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Sky play through some highlights of Gill’s innings yesterday – he strikes the ball like beams of sunshine on a lake.
The latest pitch report: “It looks like day one,” says Mel, “if a little bit lighter and with general wear and tear. The pitch will get a little slower. Ravi says Dawson has to occasionally bowl slower and wider, and then hope to get the Indian left handers in.
Ben Stokes bowls!
News! Ben Stokes has been spotted bowling this morning in his maroon warm-up top: ”gentle, but moving more freely than yesterday” in the words of Ian Ward.
And a lovely piece on England’s captain fantastic by Taha:
Something to mull over…
No team, including England, has managed to bat 100 overs in the 3rd innings at Old Trafford in the last 23 years...
— Abhishek AB (@ABsay_ek) July 27, 2025Preamble
Hello! A wishy-washy but dry dawn at Old Trafford, and if the buzz isn’t quite as buzzy as it was in 2005, there’s definitely a retro vibe in the air. Then Lancs were charging £10 a ticket, this time it’s £25, then England’s biggest immovable object was Ricky Ponting, this time is is the glorious Rahul/Gill double act.
In a game where the new ball has done most of the talking, England will be counting down the 17 overs till they get a shiny and new Kookaburra Dukes. Will Pant bat? Will Stokes bowl? All this and more when play starts at 11am. Do join us!