England declare with lead of 352 runs over Ireland: Test match, day ...

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England rattled along at more than a run a ball. Their 524 came off 82.4 overs, which, if my arithmetic adds up, is 496 balls, plus one no-ball and three wides.

“The more England score,” says Pete Salmon, “the worse Crawley’s 56 looks, am I right? (I don’t like Crawley.)” Oof. Two points to make there. First, Root got 56 too, and he wasn’t facing the new ball. Secondly, I interviewed Crawley for Wisden when he was one of their Five Cricketers of the Year, and a nicer guy you could not wish to quiz. He was polite, modest and interested in other people. Any of us can argue with the policy of picking him, but let’s not take it out on him personally.

England declare!

The man in the bucket hat waves his arms, and England’s innings comes to an end. He may have been waiting for the lead to reach 350 as well as for Pope’s double hundred: it stands at 352, which should be enough. And the Ireland bowlers’ labours come to an end too, just as they were getting on top.

Wicket! Pope st Tucker b McBrine 205 (England 524-4)

Gone next ball! Dancing down again, but McBrine saw him coming and speared the ball wide of off.

200 to Pope! With a six

In style! Pope dances down the wicket to McBrine and hits a six to reach the fastest Test double hundred in England, by anyone. It’s taken him 207 balls. Some England No.3s would take that long to reach 42 not out.

82nd over: England 517-3 (Pope 199, Brook 8) Pope, who might quite like a two, can only get one as he runs the first ball of Adair’s over down to third man. Brook, who might want to play himself in, doesn’t bother. He inside-edges an attempted slog, then nails a pull for four off a not-very-short ball, and goes inside-out to chip over cover for three. “And the real dashers,” says Mark Butcher, “haven’t got in yet.”

81st over: England 509-3 (Pope 198, Brook 1) Brook, who collects a few ducks, has no trouble getting off the mark here, as he clips to leg and the man at midwicket misfields. Come on Ireland! This is your big chance.

WICKET! Root b McBrine 56 (England 507-3)

The breakthrough! Root goes down the track to McBrine, misses and hears a clink of timber. That’s good for the game, good for Ireland, and good for England, who can bring on Brook or Bairstow.

Tea! England just about on top

Time for tea, with England 331 ahead, with eight wickets in hand. As mismatches go, it’s a big one.

“If we’re counting,” says John Starbuck, “England’s score might have to have an asterisk appended, given that in the records the Ireland Test hardly counts. Unfair, but there you go.” I bow to John’s knowledge but I’m not sure I agree. Haven’t there been quite a few Test nations down the decades that went through this stage. We’ve seen mismatches involving Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, even India and New Zealand. We’ve even seen England being utterly hopeless. They all count, don’t they?

500 up! And a milestone for Root

80th over: England 503-2 (Pope 197, Root 52) Root, facing the persevering Campher, suddenly plays a false shot – a reverse poke that flies off the edge, and maybe the arm, for four. Then he makes up for it with a well-hit pull, for four more, which takes him to yet another Test fifty. The crowd are still going “Rooooot!” when he adds a single that takes him to 11,000 Test runs, the second Englishman to manage that after Alastair Cook. So, the second and the most watchable.

A hundred in a session for Pope

79th over: England 494-2 (Pope 197, Root 43) This morning Ben Duckett became the first man since the 1920s to get a hundred before lunch in a Lord’s Test. Now Ollie Pope has made a hundred between lunch and tea. He gets there with one of his least memorable shots, a nudge off the pads for a single.

78th over: England 489-2 (Pope 195, Root 40) A flurry of singles off Campher.

I’m not absolutely certain that Mike Atherton is reading this while he commentates on Sky and begins to write his match report for The Times, but if he is, we have a message for him. “Sorry Mike,” says Jan Colley, “but your touching faith that ‘presumably’ everybody here at Lord’s will get a match programme as part of their entrance ticket is misplaced. Nope. Another £6 I believe on top of the (relatively) bargain £70 for my seat. It’s obviously been a while.”

77th over: England 485-2 (Pope 193, Root 38) Something must have happened in this over from Fionn Hand, but I can’t for the life of me remember what.

More interestingly, here’s Pete Salmon. “Given the number 9 batsman scored 92 last time these teams played, is it time to start talking about the highest innings in Tests?” he wonders. “As everyone knows it is currently 952-6 by Sri Lanka in 1997, but might this be the thirrd time in all first-class cricket that 1000 gets breached? And the first time without Bill Ponsford scoring at least 350 of them?” Nice punchline!

76th over: England 480-2 (Pope 190, Root 36) A few more for Pope, who spots a slower ball from Campher and off-drives it for four, then gets away with a miscued pull.

75th over: England 472-2 (Pope 184, Root 34) A few more singles and a two off the over from Hand. The landmarks are coming thick and fast: the lead is now 300, and a few minutes ago we had the hundred partnership. It’s the third in a row at the top of the order, something (Cricinfo tells me) England haven’t done since Chennai in 1984-85. That was Foxy Fowler’s finest hour, not that it did him much good when his place was handed to Graham Gooch, fresh from a three-year ban for going on a rebel tour to South Africa.

74th over: England 466-2 (Pope 180, Root 32) Curtis Campher manages to get the plug in, conceding just two singles.

“In all the batting mayhem so far,” says Brian Withington, “I’ve yet to see any of the English team playing as well against Ireland as Robin Das did last week for Essex, with a superb maiden century on his first-class debut. He’s made a decent start to his T20 career this week, too. Remember the name.”

73rd over: England 464-2 (Pope 179, Root 31) McBrine gets a breather. I just hope he doesn’t look at the scoreboard, which reveals that he has none for 86 from 12 overs. On comes Hand, and Pope hooks him for six. England are right to be still batting, as the batters need some time in the middle, but wrong to be letting Pope go on and on.

His 150, by the way, is the joint second fastest in a Lord’s Test, level with someone called Bradman, behind someone called Duckett.

72nd over: England 455-2 (Pope 172, Root 29) Another over, another pull for four from Pope. Ben Stokes is watching from the balcony in England’s new bucket hat, which makes him look as if he’s just popped in on his way to hear the Lightning Seeds on the Other Stage.

71st over: England 448-2 (Pope 166, Root 28) A better over from McBrine: it only goes for ten. Pope picks up two from a reverse-lap and four from a hard-hit pull. Time to retire, surely.

150 to Pope!

70th over: England 438-2 (Pope 158, Root 26) A change of bowling, as Campher replaces Hume. No change of batting, as Pope plays a gorgeous dancing on-drive for four and a streaky nick for four more. That’s his first 150 in Tests. His previous best was 145 at Trent Bridge last summer against New Zealand, slightly more hard-earned than this.

69th over: England 427-2 (Pope 148, Root 25) McBrine is dishing up gentle offbreaks, so these two help themselves from the buffet. Pope goes down the track and hits a straight six, even though he didn’t quite get hold of it. Root then plays much the same shot, only better. After making 2 off 14 balls, he has 23 from his last 13.

“Hi Tim and welcome to the slugfest,” says John Starbuck. Thank you! “Mention of Bob Barber reminds me when I started watching Tests on TV. I well recall the sensation caused by seeing, for the very first time, Barber and Boycott walking out to open and Boycott didn’t have his sleeves buttoned down to the wrist! Another time.” That’s lovely.

68th over: England 411-2 (Pope 141, Root 16) Roooooot is in the groooooove now. He plays his signature shot, the no-force force past gully for four, off the first and last balls off this over from Hume. The first foes for four, the last for three, and that’s the 50 partnership off 49 balls.

Pope, in his new role as vice-captain, needs to get out now to give Harry Brook a go.

67th over: England 402-2 (Pope 141, Root 8) Adair continues, the ball keeps swinging, and Joe Root, thankfully, remembers that he’s Joe Root and glides to third man for two. There’s playing Bazball, as Duckett did, and there’s playing silly buggers, as Root was a few minutes ago when, with two runs to his name, he tried to reverse-shovel two balls in a row and missed them both. By reverting to his own game, he brings up the 400.

Thanks Jim and hello everyone. It’s the first big cricket event of the summer: the Lord’s Test mismatch.

66th over: England 397-2 (Pope 129, Root 5) A brace of boundaries to Pope take England to within a whisper of 400. Their lead stands at 225. With an afternoon of shenanigans still to come I’m going to take my leave and welcome Tim de Lisle into the OBO armchair (leather, just the right amount of give).

Thanks for your comments and emails, goodbye.

65th over: England 387-2 (Pope 129, Root 5) England loosen whatever flimsy shackles they were under, nine runs picked off Adair’s over with ease.

A good shout this from Peter Wyatt:

“Back in the 1960s England had an opener called Bob Barber, who at Sydney in January 1966 scored 185 out of an opening stand of 234 with Geoff Boycott by tea on the first day. So battered were the Aussies they went on to lose the Test by an innings. And yet he didn’t play much (28 tests, not all opening) as the selectors preferred the more sedate but reliable Boycott and John Edrich. I rather think the current regime would have taken a different view”

64th over: England 378-2 (Pope 123, Root 2) Root is trying to negate the movement by batting well out of his crease. Hume keeps him tied down and there’s just a single off the over. Well played Ireland for halting England’s rapid progress, for the time being at least.

63rd over: England 377-2 (Pope 122, Root 2) Pope drives on the up for four but is then hit on the pads and is lucky to survive. A leg-bye brings Root on strike and he is beaten on the outside edge by one that moves up the slope.

62nd over: England 369-2 (Pope 118, Root 2) Root gets off the mark with a push into the covers for two. This ball is nibbling about, Root hasn’t played a red ball innings since New Zealand in February, all of a sudden it looks a bit tricksy out in the middle.

61st over: England 366-2 (Pope 117, Root 0) Pope pulls Adair for four but the bowler responds well, this ball is moving around a bit and giving the batters a bit more to think about. Adair nearly pins Joe Root in front but a slight inside edge saves him.

60th over: England 361-2 (Pope 109, Root 0) Ireland had just had the Dukes ball changed and the replays of the wicket suggest that there’s a bit more life in the replacement – it definitely hooped back further than anything else we’ve seen so far.

Root plays the first ball of his innings. Photograph: Andrew Fosker/ShutterstockWICKET! Duckett b Hume 182 (England 361-2)

Graham Hume is driven for four through the covers by Duckett but responds by nipping one back down the hill which uproots the off stump! A wicket! Duckett takes the warm applause and departs, Joe Root is the new batter.

Duckett is bowled out by Ireland's Graham Hume for 182. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

59th over: England 353-1 (Duckett 177, Pope 109) England lead by 181 runs. Ireland look to be out of ideas but they are plugging along gamely. The sun is beating down, it can be a cruel game.

58th over: England 347-1 (Duckett 176, Pope 104) Duckett shows his sweeping skills, regular, reverse and a huge slog into the Mound Stand for England’s first six of the innings. Fourteen off the over.

57th over: England 333-1 (Duckett 162, Pope 104) A freshly tonned Pope nearly chops an off-cutter from Adair back onto his stump and decides against the back foot method. Next ball he dances down and imperiously drives Adair through mid-on for four. Shot of the day I reckon. There I said it. Adair pins him with a nip-backer off the last and there’s a strangled appeal but the Irish sagely don’t review.

56th over: England 329-1 (Duckett 162, Pope 100) Pope clips to leg and dashes a single to bring up his 100 off just 126 balls! A fourth century and a first at Lord’s.

Pope of England celebrates with his century with Duckett. Photograph: Andrew Fosker/Shutterstock

55th over: England 326-1 (Duckett 161, Pope 98) Righto, here we go. Is Ollie Pope going to get his name on the board at HQ? Not this over he’s not. A single takes him to 98 and Duckett, uncharacteristically faces five dots. Too many cumber sarnies, Ben?

The players are heading back out after taking on some sustenance. I had cucumber sandwiches in the media centre at Lord’s yesterday. For the first time in my life. Promise.

Here’s a link to to a list of names that Ben Duckett has now joined in scoring 100 runs before lunch. Thanks to Romeo for sharing.

“The last time someone hit 100 before lunch in a test match in England was the Sledghammer of Eternal Justice* against Bangladesh in 2005.”

*Ian Ronald Bell

https://www.espncricinfo.com/records/hundred-runs-before-lunch-283003

The wonderfully named Ettiene Terblanche suggests “Gilbert Jessop, Percy Fender, Charlie Nicholas, David Niven, Malcolm McLaren, Elvis Presley… sorry, I was channeling Sick Boy for a second there”

Choose Life, Ettiene.

Mark Allen toots the horn for Allan Lamb, I’m all for it.

Chris Lintott emails in: “Much more fun, surely, to come up with players who would have hated Stokes’ way of doing things. Can you imagine Boycott in the dressing room being gently encouraged to express himself? He’d have exploded.”

Al Camino wants to see Colin Milburn and Richard O’Hagan isn’t afraid to mix it up a bit:

“A controversial selection, but how about Chris Tavare? A free scoring batsman in county cricket, his good technique meant that he was often assigned the anchor role in Tests. He was a very good and attacking player of spin, who loved to hit slow bowlers back over their heads. His Test average is almost seven runs below his first class one as a result of all of this but I’m sure he would’ve thrived if he could’ve played the way that England do now”

That's Lunch

54th over: England 325-1 (Duckett 161, Pope 97) England head off for a sarnie having added 173 runs without loss in 29 overs. They’ve been motoring at a tick under a run a ball. It’s all been too easy - which does take away from the enjoyment a little.

Pope needs three runs for a fourth Test century. Duckett has nailed his place down for The Ashes, if it was ever in doubt. Back soon to discuss your time travelling BazBallers.

53rd over: England 323-1 (Duckett 160, Pope 96) Ben Duckett has now scored 100 runs in the morning session.

52nd over: England 315-1 (Duckett 157, Pope 92)

51st over: England 312-1 (Duckett 155, Pope 91) Duckett crunches Hand through mid-wicket for a couple and that takes him to 150! Kumar Sangakkara reckons that is the fastest Test 150 at Lord’s! The previous holder? Sir Donald Bradman. That’s not confirmed but in Sanga we trust.

50th over: England 301-1 (Duckett 148, Pope 87) Three hundred up. Duckett crunches two fours off McBrine, Pope rotates the strike easily and England rack up 14 from the over. Duckett is now on the brink of a very fast Test 150.

49th over: England 287-1 (Duckett 135, Pope 86) Fionn Hand, Ireland’s sole man in the wicket column, continues to plug away. Three runs off it, Pope might have eyes on three figures before lunch, we’ve got about ten mins to go til then.

48th over: England 284-1 (Duckett 133, Pope 85) Pope and Duckett finally get their act together and each peels off a boundary off McBrine. We haven’t yet seen a six so far in this innings – I have a feeling that could change this afternoon.