery sunshine and a light breeze. Let’s play!
The good news is it isn’t raining at Lord’s, yet. So there is still hope of cricket breaking out at 1pm. Stay tuned!
I just bumped into the mighty Jeremy Coney in the lunch queue – roast lamb and a truly massive mushroom are the main meal options, if you’re asking. Oh, you weren’t.
Some eeejit spoke to Coney this week about that first famous New Zealand Test victory on English soil forty years ago. To say he was on good form would be putting it lightly.
“Before we judge them for having lunch, can we see what’s on the menu?” asks Ed Smyth. “I’d understand keeping a crowd waiting for something like a really good lasagna.”
Now, this might be TMI but yesterday afternoon in the Lord’s media centre I had a really bad case of what can only be described as smoked trout reflux. What do you mean I’ve lost touch with my roots?
Brian Draper is having “A spiritual moment. An epiphany.”
“In my late teens, I journeyed, wide-eyed with excitement, from rural Kent to watch Middlesex play an Australia XI. My first time at the Home of Cricket. The skies were bruised, however, and the covers never came off. A day of wandering and wondering if play would ever start. My sole memory is of watching the moustachioed David Boon face a few balls in the nets. Upon finishing, I asked him for his autograph. He said, “No.” I realise I’m still carrying this. Today, I let it go.”
I’m in bits over here, Bri.
“Loving the OBO on a rainy morning as always, but currently sitting at Lord’s bewildered at the sight of cricket hating itself and its fans yet again.”
James Murray is not amused at Lord’s right now.
”The covers are finally off, the sun is shining, the satellites tell us more rain is coming and yet there will be no play for another hour while an early lunch is taken. Meanwhile, 30,000 paying fans sit and twiddle their thumbs/drown their sorrows. A truly laughable decision.”
Hmmm, it is bright sunshine at Lord’s now, the stumps are in position and the crease lines are being given a fresh lick. However, it’s just been announced that the players are taking an early lunch and IF no further rain we will have play at 1pm. Why couldn’t they delay lunch and get out there right now whilst there is a sunny gap in the weather I hear you ask. It is a good question.
“I expect this was known to everyone apart from me until today, but here goes: I was today years old when I found out Russell Crowe is a cousin of Martin and Jeff. What a family!” writes Suhmit Rahman
“I saw a clip of Russell trying to explain cricket to Joe Rogan. We know about lots of cricketing families but are there other examples of top class cricketers who are close family with people at the top of other parts of the entertainment world? I’m guessing Zak Crawley and Hugh Grant share some genes.”
I don’t think Foxy and Elton are related but my mind goes immediately to this:
“There’s been loads of chat – rightly – about this Lord’s pitch and how it’s not up to the mark” emails Guy Hornsby.
“I’d agree that we should expect a better strip, and I don’t think it’s that different in match outcome then the MCG (where I was present for Day 1). I think it’s the variable bounce that’s worse. But arguably both sides have bowled better and batted better (way better) than Melbourne too.
It’ll be a big loss for Lords’ coffers, but then they’ve got three Tests this summer, which is disgraceful really. Either the ECB wants cricket to be for all, or they don’t. But let’s not pretend that two men’s and one women’s Test out of seven is anything but completely unequal.”
The weather is teasing us at Lord’s, a heavy cloak of drizzle relenting into watery sunshine and then back again.
Gregg Bee is in provocative mood it seems:
“While the suits are twiddling their thumbs at HQ today, maybe someone can get that WACA practice match booked for November 2029? No time like the present!”
Gregg…
Thanks to Peter Haining for overseas TMS link furnishing:
Of course India have called up The Six Hitting Kid:
There is a milling of groundstaff at Lord’s, for a moment it looked like they were taking the outer covers off but they’ve actually just paused for a moment to see if the rain stays away. We won’t have any play for a while but things are looking a bit more promising than the radar suggested this morning. Keep the faith!
Can I just stop you… the sun has come out at Lord’s!
It’s mizzling at Lord’s currently. A few minutes ago I spied Emilio Gay signing autographs and posing for selfies with a group of fans as he headed to have a net in the indoor school. He spoke really well after play last night and Andy Bull wrote a lovely piece about his fifty.
Preamble
James Wallace
Was there anything more soul-sappingly disappointing as a child than flicking on the television on a Saturday morning fully expecting to luxuriate in a day of Test cricket watching only to be met with the sight of gun metal skies, drizzle and full covers stretched across the outfield. Urgh.
Welcome to the third day of the first Test from Lord’s. I’m afraid to say that it is a wet one, folks. The good news is that the weather is much better tomorrow and so we should see a result in this match but today’s prospects are gloomier, with a high percentage chance of rain through most of the day.
The match has progressed at a rapid rate due to skilful bowling on both sides in helpful conditions on a pitch that contains the dual threat of unexpected lift off a length and also scudding ankle height balls that are nigh on impossible to keep out.
Just ask Jacob Bethell, he was done by an absolute worm burner courtesy of Matt Henry. It’s fair to say young Jacob got a good/bad one. Test Match Special’s Andy Zaltzman confirming as much by revealing (somehow) that of all the balls bowled in Test cricket in England in the past 20 years that have pitched between nine and ten metres from the stumps – NONE had bounced LESS than Henry’s ball to shoot out Bethell. It was only the 96th over of the match.
Still, the batting on display hasn’t been vintage, Harry Brook and Kyle Jamieson’s biffing in the first innings resulted in vital contributions for each side and Test debutant Emilio Gay played nicely and showed resilience in scoring his a maiden half century yesterday.
England are on top having pocketed three wickets before the close yesterday but New Zealand are only one decent partnership away from making things interesting, they need 218 more with Devon Conway and Ravindra Ravindra at the crease and Darly Mitchell, Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips still to come.
Fingers crossed we see some action on day three. I’ll keep you informed on any updates as we get them, in the meantime, please do get in touch with your rainy day thoughts and theories. I reckon we’ll need them to keep this OBO afloat.