England v India: first men’s cricket Test, day three – live

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Sounds daft now, but England’s 2-2 draw at home to West Indies in 1991 was that generation’s equivalent of the 2005 Ashes. In this paper, Selve wrote that it “represents quite possibly the most stirring of post-war deeds and arguably the grandest of them all”.

Syd Lawrence played a key part in that, hustling a second-innings five-for on a flat Oval track. It was his first five-for in Tests – and his last. At Wellington A few months later, in the last session of a nailed-on draw in a series that had already been decided, he steamed in at full pelt, because that was all he knew. He suffered a fractured kneecap, one of the most horrific injuries ever seen (and heard) on a cricket field, and at 28 his career was effectively over.

He was so indomitable that he made a brief comeback for Gloucestershire in 1997. Those four games, in which he took eight wickets at 45, are the greatest testament to his character.

Read Andy Bull on Jasprit Bumrah

The fielders finally held on to one in his third spell, when he had Joe Root caught at slip. Then in the final over he bounced out Harry Brook with what turned out to be a no ball. By stumps, he had taken three for 48, and it could easily have been double the first number. His teammates had none for 149 between them.

RIP Syd

Gloucestershire legend David Lawrence and current captain James Bracey with the T20 Blast trophy after Gloucestershire’s victory last summer. Photograph: Gareth Copley/ECB/Getty Images

David Lawrence dies aged 61

Some desperately sad news this morning: David ‘Syd’ Lawrence, England fast bowler of the 1990s and one of the finest men ever to play the game, has died aged 61. We’ll have more shortly but Taha wrote a terrific piece about him for The Spin last week. The headline is especially poignant.

Preamble

Our thoughts at this time are with those who don’t like Test cricket. What is wrong with you losers? A pulsating second day at Headingley was the latest reminder that this is the greatest sporting format of all. Always has been (well, since 1877), always will be (well, until, you know).

There’s every chance today will be equally exhilarating, maybe even more so. England will resume on 209 for 3, a deficit of 262, with Ollie Pope on 100 and Harry Brook 0 not out in his second innings. Pope’s century, his finest innings on home soil, was a gem.

Once upon a time, defiant batting meant over-my-dead-body, but Pope – under so much pressure going into this game – breezed to a hundred from only 125 balls. The ovation he received was a lovely moment for one of the good guys.

Oh, just one more thing. Jasprit Bumrah, bloody hell! He was almost a one-man attack yesterday, taking all three wickets and having Brook caught off a no-ball. Bumrah’s overall Test record, 208 wickets at 19.35, is that of an all-time great, but in the last 18 months he has starting putting his tanks of SF Barnes’ lawn.s

For various reasons, Bumrah didn’t play a Test between July 2022 and December 2023. Since his return at Centurion for the Boxing Day Test, he’s taken 80 wickets in 16 Tests at an average of 15.13. It gets better: 14 of those 16 Tests have been against South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and England.

Great bowlers have carried their teams in the past – Ilford 2nds and all that – but it’s hard to remember the last time a team as good as India were so dependent on one bowler. Here’s the breakdown since the start of the Border/Gavaskar Trophy in November.

• Bumrah 35 wickets at 13.31

• The rest 48 wickets at 40.91

Bumrah’s spell this morning will set the tone for the rest of the day, the rest of the match, maybe the rest of the series.