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Sub Title 27/9

We probably haven’t fully got over being bowled out for 26 against England in 1955.  During a glorious 30 minute spell this afternoon the talk was 26.

Could England really break this embarrassing, long-standing record.

They got there with 8 wickets down, and then promptly lost another one.

In the end they were bowled out in well under a session, becoming only the fifth side to do that in the first session of a test match.  Forget all the talk about pink; this was psychedelic.

A 5WI before lunch is surely the bowling equivalent of a century before lunch.  Trent Boult had his in 57 minutes in 7 overs.

There was nothing of note in the pitch; despite what Stokes’s post dismissal death-stare seemed to indicate.  Yes, the ball swung (it’s pink you know) but not by amounts that seemed scientifically unlikely.  That swing was late however, and the English batsmen looked as if they hadn’t faced a swinging ball since the first week in January.

But on days like this when things start going well it can get a bit out of hand; Southee’s return catch off Bairstow being a case in point.  Once they finally got past 18 (where three wickets fell) the crowd expected more wickets to fall with every delivery.

And then there was Williamson, plucking a blinder in the gully off Broad who really had no idea how to play in the situation.

This was the first time that only two bowlers have been used  in a test innings.  When England made their previous lowest total of 64 vs New Zealand in 1978 a third bowler was used so that RJ Hadlee and Collinge could change ends

Then there was Overton and Anderson providing a partnership that contributed to more than half the side’s runs (only the fourth time in history).  Overton scored 57% of his side’s runs; that went close to a record too.

Boult ended up with his test best figures of 6/32, and Southee’s 4/25 off 10 straight overs will probably get lost in all of this

People had said that the pink ball would only swing for an hour, and they were dead right.

 

.1….1…….1…1.1..1.W………..W1.4….14.W…..2..W….W….W.21…2..W…W……4….W…422.4.1…41LB.61….4.2….W – and plenty of characters to spare.

— Daniel Harris (@DanielHarris) March 22, 2018