England v West Indies: third Test, day four – live!

From a drier area of the country, a lovely piece by Tumaini Carayol on watching cricket at The Oval yesterday.

Good morning from Manchester where weather is dark, wet, grey and miserable. The pavements are puddle-wet, the sodden buddleia bows low, hoods are zipped, velcroed, pulled tight. In short, play will not be starting on time.

Which is a shame for England, surely only a session or two from regaining the Wisden Trophy, and who from a stolid start yesterday afternoon thumped to an unassailable lead of 398 before West Indies slumped to 10 for 2 as the evening slipped away. For West Indies, temporary relief, and a glimmer of a chance of holding on for a draw.

Should the clouds part, all eyes will turn to Stuart Broad, who is one wicket away from the magic 500 where he will join the elite club of Courtney Walsh, James Anderson, Muttiah Muralitharan, Anil Kumble, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. Does, my son asked me as I typed out this list over breakfast, that make Broad the second best fast bowler of all time?

While we wait, two legends from the vintage vault: