Contents
Key events:
DOT and DOT – Jordan spears in two yorkers. Surely that’s the game gone for India?
Just a single from a full ball from Jordan… 5 balls to go, 20 needed.
19th over: India 195-7 (Patel 5, Avesh 0) Harshal gets a short ball away for four! Hoicked over the leg-side. Chris Jordan will bowl the final over and India need 21 runs from it.
WICKET! Yadav ct Salt b Ali 117 (India 191-7)
That’s the BIG wicket! Yadav’s awesome knockj comes to an end – he’s caught by Salt in the deep. Seven balls to go… India need 25.
Yowzers! Yadav chops Ali for four over third and then clobbers him over long-on for six. Ali feels the pressure and chucks down a couple of wides… Yadav plays an AMAZING off-side helicopter drive through backward point for four more! England will have to have an extra fielder up in the final over for going over their time allowance in the penultimate over.
18th over: India 175-6 (Yadav 103 , Patel 1) Excellent from Gleeson who shows off his death bowling chops. He finishes with 1-31 from his set of four. 41 needed from 12 balls. Moeen Ali coming on to bowl…
WICKET! Jadeja lbw b Gleeson 7 (India 173-6)
Gleeson starts with a dot but then serves up a full toss that Jadeja gladly bunts down the ground for Six! Next up it is a yorker and Jadeja is gone! It hit him on the full and was knocking out all three stumps.
WICKET! Karthik lbw b Willey 6
Given out on review, Willey rolls his fingers on a cutter that pitches just in line and was ripping out leg stump. Jadeja is the new man and he plays a huge hack to his first ball that results in a single off an inside edge. Three overs to go. Gleeson is given the nod…
17th over: India 167-5 (Yadav 102 , Jadeja 1)
100 for Yadav!
Willey is laced for four by DK. A single then brings Yadav onto strike, he’s on 97 and has played a simply incredible innings here. THERE IT IS – 100 to Suryakumar Yadav! One of the best T20 hundreds you’ll ever see. He brings it up with a one handed glide to the vacant third boundary. Yadav went from 50 to 1oo in just 16 balls and has single-handedly kept India in this match.
16th over: India 155-3 (Yadav 97, Karthik 1) Is that a match-winning over from Reece Topley? He takes a wicket and sends down three dots to new batter Karthik. A single to third gets DK off the mark. Yadav has one ball in the over… and he guides it away over point for four. Topley finishes with 3-22 off his four overs. Top, top effort Toppers.
WICKET! Iyer ct Buttler b Topley (India 150-4)
Slower ball bouncer is gloved to Buttler and Topley has his third. Dinesh Karthik the new man. Game on!
15th over: India 150-3 (Yadav 87, Iyer 28) Jordan is called back into the attack and England need a breakthrough. They don’t get it. Yadav sweeps for four from outside off and then drives a yorker away through the covers for another boundary. Oh me oh MY! That is an unbelieeeeevable shot from Yadav – he digs out a yorker with a snap of the wrists and the ball laces away for a SIX! He goes onto 93, India take 18 runs off the over.
14th over: India 132-3 (Yadav 78, Iyer 26) Gleeson starts with a dot which brings Yadav onto strike… the batter plays an extraordinary stroke! Opening the face on an extra cover drive that flies away for six runs! A slower ball from the 34 year old rookie is sent for four down to fine leg, a couple off the last ball make it 15 from the over. Job done for India off that over.
13th over: India 117-3 (Yadav 65, Iyer 25) Livingstone is back on and India are remorseless against the spin. His first ball goes for SIX! Yadav scooping a sweep away to leg. A single brings Iyer on to strike and he gets in on the action with a hop and a skip down the ground that goes for another maximum. Livingstone oversteps and the FREE HIT IS SMITED FOR SIX BY YADAV. 21 off the over.
India need 99 runs off 42 balls. Richard Gleeson is given the nod by Buttler for the next over.
12th over: India 96-3 (Yadav 52, Iyer 17) FIFTY for Yadav! He’s keeping India in the hunt here. Topley comes back and bowls a tight over, hitting a back of a length and throwing in a few slower balls for good measure. Terrific stuff from Toppers, just five runs taken from his over.
11th over: India 91-3 (Yadav 49, Iyer 15) Jos Buttler turns to Chris Jordan and pace on the ball after his spin options have been quite easily milked. Jordan bustles in, keeps it full and keeps it tight with a couple of singles and a two before Yadav plays a remarkable lofted drive for four, the batter shuffling in his crease and kicking his legs out like a tiller girl on impact. Incredible.
10th over: India 80-3 (Yadav 41, Iyer 14) Moeen Ali sends down an over of… all sorts. Iyer pings him to long-on for a couple before a full toss is sent high and long for SIX. Moeen spears one wide of the tramlines and it is given as a wide. He’s trying to bowl to his field and hang it well outside off stump. 11 runs taken easily from the over.
After ten overs Eng were 86-3. India are 82-3. Nowt in it.
9th over: India 71-3 (Yadav 40, Iyer 5) Livingstone is carved away by Yadav off his first ball and drops short with his third to gift Yadav an easy pull for four. A lovely shot over long-on brings another four and a scampered two off the final ball sees 15 taken off the over. Good response from India.
8th over: India 56-3 (Yadav 26, Iyer 5) Chris Jordan comes into the attack and despite a sumptuous four by Yadav over extra cover he goes for just six runs. The run rate for India is up to 13. Gulp.
7th over: India 49-3 (Yadav 20, Iyer 4) Willey continues and Yadav leans on a drive for four off the first ball before nonchalantly dropping to his haunches and flicking away over leg for SIX. Sparky running from these two batters and 15 runs are picked off from the over.
6th over: India 34-3 (Yadav 8, Iyer 1) Gleeson is impressive, hitting a bail-trimming length and going for just three singles.
WICKET! Sharma ct Salt b Topley 11 (India 31-3)
Rohit skips down and plops Topley for four over extra cover and then plays an incredible one-handed pull shot that goes for a one bounce four. Sharma allows himself a cheshire cat grin after that one. Topley responds well with a slower ball… and another slower ball is hit straight down Phil Salt’s throat on the mid-wicket fence! Sharma can’t believe what he’s done. England bossing this game at the moment.
5th over: India 31-3 (Yadav 7, Iyer 0)
4th over: India 20-2 (Rohit 2, Yadav 6) Gleeson lands it on a pocket square, he bends his back on the fourth ball of the over and beats Yadav for pace. A full bunger off the last ball is driven through cover for four. Hsssssss the pressure relents a little with the boundary.
3rd over: India 14-2 (Sharma 1, Yadav 1) India in trouble here, Suryakumar Yadav joins skipper Sharma with plenty to do. Gleeson is coming on for a bowl.
WICKET! Kohli ct Roy b Willey 11 (India 13-2)
Willey to continue, a dot is followed by an audacious helicopter-flick through mid-wicket for four! WOWZER! Hold the pose! Kohli nails a straight drive flat for SIX! BUT HE IS GONE NEXT BALL! Swatting a back of a length ball to Jason Roy in the covers who takes a sharp chance. Kohli has to drag himself from the crease.
2nd over: India 3-1 (Rohit 1, Kohli 1) Good start from the be-mulleted Topley. He hits Rohit’s splice and breaks the ‘Hitman’s’ bat. He calls for a spare blade. Sharp start for England. They look up for this.
WICKET! Topley strikes with his first ball, not sure if it is caught behind or lbw???
Pant takes too long to call for a review either way and has to go. Hot spot eventually shows a spike so it is caught behind in the book. After all that, Virat Kohli comes to the crease. India 2-1.
1st over: India 2-0 (Sharma 1, Pant 1) Willey gets some swing and he is miserly to begin with. Just a single each to Pant and Sharma. Reece Topley will share the new ball at t’other end. Two lefties up top for England.
Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma it is to open for India, not Kohli as reported before. David Willey has the ball – PLAY!
England finish on 215-7
A wide from Malik kicks off the final over. Livingstone picks up a brace of twos after a brief pause whist a lady is told to stop fanning herself behind the bowler’s arm as it is putting Livingstone off. “He must have eyes like a hawk” comments Athers on the TV coverage. A leg-bye brings Jordan on to strike… he plays a one handed drive that spawns away off the inside edge for four. SIX! Jordan steps away and muscles the next ball over extra-cover. One ball to go… Jordan pulls it into the deep and tries to come back for two but is run out by a yard. Jadeja the man with the missile-arm in the deep.
Livingstone finishes not out on 42 from 29 balls.
England have set India 216 to win. Feels about par I’d say. Back soon with the chase. Time for a glass of something cold and a check of the score over at Wimbers. Catch you in a few.
WICKET! Brook ct Bishnoi b Patel 19 (England 198-6)
DROP by Virat in the deep! The crowd give him all sorts of stick. Harry Brook picks up two to, yep you guessed it – Kohli in the deep – cue more jeers and cheers from the Trent Bridge crowd. SHOT! Brook breaks his wrists on a full ball that lasers over extra-cover for four. He has to go next ball though as he doesn’t get hold of a pull and Bishnoi takes a good catch in the deep. Decent cameo from Brook. Chris Jordan is the new batter for the last over.
19th over: England 152-3 (Malan 77 , Livingstone 29)
18th over: England 190-5 (Livingstone 36, Brook 13) Cheeky from Brook! A powerful pull for four is followed by a dainty reverse-dab for another four. It is a front foot no-ball too so a FREE HIT. Brook is caught in the deep but no mither and he picks up two more. Avesh serves up a wide half volley that Livingstone lofts over the off-side for SIX! Avesh finishes with a slower ball that flummoxes Livingstone and finishes with 1-43. Two overs to go…
17th over: England 169-5 (Livingstone 30, Brook 0) Harry Brook is the new man. Bishnoi bowls out and has 2-30 off his four overs.
DOUBLE WICKET! Malan ct Pant b Bishnoi 77 AND Moeen Ali ct Patel b Bishnoi (England 169-5)
Bishnoi to bowl out. He has 0-29 from his three so far. A dot and a single before Malan has a huge hoick that goes straight up in the air and is simply caught by Pant.
Livingstone cloths a pull to bring Moeen on to strike and he slices a full ball to point to perish first ball! Game changing over from Bishnoi?
16th over: England 152-3 (Malan 77 , Livingstone 29) Harshal begins his third over, Livi runs two off a mis-timed pull before he is beaten by another dipping slower ball. Next ball he showcases his rubbery wrists with a flick for SIX! And another! Even bigger this time, the ball sails over the Sky pod and out of the ground! The ball is lost so the briefcase is called for. Pace off definitely seems the way to go as a slower bouncer deceives Livingstone. 15 runs off the over.
15th over: England 152-3 (Malan 77, Livingstone 15) The run rate is up over ten an over but England will want as many as they can get on this wicket. Jadeja continues and Malan goes straight and BIG – down the ground for six. A single down the ground brings up England’s 150. Jadeja whirls two past Livingstone before getting out of the over with a single.
14th over: England 142-3 (Malan 70, Livingstone 13) Avesh Khan is on to bowl, his first ball is moosed by Livingstone into the crowd. Length ball and blasted away over the leg-side. Good response from Avesh, a yorker keeps Livingstone honest. Malan edges a full ball away over third for another couple before hitting a low full toss for SIX to finish the over.
13th over: England 125-3 (Malan 62, Livingstone 4) An off drive off Malik brings Malan his FIFTY, he has 51 off 30 balls. England will want him to motor now with plenty of batters champing at the bit in the hutch. Thwack! Four over wide-mid on and then… SHOT! An 89mph ball from Malik is launched over extra-cover for SIX. That was a remarkable shot. Seven overs to go.
12th over: England 111-3 (Malan 49, Livingstone 3) Four followed by SIX! A crisp drive along the floor is followed by a clip over mid-wicket for a maximum. Livingstone is still dealing in singles to bring Dawid back on strike – he’s on 48 off 26 balls. He goes to 49 and keeps strike again with a push to mid-on.
11th over: England 98-3 (Malan 26, Livingstone 2) Bishnoi beats Malan with a couple of spitting googlies first up in the over. Malan then goes right across his stumps and sweeps for four, it’s a no-ball too so a free-hit is signalled. The left-hander tries to over hit the freebie and just gets a single. Three off the last ball over deep-extra means Malan keeps the strike to Jadeja.
10th over: England 86-3 (Malan 27, Livingstone 1) Halfway through the innings and you feel England are slightly short. Liam Livingstone enters the fray and is off the mark with a clip off his pads for a single.
WICKET! Salt b Patel 8 (England 84-3)
Slower ball from Harshal that dips like a maple copter and deceives Salt who has a huge swish of fresh air before hearing the death rattle.
9th over: England 82-3 (Malan 25, Salt 7) SIX! Malan boshes Jadeja into the stands with a meaty slog sweep over mid-wicket. Good battle this as Jadeja tosses one up and Malan is beaten outside off. The ‘Rockstar’ really rattles through his overs, the batter almost not ready as he sends down another dart. 11 runs come from the over.
8th over: England 71-2 (Malan 16, Salt 5) Phil Salt is the new man and he gets off the mark with the shot of the day so far! An on-drive on the up down the ground for four. Delicious. Malik then serves up a very wide ball with his next delivery. Salt then cloths a full ball just short of mid-off before Malan climbs into a pull shot that whistles to the fence for four.
Roy ct Pant b Malik 27 (England 61-2)
A wild slash and Roy feathers an edge behind to a gleeful Pant!
7th over: England 61-1 (Roy 27, Malan 12) Bishnoi back into the attack and Roy reverse sweeps powerfully for a couple. A Malan cut is mis-fielded by Kohli and dribbles for four. The crowd give Virat a sarcastic cheer as he fields the next ball. It’s a packed house today in Nottingham. BIG APPEAL for lbw, but not out and not reviewed by India. A quick single nearly ends in a run out but Malan slides for his ground.
6th over: England 52-1 (Roy 23, Malan 7) Harshal Patel is the new bowler, Roy works him for a single first ball. Malan leans back and slots him over point for four to get off the mark. DROP! A caught and bowled chance goes begging as Malan chips back a slower ball and Harshal spills it in his follow through. A let-off for Malan. A scampered two brings up England’s Fifty. Malan plinks one in the air again that fortunately for him falls into the gap. Roy shovels for a single. PowerPlay done, honours even you’d think.
5th over: England 43-1 (Roy 21, Malan 0) Jadeja comes on and first ball Roy swats him straight back down the ground for six! The ball is lost somewhere under the black sightscreen tarpaulin to provide a brief breather. In fact, the ball is lost and has to be replaced. A dot is followed by a short-armed bunt from Roy that brings him another four. All timing. Jadeja rattles through the overs, he keeps even the quickest OBO scribe honest.
4th over: England 32-1 (Roy 10, Malan 0) Dawid Malan is the new batter, he tries a huge swipe at his first ball but only gets an inside edge into his big toe. Ouch. Khan bangs one in down the leg side for a wide. Another slower ball beats Malan and dribbles through to Pant.
WICKET! Buttler b Khan 18 (England 31-1)
Slower ball and Buttler drags it onto leg-stump! He looked in great knick too. Big wicket for India.
3rd over: England 27-0 (Roy 10, Buttler 15) Ravi Bishnoi is coming on for a twirl. Roy looks a bit out of nick, especially next to the white-hot Buttler. Jadeja keeps him tied down with a sharp diving stop at backward point to a full-blooded cut shot. Roy then frees his shoulders of the last ball and launches it over mid-wicket for six. Maybe he is in form, what do I know!
2nd over: England 19-0 (Roy 3, Buttler 14) Buttler is off the mark with the first ball, a back foot punch through the covers for four. It was uppish but in the gap. Umran Malik is the bowler and he looks fast. He beats Buttler and then crunches one into his mid-riff with the next ball, the batters scamper a bye. Roy then tucks one into leg to get a single. SIX! The first of many you’d think and it is a beauty – Buttler rocks back and pulls a short ball over the rope with panache. A wide is then followed by a crunching drive through the covers for four. SEVENTEEN off the over.
1st over: England 2-0 (Roy 2, Buttler 0) Three dots to begin with for Khan who has come in for Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Roy gets a couple with a flat-bat to mid-on before a wild swipe at the next. Just two off the first over.
Avesh Khan has the ball in hand. Jason Roy is on strike, Cap’n Buttler is at the other end. PLAY!
I can smell the runs already…
The players head out to the middle, England in their pink-ish hued kit and India in their customary deep blue.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the OBO of the the third T20I between England and India at Trent Bridge. Jim here with the call on a scorching day, Jos Buttler has won the toss and England will bat first.
Buttler’s side are playing for pride after sliding to two comprehensive defeats in two games, England’s T20I side have lost seven out of their last nine games. Can they stop the rot here in front of a sell-out crowd on what looks to be a shirt-front wicket?
Here are the sides:
England: Roy, Buttler, Malan, Salt, Livingstone, Brook, Ali, Willey, Jordan, Topley, Gleeson
India: Sharma, Kohli, Suryakumar, Pant, Iyer, Karthik, Jadeja, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Umran Malik, Bishnoi
The camera lingers on Virat Kohli eating bananas on toast in the changing room, he’ll be opening the batting later and is still in search of a first International century in any format since 2019.
Play will begin at 14:30pm.
