James Wallace
Time for me to say farewell, thanks for your company and comments. Goodnight.
Day three STUMPS: England 130-6 and need 327 more runs to win (ahem)
Deepti Sharma threatens to run Ecclestone out backing up at the non-strikers end before walking back to her mark with a grin. Not sure Ecclestone say the funny side… England make it to the close but the match is a foregone conclusion. We’ve seen the final international innings of both Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight in that evening session, they would have dearly loved to make an impression in this fourth innings but Kranti Gaud and Sayali Satghare had other ideas.
India have been magnificent with bat and ball and they will get the win at some point tomorrow, how long they have to wait largely depends on the blade of Amy Jones.
40th over: England 130-6 (Jones 52, Ecclestone 1)
39th over: England 128-6 (Jones 51, Ecclestone 0) Amy Jones gets an inside edge to Rana and takes the single. I think we are headed into a fourth day, folks.
38th over: England 127-6 (Jones 50, Ecclestone 0) Shafali Verma on for a late dart. Amy Jones punches into the off side to bring up her second half-century of the match. She’s had a good game but would love to see her kick on and get a ton.
37th over: England 126-6 (Jones 49, Ecclestone 0) Sophie Ecclestone joins Amy Jones, shadows strewn across Lord’s and lots of hubbub around the bat.
WICKET! Mady Villiers c Ghosh b Rana 26 (England 126-6)
Late drama! Mady Villiers’ resistance is ended a few minutes before the scheduled close – sharp catch from Ghosh at mid off. Villiers can’t believe it but she has to go.
36th over: England 125-5 (Jones 48, Villiers 26) Oooof! Amy Jones has hearts in mouths as she swipes Deepti into the leg side and the ball goes over midwicket’s outstretched fingers by this much. Ten minutes left in the day.
35th over: England 120-5 (Jones 47, Villiers 25) Villiers drives compactly for a single. India have fielders all around the bat but this is good resistance from England.
34th over: England 118-5 (Jones 47, Villiers 24) Deepti Sharma switches to the Nursery End, India hunting a couple of late wickets to try and force the extra half an hour from 6.30pm. Villiers and Jones defy her though, and pocket three runs off the over.
33rd over: England 115-5 (Jones 46, Villiers 22) Jones clips two through midwicket to bring up the fifty partnership between herself and Villiers. Charani is then too full and put away for four by Jones in the same place. Sweet timing.
32nd over: England 107-5 (Jones 38, Villiers 22) Just as it was looking like England might push things into a fourth day Rana gets the edge from Villiers… but Bhatia spills the chance behind the stumps!
31st over: England 107-5 (Jones 38, Villiers 22) Shree Charani to Amy Jones. The bowler drops short and the batter pulls for four. Amy Jones heading to a second fifty of the match.
30th over: England 102-5 (Jones 34, Villiers 21) Rana gives it some air and gets one to spin back into Jones. It looks like it was sliding down but umpire Anna Harris raises the finger! Jones reviews… wisely – it was leg side and high. On we go.
29th over: England 100-5 (Jones 32, Villiers 21) Amy Jones is very nearly skittled playing back to Deepti Sharma, do not do that! The ball missing the off peg by a whisker. A single to cover brings up the England hundred and Lord’s explodes into giddy cheers offers up some perfunctory applause.
28th over: England 99-5 (Jones 31, Villiers 21) Amy Jones whips Rana into her boot and the ball flies just short of Rodrigues at short leg. The replay shows it might have hit the floor first so no mither. Nice from Villiers, she’s works for two to take England to the cusp of three figures.
27th over: England 96-5 (Jones 30, Villiers 19) Watchful stuff from Jones and Villiers, they collect a couple off Deepti Sharma after the drinks break.
The players take drinks at Lord’s.
Small matter of the Wimbledon men’s single final happening over the river right now:
26th over: England 94-5 (Jones 29, Villiers 18) Gaud sends down a full bunger that Amy Jones clubs away to the boundary at square leg. The next ball is a yorker that Jones does well to jam her bat down on in time. Four more! Amy Jones waits and waits for a short ball before pulling for four through the long shadows in the deep.
25th over: England 84-5 (Jones 19, Villiers 18) Deepti Sharma with close fielders all around the bat. She drops short and Villiers hauls her away through the on side for four.
24th over: England 80-5 (Jones 19, Villiers 14) Apologies I lost internet connection for some unknown reason and had to fire up the old personal hotspot in something of a tizz. Jones and Villiers are still there though and England are in danger of making three figures in their fourth innings.
21st over: England 64-5 (Jones 12, Villiers 5) How has that missed!? Rana spins one back and Villiers’ gate is like a gaping Grand Canyon. Heads in hands all round. Villiers gets four with a slap through off side but it was uppish and not entirely convincing.
India need five wickets to win.
England need 393 runs.
You stop it.
20th over: England 60-5 (Jones 12, Villiers 1) Mady Villiers joins Amy Jones and drops a single to get off the mark. England in danger of sliding to an embarrassing defeat this evening.
WICKET! Alice Capsey b Satghare 21 (England 59-5)
Bowled through the gate! Capsey attempts a booming drive and is beaten by a ball that jags back and crashes into middle stump. Satghare clean bowls Capsey for the second time in the match. India have just been too good with the ball.
19th over: England 59-4 (Capsey 21, Jones 12) Rana drags one down and Amy Jones doesn’t miss out with a powerful pull for four.
18th over: England 53-4 (Capsey 21, Jones 6) Capsey has settled nicely and picks up a brace of twos off the returning Satghare, the latter off an outside edge but she played with soft hands. The final ball of the over ploops into short leg’s hands but unlike Heather Knight a few minutes ago there was no edge from Capsey’s bat.
17th over: England 49-4 (Capsey 17, Jones 6) Just a single to Capsey off Rana. Bright sunshine still blazing at Lord’s, we’ll play to 6.30pm and if India are just a couple of wickets from victory then they can claim the extra half hour from there too.
16th over: England 48-4 (Capsey 16, Jones 6) Capsey times perfectly off her pads through midwicket for four. It would be stirring to see these two make India work for this, they have the shots and the technique to score runs at a decent pace. No one is thinking about an England victory but to take the match into a fourth day would be something of an achievement from here.
15th over: England 43-4 (Capsey 11, Jones 6) Jones flashes four past point the ball after nearly inside edging Rana onto her stumps.
14th over: England 36-4 (Capsey 8, Jones 2 ) Amy Jones is the new batter and she’s off the mark straight away with a nurdle off her pads for a couple. Over to the next generation.
Heather Knight is out and leaves the international stage for the final time!
WICKET! Heather Knight c Ghosh b Gaud 13 (England 34-4)
A classy way to go in the end. Knight gets an inside edge to Gaud and the catch is taken at short leg. Knight doesn’t mess about with reviewing, she stands for a second and then departs. The Indian players give her a guard of honour and there are warm handshakes from Harmanpreet and others.
The Long Room give her a standing ovation and the camera follows her back to the changing room. Farewell to England’s most-capped player – a modern great of English cricket.
13th over: England 33-3 (Knight 13, Capsey 7) Charani to Knight. A bit of sharp turn and bounce, the ball takes the pad and loops to short leg, India appeal but not convincingly and they don’t review.
12th over: England 31-3 (Knight 12, Capsey 6) Shot. Capsey gets on the front foot and drives Rana for four with real control. Two more clipped past square leg and time for a drink.
11th over: England 24-3 (Knight 11, Capsey 0) Double change and double spin as Shree Charani is introduced. Heather Knight is surrounded by close fielders. Beaten! Knight pokes out past her pad and nearly feathers behind. A single gets the retiring legend off strike and brings Capsey on strike. You can just feel that Capsey wants to play a big shot and scatter the chirruping fielders but she keeps her head down… for now.
10th over: England 23-3 (Knight 10, Capsey 0) Lovely flight and turn from Rana who celebrates with relish. Alice Capsey arrives to a short leg, slip and plenty of chatter. Capsey blocks out the over. Good captaincy from Harmanpreet there, she introduced spin and broke the partnership straight away. A wicket maiden, England need to show some mettle.
WICKET! Nat Sciver-Brunt b Rana 11 (England 23-2)
Rana spins one back into Sciver-Brunt and it hits her on the inside of the front pad, India appeal and the finger is raised! NSB sends it upstairs and DRS saves her! The ball was bouncing over…
GONE! England’s captain is definitively out the very next ball though, a missed sweep and the stumps splattered! She will not be happy with that shot.
9th over: England 23-2 (Knight 10, Sciver-Brunt 11) England’s experienced hands nudge and nurdle. Kranti Gaud is going to have a breather, Sneh Rana’s spin is summoned.
8th over: England 19-2 (Knight 7, Sciver-Brunt 10) Sciver-Brunt cuts Gaud for four in a much more authoritative fashion. Gaud chastises herself for offering a bit too much width, she finishes with three dots to finish her fourth over.
7th over: England 14-2 (Knight 6, Sciver-Brunt 6) Knight picks up a single to point and Sciver-Brunt then collects her first boundary in the same region, both were hit uppishly but both batters are looking to get out to the ball and not be caught on the crease like Beaumont and Bouchier.
6th over: England 9-2 (Knight 5, Sciver-Brunt 2) Close! Sciver-Brunt nearly chops on attempting to punch Gaud into the off side, the ball flies off the inside edge past the stumps for two runs that get the England captain off the mark. Gaud is on the money for the rest of the over, 70mph and on a postage stamp around off stump.
5th over: England 7-2 (Knight 5, Sciver-Brunt 0) Satghare is getting some decent movement with the new Dukes, she hoops a few into Knight who defends with a straight bat. A maiden.
4th over: England 7-2 (Knight 5, Sciver-Brunt 0) Gaud is zeroing in once more on stumps and front pad. Knight clips a single and NSB defends. If one of these two goes cheaply then this game could very well finish this evening.
3rd over: England 6-2 (Knight 4, Sciver-Brunt 0) Nat Sciver-Brunt joins Knight in the middle. What a start for India, they’ve put the ball in the right place and reaped the rewards. NSB is watchful and blocks out a maiden, a wicket maiden.
WICKET! Maia Bouchier lbw b Satghare 2 (England 6-2)
Gone! Maia Bouchier goes back to a full ball and is pinned slap BANG in front of all three. The finger goes up and Heather Knight tells her there is no point in reviewing. England two down!
2nd over: England 6-1 (Bouchier 2, Knight 4) Phew. As Beaumont departs Heather Knight enters the fray for the final time. How are your tear ducts? Kranti Gaud has her dander up, is she about to see off another England great? No! Knight chops down off the back foot and hits her first ball for four!
Big shout for lbw! Oh my days, India go up en masse as Gaud nips on back into Knight but after what seems like an age they opt against a review. Rightly so, it hit Knight outside the line.
WICKET! Tammy Beaumont b Gaud 0 (England 2-1)
Tammy Beaumont is bowled first ball by Kranti Gaud! It is a beauty from the bowler that nips back and takes the top of off stump, Beaumont stands for a few seconds with a wry smile curling at her lips, there wasn’t really anything she could do, it nipped back and beat her defensive prod.
Tammy Beaumont takes her leave from the international scene, the India players give her a guard of honour and the England players and staff stand and applaud her. Farewell, Tammy, thanks for the runs and memories.
1st over: England 2-0 (Bouchier 2, Beaumont) Sayali Satghare starts with the ball for India. Bouchier is off the mark with a clip off her pads for two. Crikes! We nearly have an Alex Carey/Jonny Bairstow Ashes 2023 moment as Bhatia underarms the stumps down with Bouchier looking like she might’ve toppled out of her crease… NOT OUT. Phew. Bouchier’s heel was back behind the line. That would have set a few chins wagging!
Bouchier and Beaumont mark their guards. Can England make a decent fist of this? The wicket looks to have flattened out a little, there are still plenty of runs to be made out there. Let’s play!
Tammy Beaumont is stood in her pads on the boundary edge, just taking it all in. In a few moments she will come out to bat in international cricket for the final time.
“That was a commanding batting performance from India” writes Guy Hornsby.
“We did well to come back from 160-odd for 1 but really 456 to win is beyond even the most optimistic of bazzballers. This is about showing we won’t fold twice in a row. The romantic in me would dream of a Tammy and Heather ton to save us on Day 4, but let’s be real, it’s unlikely to happen. But there’s a big difference between a gusty late day 4 loss and being skittled out to lose by 300. Let’s see which plays out.”
They’ve taken tea at Lord’s. Richard Gould is about to talk to Nick Knight on Sky about the sacking of McCullum. The timing seems very curious, especially in the middle of a landmark women’s Test match, can only think someone was about to leak it and forced the ECB to announce early.
India declare on 341-7 (Eng need 457 to win)
Richa Ghosh taps a single to cover and goes to fifty… there’s the wave from the balcony! Harmanpreet calls them in, England are put out of their misery… for the time being.
86th over: India 340-7 (Ghosh 49, Satghare 18) No need to farm the strike from Sayali Satghare! She slaps three boundaries off Lauren Filer, through gully, point and square leg. Easy pickings, England have well and truly wilted.
85th over: India 327-7 (Ghosh 48, Satghare 6) ‘Ave it! Ghosh launches Ecclestone down the ground for a one bounce four. She tries the same the next ball but drags it straight to Issy Wong at long on and she DROPS a simple chance. It’s been that sort of Test match for England. Harmanpreet has a little chuckle on the balcony.
84th over: India 322-7 (Ghosh 43, Satghare 6) Filer is chopped for a single behind point by Ghosh. Harmanpreet is now stood on the balcony…
83rd over: India 321-7 (Ghosh 42, Satghare 6) A single to Ghosh and five dots blocked back from Satghare. India obviously want to grind England into the dirt and they have absolutely earned the right to do that. Some stubborn English resistance that takes things into tomorrow afternoon might just get them wondering about this passage play though that does seem a long shot. I reckon we might well see plenty of wickets tumble this afternoon and early evening.
82nd over: India 320-7 (Ghosh 41, Satghare 6) Harmanpreet Kaur is beaming and luxuriating in her team’s position in the St John’s Wood sunshine. And why not. Satghare punches Lauren Filer for four behind point to streeeeetch the lead still further.
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