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Following an embarrassing 336-run defeat in a high-scoring Edgbaston Test while chasing 608 runs, England turned off the 'Bazball' switch during the first day of the third Test at Lord's, instead resorting to a more traditional form of Test cricket.
At the end of the day's play, England was 251/4, with Joe Root (99*) and skipper Ben Stokes (39*) unbeaten. Despite quick early strikes from Nitish Kumar Reddy in the first session, that reduced them to 44/2 and quick wickets from Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah in the final session, the day largely went to England as they chose to accumulate a solid volume of runs over fiery aggression that could have cost them wickets. 251/4 at day end is the smallest aggregate of runs by England on the first day's play in the Stokes-McCullum's Bazball era, where they were not bowled out. Their run rate of 3.02 also turned out to be the second lowest for them in a day's play in this period, where they batted at least 50 overs, behind 2.69 (145 in 53.5 overs) on day 3 in Ranchi in 2024. During this day, England played only 29.4 per cent of attacking shots, 30.6 per cent strike rotation shots, 27.8 per cent defensive shots, and 12.2 per cent no shots. Between June 2022, the start of the Bazball era, and this Test, their attacking shot percentage has been 44.7 per cent, only 16.6 per cent of shots meant to rotate the strike. The defensive shot percentage has been 30.9 per cent, while no attempts at shot making count for 7.8 per cent. The attacking shot percentage by other teams combined during this phase is 32 per cent. Going by the numbers, England went for a more traditional way to score runs, grinding it out on the crease and choosing right balls to strike. England started the final session at 153/2, with Root (54*) and Ollie Pope (44*) unbeaten. Ravindra Jadeja finally broke the 109-run stand, striking on the very first ball of the session with wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel taking a sharp catch. Pope was back in the hut for 44 in 104 balls, with four boundaries. England was 153/3 in 49.1 overs. The newly-crowned number one Test batter Harry Brook was next up on the crease, starting positively with fours against Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah. However, in a battle of number ones, Bumrah's nip-backer went right through Brook's stumps, removing him for 11 in 20 balls. England was 172/4 in 54.5 overs. A single off Mohammed Siraj's delivery by skipper Ben Stokes brought England's 200-run mark in 64 overs. Stokes and Root played it safe, resorting to more traditional Test cricket, reaching their 50-run mark in 100 balls. The duo made sure that England did not lose any more wickets, ending the session on a positive note, with Root left stranded on 99*. England batters Root and Pope led a steady recovery for the hosts in the second session of the Test match at Lord's on Thursday, guiding England to 153/2 at Tea. The duo stitched together an unbroken 109-run stand to help England bounce back after early setbacks in the morning. Resuming at 83/2 after Lunch, Root and Pope navigated a disciplined Indian bowling attack with patience and control. England opted to bat first after winning the toss, with the series equal at 1-1. Brief scores: England: 251/4 (Joe Root 99*, Ollie Pope 44; Nitish Kumar Reddy 2/46) vs India. (ANI)
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