LONDON (AP) — India collected four wickets and England stumbled to 98-4 by lunch on a lively fourth morning of the third test at Lord’s on Sunday.
Mohammed Siraj took two wickets and Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep got the others.
Joe Root was 17 not out at the interval with captain Ben Stokes on 2 and England was leading by 98 runs in its second innings.
The pitch was offering plenty for the seamers with deliveries flying off a length, rearing up almost dangerously. It was such a minefield that England seemed fortunate to lose only two wickets in the first hour while Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj hurled the new ball.
In Bumrah’s five-over morning spell, he smashed Zac Crawley twice on the gloves and conceded three boundaries but all of them were uncontrolled edges. Siraj took the wickets from the other end.
Ben Duckett went first on 12, swatting straight to mid-on. Siraj followed through by screaming “Come on” twice in Duckett’s face and they brushed shoulders.
It seemed to be a hangover from the first episode of spikiness in the series at the end of Saturday’s play. India was riled by Crawley’s deliberate time-wasting to prevent India from bowling more than one over.
Siraj then got Ollie Pope next for 4, lbw to one that nipped back and would have hit the top of middle and leg. Siraj successfully reviewed to overturn the umpire’s not out decision.
Crawley’s brave but skittish innings finished in the 15th over, driving at Reddy and edging to Yashasvi Jaiswal at backward point. While the Indians celebrated Jaiswal finally taking a catch — he dropped four in Leeds — Reddy seemed to be giving the departing Crawley a verbal spray. Reddy got Crawley, 22 off 49 balls, for the second time in the match.
As the ball got older and became somewhat easier to play, Brook relieved the tension.
He scooped Deep twice to the boundary then crashed the next delivery into the members’ pavilion. But Deep got his revenge when Brook swept and Deep bowled him around the pads, flattening his middle stump for his first wicket of the match, and first wicket since his 10-for in Birmingham. Brook was out for 23 off 19 balls.
Stokes, before he got off the mark, edged Deep but the ball didn’t carry to second slip.
England may have only nine wickets to play with in its second innings. Whether the injured Shoaib Bashir bats may depend on the situation. He injured the little finger of his non-bowling left hand on Saturday after lunch and didn’t return to the field. England said on Sunday he will bowl again if India bats a second time.
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