Cricket has paused for strange reasons over the years — bad light, stray dogs, even bees. But Lord’s saw something new on Thursday. A swarm of ladybirds drifted onto the pitch late in the day, right as England tried to build a solid first-innings score against India.
At the Pavilion End, Ben Stokes and Joe Root were forced to stop as the insects clouded around them. Umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula Saikat gathered to work out what to do. There’s no clear rule for ladybird invasions. So they told the players to get on with it.
Stokes was seen batting away the insects while India’s Akash Deep stood at the top of his run-up. “Stokes then pulled away as Indian bowler Akash Deep was at the top of his run up, swatting the insects away with his hand,” reported The Athletic. Play carried on soon after, but not before Jasprit Bumrah was spotted looking fed up with the bugs swirling near him.
Root anchors amid the distraction
Away from the insects, Joe Root played exactly the sort of innings England needed. By stumps he was on 99 not out. He faced over five hours at the crease under clear London skies, never giving India a clear chance. He now has 3,000 Test runs against India and stands a run away from his 11th century against them, which would equal Steve Smith’s record.
Root’s knock showed England’s change in gear under Brendon McCullum and Stokes. The so-called ‘Bazball’ style was put aside for a more cautious approach. England reached 100 runs at their second slowest rate since McCullum took over. The first session felt unusually quiet for a team that’s tried to attack at all costs.
Early blows slow England
India struck early to drag the run rate down. Nitish Kumar Reddy made the first dent by removing Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in one over. From there, India’s pace attack of Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj kept the run flow tight. Spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar bowled a fifth of the day’s overs on a pitch that held up well for slow bowling.
India’s sharp fielding left Root and Stokes with few options but to dig in. Ollie Pope did his bit too, adding 109 runs with Root for the third wicket. Stokes then joined Root to put on an unbeaten 79 for the fifth. Together, they helped England reach 251 for four by the close.
Fitness worries stack up
England’s scorecard wasn’t the only concern. Stokes looked uncomfortable while running and needed treatment on a groin issue during play. He never left the field but his bowling could be affected. England’s bowling attack has already been under pressure. Jofra Archer only just returned after four tough years of injury. Brydon Carse struggled with a foot problem in the last Test at Edgbaston. Chris Woakes, now 36, showed signs of fatigue there too.
Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir is the only one without obvious fitness issues but his eight wickets this series have come at an expensive average of nearly 60.
India, meanwhile, have their own knocks to manage. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant had to leave the field with a finger injury. Dhruv Jurel took over behind the stumps for the rest of the day.
The ladybirds drifted off about 15 minutes after the close, according to The Athletic. Stokes and Root will pick up where they left off when play resumes. England’s fans will watch Root hunt down that single run for his hundred. Stokes will hope his groin holds up if England are to press on.
After a day where insects stole the headlines, the real question is whether England’s makeshift attack can keep India’s batting quiet when the time comes. One thing’s certain: Lord’s has seen stranger stoppages — but this one might just crawl into cricket’s history books.
At the Pavilion End, Ben Stokes and Joe Root were forced to stop as the insects clouded around them. Umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula Saikat gathered to work out what to do. There’s no clear rule for ladybird invasions. So they told the players to get on with it.
Stokes was seen batting away the insects while India’s Akash Deep stood at the top of his run-up. “Stokes then pulled away as Indian bowler Akash Deep was at the top of his run up, swatting the insects away with his hand,” reported The Athletic. Play carried on soon after, but not before Jasprit Bumrah was spotted looking fed up with the bugs swirling near him.
Root anchors amid the distraction
Away from the insects, Joe Root played exactly the sort of innings England needed. By stumps he was on 99 not out. He faced over five hours at the crease under clear London skies, never giving India a clear chance. He now has 3,000 Test runs against India and stands a run away from his 11th century against them, which would equal Steve Smith’s record.
Root’s knock showed England’s change in gear under Brendon McCullum and Stokes. The so-called ‘Bazball’ style was put aside for a more cautious approach. England reached 100 runs at their second slowest rate since McCullum took over. The first session felt unusually quiet for a team that’s tried to attack at all costs.
Early blows slow England
India struck early to drag the run rate down. Nitish Kumar Reddy made the first dent by removing Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in one over. From there, India’s pace attack of Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj kept the run flow tight. Spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar bowled a fifth of the day’s overs on a pitch that held up well for slow bowling.
India’s sharp fielding left Root and Stokes with few options but to dig in. Ollie Pope did his bit too, adding 109 runs with Root for the third wicket. Stokes then joined Root to put on an unbeaten 79 for the fifth. Together, they helped England reach 251 for four by the close.
Fitness worries stack up
England’s scorecard wasn’t the only concern. Stokes looked uncomfortable while running and needed treatment on a groin issue during play. He never left the field but his bowling could be affected. England’s bowling attack has already been under pressure. Jofra Archer only just returned after four tough years of injury. Brydon Carse struggled with a foot problem in the last Test at Edgbaston. Chris Woakes, now 36, showed signs of fatigue there too.
Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir is the only one without obvious fitness issues but his eight wickets this series have come at an expensive average of nearly 60.
India, meanwhile, have their own knocks to manage. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant had to leave the field with a finger injury. Dhruv Jurel took over behind the stumps for the rest of the day.
The ladybirds drifted off about 15 minutes after the close, according to The Athletic. Stokes and Root will pick up where they left off when play resumes. England’s fans will watch Root hunt down that single run for his hundred. Stokes will hope his groin holds up if England are to press on.
After a day where insects stole the headlines, the real question is whether England’s makeshift attack can keep India’s batting quiet when the time comes. One thing’s certain: Lord’s has seen stranger stoppages — but this one might just crawl into cricket’s history books.
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