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Joe Root has called on authorities to limit the number of times Test sides can ask umpires to check potentially misshapen balls, after the morning of the second day at Lord’s was characterised by complaints and exchanges, with the ball being changed twice, and a drinks break being extended while India’s captain, Shubman Gill, argued with the umpires about the quality of one of the replacements.
Jasprit Bumrah refused to comment on the balls, saying: “I work very hard and bowl a lot of overs, so I don’t want to say any controversial statements and get my match fee deducted. We were bowling with the ball we were given and that’s how it is.”
But Root sympathised with the task facing Dukes, who hand-produce the balls used in Test matches in England. “This summer has been a bit of an anomaly for us. We’re not used to getting this much sun and this much heat, getting the squares as hard and firm and the outfields as firm,” he said. “If the balls are going out of shape you change them and you don’t make a big deal out of it. I don’t think it’s the end of the world. You’ve got to be skilful enough to adapt to the changes, whether it stops swinging or starts swinging or does a little bit more.
“I personally think that you give each team three challenges every 80 overs and that’s it. That would be a nice way of compromising and saying it’s not all on the manufacturer. Sometimes these things happen. But you can’t just keep asking and wasting time, slowing the game down.”
For England the day was more memorable for someone who speeds the game up, with Jofra Archer returning to Test cricket after a four-year absence and producing the fastest spell of bowling seen in the series so far, and by taking the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal with his third ball.
“It was just genuine joy, seeing him back playing Test cricket,” Root said. “The impact he has on the group is huge in the dressing room, but also out on the field. Clearly he’s an X-factor player. Big games, he turns up and he does things that other players can’t. It was great to see him back smiling, enjoying his cricket, and making a huge impact.
“When you got that about you where you can get a whole crowd up and creating a noise and atmosphere like that, you’ve clearly got something special. Just to see him running in, bowling at that pace, maintaining that pace as well, was great. I’m just excited for him.”
The day also featured Root completing his 37th Test century and taking a superb catch at slip, a world record 211th in Test cricket, to dismiss Karun Nair. At stumps India were 145 for three, still 242 behind England’s first-innings total.
“I think it’s going to be quite turgid, quite slow scoring, a slightly more old-school kind of Test match,” Root said. “I think we’ve got a great opportunity tomorrow if we can get a couple of wickets. Batting last on that surface could be quite tricky if we get things right.”
English (US)