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Michael Hussey has been allowed to skip Australia’s tour of Ireland and England to be with his family after the premature birth of his child

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2012Michael Hussey has been allowed to skip Australia’s tour of Ireland and England in June and July to be with his family after the premature birth of his child. Cricket Australia said he will be replaced by Queensland batsman Peter Forrest in the 15-man squad.”Due to our baby being born three months early, it is important for the family for me to be here at this time,” Hussey said. “It is always difficult to miss any tour for Australia and I thank CA for their understanding of our family’s situation.”Forrest, who has played 11 ODIs so far, had been named as the stand-by player when the squad was named in May. He will now be part of the touring party that leaves Australia on June 14.The Australians will play Leicestershire in a tour game on June 21 before taking on Ireland in a one-off ODI in Stormont on June 23. After another tour game against Essex, Australia will play England at Lord’s on June 29 in the first of five ODIs.

Upul Tharanga, the Sri Lanka opener, has been ruled out of the limited-overs leg of the England tour as he prepares to face a disciplinary committee for failing a drugs test during the World Cup.

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2011Upul Tharanga, the Sri Lanka opener, has been ruled out of the limited-overs leg of the England tour as he prepares to face a disciplinary committee for failing a drugs test during the World Cup.Tharanga, 26, tested positive after the semi-final against New Zealand, in Colombo, and Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed he won’t be selected for any representative cricket in the short term.”Since there is an ongoing inquiry to verify this charge, Upul Tharanga will not be making himself available for selection until the conclusion of the inquiry and therefore will not be available for the ODI and T20 matches in England and the Sri Lanka A Team tour of England,” a statement said.Tharanga’s absence means Sri Lanka could be without their two first-choice one-day openers against England with the captain Tillakaratne Dilshan also a doubt having suffered a hairline fracture of his thumb in the second Test at Lord’s. However, Dilshan is still hopeful of being available for the one Twenty20 international and five ODIs.The pair had recent success against England, having guided Sri Lanka to a 10-wicket victory in the World Cup quarter-final when they added an unbeaten 231. Tharanga also enjoyed an impressive one-day series on the 2006 tour of England where he hit two hundreds – 120 at Lord’s and 109 at Headingley in a record 286-run stand with Sanath Jayasuriya – during Sri Lanka’s 5-0 whitewash of the hosts.There are reports in Sri Lanka that Tharanga’s absence could open the door for a surprise return for Jayasuriya who turns 42 in June and played his last ODI in December 2009. “If my services are required, I would be glad as always to give my best,” he told the Sri Lankan .

Shane Bond has said there is a danger of Test cricket losing fast bowlers unless boards and team managements rest their quick men periodically

Cricinfo staff11-May-2010New Zealand quick bowler Shane Bond has said there is a danger of losing more fast bowlers from Test cricket unless boards and team managements rest them periodically.”Bowlers are almost going to be like pitchers, where you play a game and sit out the next, because of the amount of cricket played these days,” Bond told Cricinfo. “I worry that fast bowlers are going to withdraw from Test cricket early to play limited-overs cricket.”New Zealand’s often-injured pace spearhead, who retired from Test cricket last year, said Australia were possibly the only team in a position to give their fast bowlers a break. “They win more than they lose. They seem to rotate bowlers even during series and still win. People tend to forget they are resting and rotating and giving guys a week off here and there. A lot of the other teams, because they are struggling to win 50-50, are just playing their best team all the time, and they suffer when there are injuries.Bond turned out for Kolkata Knight Riders in the recent IPL and is now on show in the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. He tipped the short format to develop as a showcase for fast bowlers. “You are not risking injury [in Twenty20] like you would when bowling eight- to nine-over spells, which sometimes can be dangerous.”Bond said his laziness as a teenager was to blame for the repeated breakdowns for which he became notorious over an all-too-short Test career. “The thing that hurt me the most was, I was really lazy in my late teens. Because of that, I got a lot of back problems. So I missed a lot of years from 17 to 23. I never had a good base for bowling. I just lacked it.”I went away from cricket, and then I am back and all of a sudden bowling proper fast. I went from a little bit of cricket to international cricket, where I am bowling fast. That catch-up was too much. The difference in intensity at domestic and international levels is massive and people don’t appreciate how big it is.”He ruled out a return to Tests but said younger bowlers could continue in the format as long as they managed their comebacks from injuries wisely. “I still see it now when I play with guys who are injured and they want to be back for a game that is, say, six weeks down the line. You’ve just got to come back when you are fully fit. Too many people – and I have made the mistake in the past – sometimes rush back to make a tour or a series even when they are not a 100% fit. You are better off taking it step by step.”Bond said the decision to quit Tests had been hard for him because he had badly wanted to get to 150 wickets in the format. “When I came back against Pakistan, I felt I had the opportunity once again to achieve those goals, and then, bang, I got injured. It was demoralising.”Test cricket is about getting people out and that’s what I do: I got people out. A lot of goals I wanted to achieve were built around Test cricket, but I am also a realist. I realised every time I played four- or five-day cricket, I broke if I played few games on the bounce. It is just the way I played: I find it difficult to hold back. I just go hard. It hurt me.”

Arnos Vale has not hosted an international game in nearly 10 years, and both teams will hope for better batting conditions after struggling in New York

Mohammad Isam12-Jun-2024

Match details

Bangladesh vs Netherlands
June 13, Kingstown, 10:30am local

Big picture: Winner stays in touching distance of Super 8s

Netherlands will hunt for their first big fish (Full Members side) when they take on Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup’s newest venue in Kingstown, St Vincent. It is a fresh pitch where competitive cricket hasn’t been played for a while now. Both sets of batters, battered and bruised in New York, will look forward to a better experience.Bangladesh endured a hectic travel schedule after their South Africa game in New York, with their chartered flight out delayed by five hours. They arrived early Tuesday morning in their Kingstown hotel, and cancelled training on that day.Coupled with the travel stress, Bangladesh are dealing with heartbreak of a close defeat to South Africa. Their inability to put away Keshav Maharaj’s full-tosses in the final over cost them the game. Bangladesh have had trouble closing off T20I chases over the last eight years, and on Monday, Mahmudullah and Jaker Ali, reputed big hitters, could not find a boundary in the last three overs of their chase.Related

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Their top order batting has also been worrying. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto opened with Tanzid Hasan against South Africa, with Soumya Sarkar left out, but neither opening pair has managed a double-digit stand yet in this tournament. Litton Das showed a bit of form against Sri Lanka but gave it away cheaply against South Africa. Only Towhid Hridoy and Mahmudullah have shown batting form, while it has mostly been the bowling attack that has kept Bangladesh afloat.Netherlands will have their hands full against Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Taskin Ahmed with the new ball, before Mustafizur Rahman and Rishad Hossain go at them in the middle overs. The pace trio has done well in the death overs too, and among the spin-bowling allrounders Mahmudullah has been mostly economical while Shakib Al Hasan, despite a poor start to the tournament, can never be counted out.Netherlands themselves have bowled brilliantly in the T20 World Cup, beating Nepal in Dallas and pushing South Africa close in New York. Logan van Beek, Bas de Leede and Tim Pringle have bowled well in partnerships alongside Vivian Kingma and Paul van Meekeren.Like Bangladesh, they too have batting problems. Max O’Dowd has made their only half-century so far, while the rest of the batters haven’t taken off, particularly Michael Levitt who was their form player leading up to the T20 World Cup.This could be a tense scrap in Kingstown, with the result coming down to which bowling attack can better dominate on the day.

Form guide

Bangladesh LWWLL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Netherlands LWLLL

In the spotlight – Logan van Beek and Taskin Ahmed

Taskin Ahmed has performed admirably as the attack leader. He has taken the big wickets of Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, Kusal Mendis and Dasun Shanaka in Bangladesh’s two games, while going at just 5.50 per over. It is still early days but if he can keep getting the ball to shape and maintain his overall fitness, Taskin could end as one of the top bowlers of the tournament.Logan van Beek has already bowled arguably the ball of the tournament. His delivery to Reeza Hendricks in New York pitched on middle and off, squared up the batter, and flicked the off bail as van Beek flew into a celebratory run. He has been Netherlands’ best bowler in their two matches so far, picking up five wickets. Accuracy is van Beek’s hallmark, regardless of whether he is bowling with an upright or wobbly seam.All aboard the Logan van Beek flight•ICC/Getty Images

Team news: Bangladesh could look at batting options

Bangladesh are still unsure about their top and lower middle order. Soumya Sarkar and Mahedi Hasan are among their batting options if they are looking for another change.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Najmul Hosain Shanto (capt), 3 Litton Das (wk), 4 Shakib Al Hasan, 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Jaker Ali, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan, 10 Taskin Ahmed 11 Mustafizur Rahman.Barring last-minute injuries, Netherlands are likely to continue with the same XI.Netherlands (probable): 1 Michael Levitt, 2 Max O’Dowd, 3 Vikramjit Singh, 4 Sybrand Engelbrecht, 5 Bas de Leede, 6 Scott Edwards (capt & wk), 7 Teja Nidamanuru, 8 Logan van Beek, 9 Tim Pringle, 10 Paul van Meekeren, 11 Vivian Kingma.

Pitch and conditions

International cricket returns to Arnos Vale after nearly ten years. The ground has never hosted a CPL match either, so it is hard to predict what the conditions might be like. There’s a bit of early-morning rain in the forecast in the region.

Stats and trivia

• Bangladesh, incidentally, played the last international match at Arnos Vale, a Test-match defeat to West Indies in September 2014. Mahmudullah is the only member of their T20 World Cup squad to have featured in that game. They will also play against Nepal here on June 17, and a three-match T20I series against West Indies later this year.
• Bangladesh hold an overall 4-3 win record over Netherlands in all formats but they lost their most recent meeting, the 2023 World Cup game in Kolkata.
• Netherlands made their best start with the ball against a Full Member team in T20Is when they reduced South Africa to 12 for 4 in their last game.
• Tanzim Hasan has picked up three wickets in the powerplay overs at this World Cup, at an average of 8.33.

Quotes

“We spoke about this ground. I think Shakib was telling me that he made his captaincy debut in this ground. Riyad has a Test five-for.”
“We are in the ground for the first time today. It seems to be in wonderful shape. The wicket is great. I think tomorrow’s match is one that the island has waited a long time for.”

Last-over finish leaves Gladiators on the cusp of their fourth straight elimination

Danyal Rasool05-Mar-2023Islamabad United beat Quetta Gladiators by two wickets in a seesawing game to confirm qualification for the last four for the seventh time in eight seasons. Half-centuries from Mohammad Nawaz and Najibullah Zadran helped Gladiators recover from a horror start to post 179. In response, United blazed away in characteristic fashion, even if the resulting fall of wickets brought Gladiators back into the contest. But Azam Khan and Faheem Ashraf struck up a valuable partnership, with Ashraf finishing off the game with three balls to spare.United put Gladiators in to bat, and immediately put them on the back foot. Fazalhaq Farooqi struck in each of his first two overs to remove Will Smeed and Yasir Khan, while a stunning boundary catch from Mubasir Khan got rid of Sarfaraz Ahmed. Iftikhar Ahmed fell to Ashraf soon after, and Gladiators were reduced to 17 for 4 in the sixth over.Nawaz and Zadran led a recovery effort, putting together a 104-run partnership that lifted their side out of the doldrums. Perhaps learning from Lahore Qalandars, they refused to consolidate after losing early wickets, going after the bowling even as it made the loss of wickets more probable. They were rewarded for that intrepid approach, and within relatively little time, the run rate crept upwards. When Farooqi got rid of Nawaz, he had scored a half-century, and with four overs to go, Gladiators were set up for a big finish.Enter Umar Akmal. Remember him? In a stunning display of pure power hitting, the former Pakistan batter clubbed five sixes in 14 balls to smash an unbeaten 43, meaning Gladiators put on 58 in their final four overs.Mohammad Nawaz’s half-century went in vain•PCB

United went about that chase as you might expect. Even though Naseem Shah trapped Rahmanullah Gurbaz in front off the second ball, Colin Munro dazzled in the powerplay. 18 runs off the second over of the innings – bowled by Odean Smith – made his intentions plain. Naseem was treated with more respect as Munro showed restraint, but when Umaid Asif followed up with the fourth over, 18 more came off it. By the end of the seventh over, a staggering 96 runs had been scored, 63 off which came off Munro’s bat.United wobbled in the passage of play that followed. Shadab Khan holed out to Iftikhar before Nawaz struck next ball to draw the curtain on the Munro show. Umaid cleaned up Mubasir as he heaved at one with little convictions, before Nawaz got one to skid on to Asif Ali to suddenly leave the two-time champions reeling.United still needed 69 from nine overs and had just four wickets left. But just as Faheem and Azam had put on a vital rearguard stand earlier in the week, they rose to the occasion once more. Aware they needed to consolidate – anathema to United’s ostensible philosophy – it wasn’t until his 17th ball that Azam struck his first boundary. Ashraf, too, bided his time as they took the game to the final three overs, of which United needed 31.Azam roared to life at this moment, pummelling Naveen-ul-Haq for a four and a six, before pulling Umaid for six more to bring the asking rate almost run a ball. He fell the next ball and Hasan Ali holed out soon after, leaving Ashraf needing nine in the final over.It took him just three balls as Smith missed his lengths, with the experienced United allrounder hitting three fours to take his side through, and leave Gladiators on the cusp of their fourth straight elimination.

Veteran Australian has taken 589 wickets for his adopted county

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2021Michael Hogan, the veteran Australian seamer, will retire from professional cricket at the age of 41 following a testimonial year with Glamorgan in 2022.A late developer who made his first-class debut at 28 but has since taken 589 wickets across formats for Glamorgan, Hogan was the club’s leading wicket-taker in the County Championship in 2021 and took the final wicket in their Royal London Cup final win against Durham in August.His testimonial year was initially due to be staged in 2020 but has twice been postponed due to the impact of Covid. Hogan joined Glamorgan in 2013, playing through a British passport, and Mark Wallace, the club’s director of cricket, suggested he would be a likely inclusion in the county’s all-time XI.Related

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“The Testimonial has been a long time coming for Michael and it’s hugely deserved after years of incredible service at Glamorgan,” Wallace said. “Though we knew this day would eventually come, it is bittersweet because he’s been such a good player for us and is so influential, but he certainly deserves to go out on his own terms.”He’s been fantastic for Glamorgan and would probably take a position in our greatest-ever side and that shows just how good he’s been since arriving from Australia. He’s got a year left with us and knowing Michael he’d like to go out on a high and no doubt there are plenty more wickets left in him before he goes riding off into the sunset.””I am extremely grateful to the club for postponing my Testimonial and allowing me to hold it next year,” Hogan added. “It’s been a difficult couple of years on and off the pitch but winning the Royal London Cup made it all worthwhile.”Wales has felt like home and I’m looking forward to enjoying another successful season at this great club next year before I hang up my boots for good. I’m 40 now and need to spend more time with my young family, while it’s probably the right time for Glamorgan to look to the future and start moving in a different direction.”Glamorgan announced last week that David Lloyd would take over from Chris Cooke as club captain for 2022 and have already strengthened their squad for next season by signing Eddie Byrom, James Harris and Sam Northeast. They will expect to challenge for promotion in the Championship after a promising 2021 season.

Allrounder will arrive early on Sunday and will be in quarantine for six days as per IPL protocols

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2020England allrounder Ben Stokes is finally headed to the IPL from New Zealand, where he has spent the past month-and-a-half with his family. ESPNcricinfo understands Stokes will land in Dubai, where the Royals are based, early on Sunday.As per the IPL’s Covid-19 protocol Stokes will undergo the mandatory six-day quarantine, including clearing three tests, before he can link up with the Royals and be available for selection.On Saturday morning Stokes posted a picture with his parents on Instagram, along with a caption titled ‘goodbyes never get easier’.In August, mid-way into the Pakistan Test series, Stokes flew to New Zealand to be alongside his father Ged, who was detected recently with brain cancer. Stokes was granted compassionate leave by the ECB and missed not just the final two Tests and the limited-overs leg of the Pakistan series, but also the six-match white ball series against Australia.Upon landing in New Zealand, Stokes admitted leaving Pakistan series was the “right thing” he did from the “mental” point of view.The Royals have not yet commented on Stokes joining the squad, but the franchise has maintained the it would not rush the England allround back and give him “as much time as he wishes” before he was ready to play.”It’s a difficult scenario, so we’re giving him as much time as he needs, and connecting with him as best we can,” Royals head coach Andrew McDonald had told ESPNcricinfo days before the IPL started.While in Christchurch, Stokes had been readying for his return to competitive cricket by training with Sydenham Cricket Club, the first cricket club he played at back in New Zealand. “Been great being in Christchurch where it all began,” he said in another Instagram post. “Thanks to Sydenham Cricket for letting me use their facilities to bowl in.”Stokes’ arrival will shore up a slightly shaky middle order that is currently struggling for consistency. With Steven Smith and Jos Buttler opening the batting, the Royals have had to rely on the relative inexperience of Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia in the lower middle order, along with the out-of-form Robin Uthappa.

Ishant and Mishra took three wickets each and Pant cracked an unbeaten 53 as Royals paid for a meek batting performance

The Report by Peter Della Penna04-May-20198:38

Agarkar: Royals have a good squad but never found balance

Ajinkya Rahane’s decision to bat at the toss backfired as Rajasthan Royals failed to recover from Ishant Sharma’s triple-strike in the Powerplay and were eliminated from IPL 2019. Delhi Capitals had a chance to finish top of the table if they’d chased 116 in 10 overs and though they couldn’t do that, the five-wicket win still gives them a chance to finish in the top two, provided Kolkata Knight Riders beat Mumbai Indians in the final match of the league stage on Sunday.He Shant be kept down for longThe 30-year-old fast bowler had been having a very lean campaign, fetching just three wickets in his last seven outings for the Capitals and had sat out their last match against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday. But after the 80-run thrashing meted out by MS Dhoni’s men, Ishant was recalled and produced his best figures of the season: 3 for 38.He struck the first blow, dismissing Rahane as the batsman picked out one of only two fielders allowed in the deep during the Powerplay. Later, Ishant flummoxed Liam Livingstone with a fabulous offcutter and bowled him for 14.Sanju Samson was run-out following a big mix-up with Mahipal Lomror and Ishant made sure to send the survivor of that partnership back as well, leaving Royals 30 for 4 at the end of six overs.Mishra’s fourth time unluckyComing into the day, Amit Mishra had three IPL hat-tricks to his name and very easily could have had a fourth. On the second ball of the 12th over, Shreyas Gopal charged the legspinner who responded by dragging the length back and adjusting his line well wide of off stump, leaving the batsman flailing and stumped. Stuart Binny then played well away from his body edging a top-spinner behind for a golden duck. And K Gowtham, facing up to the hat-trick ball, played a bizarre slog tha went straight up.Rishabh Pant goes for the big one•BCCI

No mid-off was in place, forcing Trent Boult to run across from mid-on for the chance. But even though he covered the ground in time, the usually sure-handed New Zealander grassed it, his last-second, full-length dive to the right proving of little useIt didn’t matter much in the end as Mishra claimed Gowtham in his following over and Royals were suddenly 65 for 7. Riyan Parag ground through the rest of the innings, showing maturity beyond his years to become the youngest IPL half-centurion maker at age 17. Still, the total of 115 was severely under-par.Far from So-soPlaying just his second match of the season for Royals, legspinner Ish Sodhi nearly inspired a thrilling fightback. Brought on in the fourth over, he struck on his first two balls as part of a double-wicket maiden.Shikhar was beaten in flight as he charged out of his crease and the miscue was taken quite smartly by Riyan running back from mid-on. The non-striker Prithvi Shaw had crossed with the ball in the air and promptly dragged the next ball onto his stumps to put Sodhi on a hat-trick.Everything’s PantasticAfter seven consecutive dot balls by Sodhi, Shreyas Iyer wrestled the momentum back with two glorious straight drives for six. But it was Rishabh Pant who finished the game off.Perhaps his finest shot came in the 15th over when he stepped inside the line to flick Varun Aaron over fine leg for six. With scores level, he belted Sodhi’s first ball of the 17th over cow corner for his fifth six to bring up a 38-ball fifty, clinch victory and eliminate the opposition.

The former Australian legspinner will be joined by another old Royals hand Zubin Bharucha, who has taken over as head of cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-20181:00

Warne announces Royals arrival

Shane Warne has returned to the Rajasthan Royals franchise as its mentor ahead of the 2018 IPL season. Warne, 48, will renew his association with the side he led to a title in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008. The former Australian legspinner went on to lead the Royals for the next three editions, before retiring after the 2011 season. Warne, who has mentored the side in the past, remains the Royals’ third-highest wicket-taker of all time, with 58 scalps from 56 matches.”I am very happy and excited to be back with the Rajasthan Royals, who I believe hold a very special place in my cricketing journey,” Warne was quoted as saying in the Royals website. “I am overwhelmed by the love and affection showered on me by the franchise and fans of Rajasthan Royals. We have a strong, young and energetic bunch of boys, and I am looking forward to work with them.”While Warne has worked with India batsman Ajinkya Rahane in the past, he will work with compatriot Steven Smith – the frontrunner to lead the side – for the first time in the IPL. Warne will also be joined by another old Rajasthan Royals hand Zubin Bharucha, who has now taken over as head of cricket. Bharucha and Warne had worked together during the early years of the Royals. Manoj Badale, co-owner of Royals, said bringing back Warne was a way of giving back to the fans “who have stood by us in trying times.””As we are looking to build a strong team that can be in contention for the title, we believe Warne is the right person to mentor the Rajasthan Royals,” Badale said. “Zubin has also contributed immensely to the growth of the team, and we are happy to have both back on board. We are excited and looking forward to a successful comeback.”According to the Royals website, Warne will have a “multitude” of tasks on and off the field. “His main role will be to work closely with the senior leaders in the team, particularly the captain, to ensure all areas of strategy and tactics are covered. In addition, he will be working with all the spinners to impart technical knowledge in the art of spin.”

KL Rahul fell one short of a maiden double-hundred after leading India’s response to England’s 477 in excellent batting conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy18-Dec-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:11

Chopra: Signs of a ‘very, very special’ player in Rahul

KL Rahul fell one short of a maiden double-hundred after leading India’s response to England’s 477 in excellent batting conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. India dominated the first and third sessions of day three, thanks to two big partnerships involving Rahul: 152 for the first wicket with Parthiv Patel, and 161 for the fourth with Karun Nair. At stumps, India trailed by 86 with six wickets in hand, with Nair batting on 71. With him on 17 was M Vijay, who came in at No. 6 rather than his customary position at the top of the order because of a shoulder injury sustained while fielding.Having been at the crease for more than 100 overs, Rahul fell with stumps imminent. He walked off distraught, after reaching for a loopy, wide ball from Adil Rashid and spooning a catch to cover point, but by then he had ensured India were the likeliest of the two sides to force a win over the last two days.The draw, though, still seemed the likeliest result. It took until the 102nd over of India’s innings for England to call for their first review (another followed in the very next over; both were unsuccessful), indicating how friendly conditions were to bat in. But given the skill of India’s spinners, they may yet coax more life out of the Chepauk soil than their England counterparts.Rahul has had a stop-start series, missing the first and third Tests with injury, and had only made a top score of 24 in his three previous innings. He had been out to loose shots in all three innings, and he made at least one noticeable adjustment here, standing with his feet either side of the crease against the seamers rather than outside it. Perhaps the extra time this gave him allowed him to judge his off stump better, and he was far more certain when tested in the corridor.But his best work came against the spinners, against whom he laid down an early statement of intent, hitting Liam Dawson for sixes in the third and fifth overs of the morning. He continued to use his feet decisively thereafter, and reverse-swept with authority. Rahul’s mastery of the spinners played a big part in Rashid and Moeen Ali ending day three with a combined economy rate of 4.19 across 41 overs. Dawson, who offered more control but less of a wicket threat, bowled 23 overs, getting through more work than Alastair Cook may have wanted from his left-arm spinner.Nair joined his Karnataka team-mate Rahul at 211 for 3, after India had lost three wickets for 59 runs. This mini-slump began before lunch, with the wicket of Parthiv. Both openers had scored freely – at a run-rate of 3.63 overall, and at 4.21 on the third morning – and had looked in no trouble, with Parthiv playing some stunning straight and on-drives, showing the full face of his bat, off Stuart Broad. Then, having entered the 70s for the first time in his Test career, he fell in a moment of overconfidence. Having stepped out and whipped Moeen Ali over wide mid-on two balls previously, Parthiv left his crease again. This time, the ball drifted in a touch further, making him aim squarer and close his bat face. It also turned more, and looped to cover off the leading edge.On a pitch that offered them little help, England’s seamers took the key wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli. Pujara had begun ominously, hitting Adil Rashid for two fours in one over, but fell to an uncharacteristic shot in the third over after lunch, poking at a shortish, fifth-stump ball from Ben Stokes and edging to slip.Then Stuart Broad sent back Kohli, who hadn’t been dismissed for under 40 in his seven previous innings in this series, for 15. With Broad moving around the wicket and slanting the ball across him, Kohli had looked intent on putting bat to ball, leaving only occasionally, more often moving across his stumps to defend punchily into the off side. Then Broad slipped in a full, wide slower legcutter. Failing to spot the change of pace, Kohli drove early and into the lap of short cover.Rahul, who had by then moved to his fourth Test hundred, made a strategic retreat once Kohli fell, quietly picking up the runs offered to him by England’s defensive fields and cutting out the reverse-sweep entirely. Every now and then, he reminded England of his range of strokes: an inside-out drive through the covers off Rashid, a ramp over the slips when Stokes banged it short, and a beautifully placed flick off the legs, off Joe Root, when he deigned to bowl to him without a deep square leg.That shot brought up Rahul’s 150, in the 83rd over of India’s innings. England took the new ball two overs later, and the runs flowed quicker. Both batsmen sent edges flying through the slips – a loose drive from Nair was edged close enough to Cook at first slip to count as a half-chance – but there were also some pretty shots: a square-cut from Rahul off Broad, and a straight drive from Nair, also off the same bowler. This was the second time he had hit him in that direction, though this time it was the full-faced version rather than the wristy whip that had brought him his first boundary, before tea.India scored 35 runs in the eight overs that Broad and Jake Ball bowled with the second new ball, and continued to score quickly when the spinners returned. Nair reverse-slapped Moeen to the point boundary, then Rahul launched him for a straight six. A swept four off Rashid took him to 199, before he played, as he later put it, “a horrible shot”.