3 hours ago
15
Key events
“Shout out to Sky” emails a B Murdoch emails John Plunkett. “Surely the first time the same player has got the most caps, most runs, most wickets and most catches in the same team. Guess three out of four on a fair few occasions, but maybe never the full house?
Also has one player ever had so many caps compared to the other 10 players?”
Remarkable isn’t it? Fancy another cortex tickler? Joe Root is the only player playing in this Test match who played in the first Test under McCullum back in 2022.
I interviewed Joe before the first Test. Pure class.
Another exciting debutant in this match is Sonny Baker. England have been comparing his speed through the air to Mark Wood, I see a certain amount of Darren Gough in him too, not least in his ebullient, almost puppyish enthusiasm for bowling.
Taha did a nice interview with him a while back:
“What does Rehan Ahmed need to do to get in this team?” ask Ian Batch. “I thought he’d be an ideal replacement for Stokes. Instead, we’re playing a specialist batsman at 7? Why pick Bashir at Lord’s but no spinner here when the Oval has been flat this year?
I get it’s been a chaotic mess since Lord’s but Baz/captain selections to me have been baffling since he took over. Anyway, here’s hoping we get 5 good days of cricket. I’ve optimistically bought a day 3 ticket, madness!”
They definitely like Rehan and I fancy we might see him later in the summer on a drier wicket. Surrey have’t been playing a spinner here at the Oval and despite the weather being set to heat up England want to bolster their batting and feel like they can get overs of spin out of Root and Bethell.
Jordan Cox is a hugely exciting talent to have coming in at seven, he’s in electric knick too.
Hard to know how to feel after the last week but despite everything that has happened there is a real buzz at the Oval, debutants always have that effect and England have three of them. They are also fielding their most inexperienced bowling attack for two decades.
Joe Root is out in the middle with his pads on chatting away to Michael Vaughan and Brendon McCullum. He spoke really well yesterday:
The slightly annoying news is that it has been mizzling here in South London and the covers were all the way across the square when I arrived half an hour ago. The tentatively better news is that it is brightening up and the groundstaff are dragging off the tarpaulins as I type. We should still get the toss in about fifteen minutes.
Scratch that, the man on the tannoy announces that the toss has been delayed until 11am.
Preamble
James Wallace
Gus Atkinson flattened... Matt Henry’s middle stump. Lord’s witnesses England’s first Test win since the crapshoot in Melbourne just after Christmas. Is this another reset? Maybe, maybe not. There’s a nagging feeling it is more a re-emphasis of the end. The following day the text comes though, Stokes and Atkinson, drinks taken, curfew broken, punches thrown. Shock, confusion, despair. Both men dropped. Investigation pending. Cricket regulator, rugby players, Rex Rooms. Stokes sacked? Stokes retired? Stokes silent. Rob Key talks, Stokes not backed, prohibition mooted. Harry Brook as captain? After Wellington? Not likely. Joe Root digs his old blazer out of the garage. It’s crumpled but still fits. Of course it is Rooty, there’ll always be Rooty, won’t there? McCullum speaks, he’s worried about Ben. We all are. Come on. We can’t lose Stokes, over this? We still might lose Stokes over this. Ollie Robinson scan, Ollie Robinson out. Injured again. Bad luck or bad conditioning. Or both? Kane Williamson retires? Not now Kane! Well played Kane. A World Cup starts. Not that one. Edgbaston, are they… singing witches? Why not. A win and a Wyatt-Hodge ton. Distraction from the distraction. Then back. Jofra back, Matthew Fisher back. Debuts for Sonny Baker and Jordan Cox. Jamie Smith swaps his gloves for nappies. Debut for James Rew. Five changes, three debutants. New captain, old captain. 1-0. Remember? The Oval. Deep breath. On we go.
Welcome to the fever dream that is English cricket.
Welcome to the Guardian’s OBO. Play begins at 11am.
Wonder what we’ll talk about until then?
