27th over: England 167-3 (Root 62, Stokes 53) The first ball spins – mark it down: fiffth ball of the 27th over – but Root covers up well to push it into the off side for a single. That’s only one of four runs taken in the over. Had West Indies fielded a bit better, England might have been in a bit of trouble here. As it is, a steady enough platform is being built for that man Jos.
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26th over: England 163-3 (Root 59, Stokes 52) Bit of part-time medium pace from Rovman Powell. The sprightly stuff you might face on a Saturday. Quicker when he’s shorter, moving when its full. Stokes and Root are good enough and in enough to counter it all, but the wicket-to-wicket line is proving hard to get away. In fact, Powell rattles off four dot balls in a row to finish the over.
25th over: England 161-3 (Root 58, Stokes 51) Stokes’ initiative keeping England ticking. Nurse, around the wicket, bowling into leg stump, is whipped through point via another reverse sweep for four. A single down the ground takes Stokes to his 10th fifty of his ODI career. It’s also his ninth 50-plus score in all formats this summer.
24th over: England 152-3 (Root 55, Stokes 45) Bishoo carries on Nurse’s work… but only for four balls. Stokes brings up England’s 150 with a punch through cover off a flatter, shorter delivery that the left-hander plays easily off the back foot.
Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999)
Re the Root record, we’re still counting this as “summer” are we @Vitu_E?
23rd over: England 146-3 (Root 54, Stokes 40) After a 10-run over, Nurse responds with six darts to concede just one. Good comeback from him and the West Indies.
22nd over: England 145-3 (Root 54, Stokes 39) Tired of singles, Stokes jaunts down the pitch and uses his wrists to hammer a straight six that doesn’t get above the second storey of the flats down the ground!
21st over: England 135-3 (Root 52, Stokes 31) Three singles off Nurse. From affecting play up top, it looks like West Indies are just waiting for a mistake.
20th over: England 132-3 (Root 50, Stokes 30) Joe Root has his half-century, from 41 balls. Was tentative at first but has done that Joe Root thing of suddenly picking up runs in a hurry, without seemingly being in a hurry. Five fours and one six. “It seems to get easier and easier for him,” says Anderson. Also in this innings, the small matter of this accolade:
Test Match Special (@bbctms)
IT’S A RECORD!@root66 has now scored more runs in an English international summer than anyone else.
19th over: England 128-3 (Root 48, Stokes 28) Spin from both ends as Ashley Nurse comes on to bowl his off-breaks. Out comes the reverse sweep, as Ben Stokes whips it through Marlon Samuels at wide leg. Wonder if they’ve said hello yet…
18th over: England 122-3 (Root 47, Stokes 23) Collectively better from Bishoo, but Root and Stokes able to take singles off every ball. Something to worry about for Holder, considering the runs are taken to all parts. Bishoo might be one to target for a middle-overs burst.
17th over: England 116-3 (Root 44, Stokes 20) Sharp analysis from James Anderson – very good on comms – who reckons Miguel Cummins’ tentative run-up and short follow-through are robbing him of an extra 5mph. It also allows Stokes to stride out of his crease and hammer down the ground for a one-bounce four.
16th over: England 108-3 (Root 42, Stokes 14) Drinks followed by leg spin. Not very good leg spin, mind. But then again, it’s a bit like Mel Brook’s sex-pizza quip. It’s still pretty damn good. A fair few bad balls but the odd one grips.
“Great to hear The Spinners namechecked,” writes Peter Salmon. “My parents only had about 6 albums, there was Buddy Holly’s Greatest Hits, Holst Planets, Music to watch Girls By, Tchaikovsky 1812, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (featuring a cover of Please Mrs Henry) and The Spinners. Made it hard to pretend to be a rock star with my cricket bat, frankly.” Reminds me of a story from a few years ago at the Oval during a Championship match. Florence Welch was on the outfield during the tea break. Naturally, half the Surrey side gravitated towards her and ended up having a quick knock-about game of cricket in their interval. She had no idea who they were.
15th over: England 101-3 (Root 36, Stokes 13) For a moment, I was about to change tab and type up another wicket… instead, it’s a Root top edge for six! On a bigger ground he’s in trouble, but the swivel on the pull shot ensures Root gets it fine enough to go far enough.
An email from John Starbuck: “Well, at this rate we shan’t need to worry too much about the Windies run-chase being interrupted by rain around 5pm, shall we?” Pub by 3pm, dregs of the Sunday roast offerings. Easy.
14th over: England 93-3 (Root 29, Stokes 12) Stokes playing a shot-a-ball here – barring that early leave – as a back cut, off the toe of the bat, lands just short of Ashley Nurse at gully. Root, though, is starting to tick. Width from Holder is struck crisply through the off side for his fifth boundary.
Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999)
Isn’t it “England’s Limited Overs captain” @Vitu_E? No – on second thoughts you’re right – “England’s limited overs captain”. Very limited.
13th over: England 85-3 (Root 23, Stokes 10) Glorious from Stokes. Beats mid on, inside, with a well-guided on drive off Cummins and threads one through extra cover for three runs. “Sad to see Bairstow go as he is my absolute favourite England cricketer (thus cricketer per se),” writes Ian Copestake. “Is it just my misconception or has Jos Buttler had a lean run recently? Hope that changes today to make up for Bairstow’s demise.” I suppose by Buttler’s lofty standards, he has been on a lean run, certainly if we’re comparing his last 10 ODI innings to the 10 before that. Full innings list here. He’s due in next so should get the chance to build an innings rather than finish one off.
A rotten run of form continues for England’s limited overs captain. His first ball is a cracker, to be fair: Holder moving one across the left-hander, forcing him to play and finding an edge through to the keeper. Had another look just now. Did he have to play at it?
11th over: England 73-2 (Root 21) Miguel Cummins on for Jerome Taylor, immediately after the Power Play. He’s got a bit of extra pace but, perhaps because of his action, isn’t able to get the same kind of lateral movement as Taylor. As a result, Hales punches him down the ground for a glorious on drive. Reminscient of his one off Taylor in the ninth over:
Excellent review from Jason Holder. Miguel Cummins, first change, gets the ball to nip back in off the surface. The ball makes it way through to the keeper but via the front pad. Replays show impact in line and the projected path had the delivery clattering into leg stump.
Cummins appeals for lbw against Hales which is given out after a review. Photograph: Graham Hunt/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock
10th over: England 65-1 (Hales 29, Root 20) Strong end to the Power Play for England. The last five overs, despite seeing the wicket of Jonny Bairstow, also reaped 47 runs. Andrew Bentons is wondering about England’s record at Bristol. They’ve won the last 11 ODIs here.
“Simon McMahon’s sporting 5th over challenge is duly accepted (by the fraternal power of attorney vested in me at birth).” Morning Brian! “I think we can safely discount any suggestion that continued membership of the single market might be incompatible with state sponsored investment in our upper order. And unrestricted movement of labour from Eastern Europe has done little to restrict home grown opportunities at 2,3 and 5.”
9th over: England 61-1 (Hales 27, Root 18) Fifty up or England as Root watches an inswinger from Taylor onto the face of his bat and then away to the leg side fence. Hales takes over for the remainder of the over, driving superbly down the ground for four, then watching for the over-correction – shorter, wider – and flaying that over cover.
8th over: England 48-1 (Hales 19, Root 13) A bit of a clumsiness and a bit of class in the space of a few balls. Alex Hales in a nutshell. A plink down the ground – it sounded like he hit it with a bat you’d get at a seasside corner shop, with a ball and a set of stumps – *just* clears mid off, tracking back. Moments later, he plays a picture-perfect jab through midwicket for four.
7th over: England 40-1 (Hales 11, Root 13) Not a convincing start from Root, but with Taylor’s pace and swing, and a pitch that looks tough to trust, it’s understandable. An aerial flick through midwicket his hit hard enough to beat the fielder for height. A shorter ball from Taylor is pulled through square leg for a second, before a delightful whip along the floor through the same region makes it three fours in a row.
6th over: England 28-1 (Hales 11, Root 1) Another no ball – this time from Holder. Unlike Taylor, he’s unable to get away with the free hit. One in short is clouted over square leg for the game’s first six and Bairstow’s second boundary. Next ball, Holder ensures it’s his final one today. Joe Root in at three: plays and misses first ball, off the mark with his second.
“Ian Copestake would probably just say something inane like ‘change your hair change your life’,” writes Ian Copestake. “The kindly Brian Withington should go with his intuition.”
Just after feeling out of the middle, Bairstow is undone by a bit of bounce from Jason Holder. Attempts to work to the leg side but pops one back to the West Indies skipper.
Holder takes the catch to dismiss Bairstow for 13. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images via Reuters
5th over: England 19-0 (Bairstow 6, Hales 10) Still swinging for Jerome Taylor. And Bairstow’s still swinging, too. Hasn’t really felt one out of the screws so, last over, tries to hit the white off the ball, through square leg. Nothing but air. “Cocktails on Brian Withington’s brother if Jeremy Corbyn offers his thoughts on the Ashes squad in his speech next week?” Now there’s a gauntlet laid down by Simon McMahoan. “Plenty of lefties, lots of spin etc…”
4th over: England 17-0 (Bairstow 5, Hales 10) Both batsmen struggling to time the ball on this pitch. Perhaps Alex Hales’ form is desserting him?
Sure, he smoked it in the Royal London Cup and T20 Blast, but now against international quality, he’s been found wanting Hales smashes Jason Holder through backward point for four. Pure class. Get him on the plane.
England’s Spinners brought out a classic of their own last week:
3rd over: England 11-0 (Bairstow 5, Hales 4) Hales punches a no-ball off the back foot for two to wide third man. The free hit? Well, anything but… Taylor follows up with a stunning outswinging yorker that crashes into middle stump. The stats say this is the best ground for bowling swing in ODIs, since 2007. That swing almost brings about Bairstow’s demise as a leading edge flies in point’s direction. Luckily for England, it’s wide enough of Evin Lewis for the first boundary of the innings.
A thousand apologies. I’ve sold a lie to anyone buying. John Starbuck is on hand to put me right: “The Spinners were a four-man folk band and the members came from Liverpool, Lancashire and Jamaica. Not much Irish there, unless you accept, which many do (especially when they’re in The Beehive), that Liverpool is an Irish city.
“I’ve seen plenty of English folk groups and plenty of Irish ones too, and there is a difference, though a lot of people are ready to elide this.Of course, if we simply had more and better spinners in England there wouldn’t be any problem.”
2nd over: England 3-0 (Bairstow 1, Hales 1) Singles apiece for Jonny and Hales, both into the leg side. “Big dilemma,” starts Brian Whitington. “Cannot decide whether to proffer a stale ten penn’orth of opinion on the Ashes squad or attempt some riff on the Labour Party conference. Classic WWICS scenario – what would Ian Copestake say? Please keep us in suspense no longer…” Help us Ian Copestake. You’re our only hope.
1st over: England 1-0 (Bairstow 0, Hales 0) Shape straight away from the right-handers for Jerome Taylor. Decent nip, too. Needs it to be full otherwise it seems to be coming onto the bat nicely. That being said, Jonny Bairstow has trouble beating point with a couple of cuts. England get off the mark with a nudge off his hip to square leg.
“It’s Brizzle, not Brizzy!” writes Andrew Benton. “As in, rhymes with drizzle, though let’s hope for none of that. Where’s Brizzy?” What’s the OBO without a bit of creative license? Also, Brizzle doesn’t rhyme with “Breezy”. There you go.
Foo Fighters belting out around Bristol, as Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales take their positions. Bairstow facing the first ball. Jerome Taylor serving it.
Eoin Morgan drops the coin and then spins it incorrectly for Jason Holder to get a choice of going first. A bit of grass on the pitch – “odd-looking,” says Michael Atherton – and that’s enough for the West Indies to take the ball first. Morgan would have done so, too. England unchanged, West Indies bring in leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo for Keswick Williams.
ENGLAND: JM Bairstow, AD Hales, JE Root, EJG Morgan, BA Stokes, JC Buttler †, MM Ali, CR Woakes, AU Rashid, LE Plunkett, DJ Willey
WEST INDIES: CH Gayle, E Lewis, SD Hope †, MN Samuels, JN Mohammed, R Powell, JO Holder (c), AR Nurse, D Bishoo, JE Taylor, ML Cummins
Two ODIs played, England 1-0 up, one win away from taking an unassailable lead in this five-match series. Hope we’re all well on this Sunday morning. Vish here bringing you live action from Bristol, where it’s grey but keeping dry – West Indies cold but welcoming back Chris Gayle.
As ever, there are some matters at hand for England that extend beyond this format with an Ashes series on the horizon. Toby Roland-Jones, an Ashes banker, has come down with a stress fracture of his lower-back, opening opportunities up to the rest of the chasing pack. Steven Finn, with his eight-wicket haul for the last week for Middlesex, has pushed himself to the front of the queue. But what of Jake Ball or Liam Plunkett? The former has started this ODI series on the bench, while the latter’s red ball work hasn’t been all too great over the last year. Alex Hales has another opportunity to push his case for a middle order spot with some runs at the top of the order. New age team, 90s thinking right there.
With those distractions, England could get stung here. Bristol’s straight boundaries are small fry for international standards and, provided it stays dry, you fancy your chances chasing at this ground, with a lot of runs available to third man and fine leg. In the match against Ireland earlier this summer, spin played a prominent part, with Adil Rashid taking his maiden ODI five-fer. BORING SIDERBAR: Did you know, it’s because of Ireland that the Motown collective, The Spinners, had to be given a different moniker for the UK? Well, because of an Irish band at the time who went by the same name. That’s why you might be more familiar with The Detroit Spinners or The Motown Spinners. Any excuse to play this:
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England Cricket
