India skipper Shubman Gill and fast bowler Mohammed Siraj had a few words for England's batters during day one of the Lord's Test.
England rein in 'Bazball' on day one of Lord's Test
England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat first for a change; having won the toss and chosen to bowl at Headingley and Edgbaston previously in the series.
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The hosts made a sedate start by their own standards, openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley making it to 35-0 in 10 overs. England went to lunch on the opening day at 85-2 in 25 overs, scoring at 3.32 per over – very much a departure from their quick-scoring in the last few years, thanks to a combination of a slow-ish wicket and some tight bowling from India.
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'Welcome back to boring Test cricket'
The approach of England's batters did not go unnoticed by the fielding side, who made sure to let them know about it. India skipper Gill fired the first proverbial shot, loudly exclaiming early in the second session, “No more entertaining cricket here lads! Welcome back to the boring Test cricket here, boys!”
Fast bowler Siraj was not to be left behind. Immediately after beating Joe Root, he said, “Baz, Baz, Bazball, come on, I want to see it.”
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England's commitment to playing attacking cricket since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took charge of the team in 2022 has drawn the ire of fans at times, with the team occasionally perceived to be more focussed on entertaining rather than securing results.
Their approach came in for criticism from former England international Mark Butcher after the Edgbaston Test last week, as they were able to survive only 68.1 overs in the final innings, losing a game that, in Butcher's words, was “unforgivable” not to see out, at least for a draw.
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