Second day of the Test

I suspect that most of the media coverage will lead with Jimmy Anderson’s fifer.

However – in true Rust left-field style – I would like to lead off with two people who did not make a mistake all day- umpires Michael Gough and Richard Illingworth.

To call a LBW correctly, as they did consistently, requires both vision and visualisation.

Where precisely did the ball strike the batsman and would it have gone on to hit the stumps?  That  decision has to be made quickly and without help and in the knowledge it could be overruled.

On every occasion their first call was the correct one.

We saw last soccer season how VAR could ruin a game and in the recent Lions Tests how TMO could extend a 80 minute game by half an hour.

Get it right first time and the game continues quicker.

The match is now well poised.

England could have a familiar collapse but, with Root and Bairstow occupying the crease with Joss Buttler, Moeen Ali, San Curran and Ollie Robinson to bat, they should get at least within 50 runs of India’s total.

If so I suspect India will play safe to set an unachievable target and too little time to make it.  No rain is forecast so we may have an intriguing final day.

I was back in the hotel in time for Brentford’s win over Arsenal.

I remember once Carlisle leading in the top tier after 3 games and still being relegated so it’s early days.

However Brentford who are so well run and play a fluent fluid passing game will, I believe, survive.