 "Harry Brook and Jamie Smith’s epic stand delays India's triumph in Edgbaston Test")
A curious Day 3 then at Edgbaston, bookended with moments of great Indian success – the tourists’ lead of 244 with nine wickets remaining already a daunting prospect for England to overcome – but dominated by two Englishmen, Harry Brook and Jamie Smith, without whom we might have already seen the series squared at 1-1.
A partnership for the ages
When they came together things could scarcely have been much bleaker for England. Ten balls into day three and they had lost their best batsman Joe Root and captain Ben Stokes to successive deliveries – the first golden duck of the England skipper’s Test career. Oh and they were still over 500 runs behind India’s first innings total.
You would have been forgiven if you were an England fan for wanting to cry and go home. Some of those watching on in the Hollies Stand perhaps regretting that in that moment they were dressed as Fred Flintstone while this massacre played out in front of them.
However, although it is sometimes to their detriment, apparently this England side doesn’t know how to take a backwards step, and Brook – his abominable spell of batting before the close on Day Two seemingly long forgotten – and Smith, soon set about the herculean task of trying to drag their team back into the game.
In under an hour they had doubled England’s score, Smith sending them absolutely romping into the drinks break with 23 runs from a Prasidh Krishna over – the ball sailing over the ropes and into them with equal aplomb.
Brook-Smith masterclass revives England
The menace of India’s bowling attack at the start of the day was now a long-forgotten dream for the visitors, their bowlers made to look increasingly pedestrian by the English pair with every passing minute.
Milestones that would have seemed farcical two overs into the day were being knocked off with nonchalance. The 100 partnership from 89 balls, England’s 200 and then the 150 partnership soon screamed into view.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIt takes something special to be a batsman outscoring Harry Brook in a partnership, but that is exactly what Smith was doing – capitalising on India’s unsuccessful short ball ploy to find the boundary with easy regularity.
He was racing towards the record for England’s quickest Test hundred, but in the end would have to settle for equal fourth fastest, sweeping Ravi Jadeja into the leg side for four to bring up three figures just before lunch.
Brook joined him in the hundred club just after the break, India looking increasingly short of ideas of how to remove either man.
There was an insouciance to their batting and at times such strong shades of Kevin Pietersen from both men that you wondered whether they were discussing rhino conservation together in the breaks between overs.
By tea England were 355/5, Brook and Smith had put on an astonishing 277 together in just under two sessions – even so the deficit still stood at 235 runs. They would take their partnership past 300 and England to the cusp of saving the follow-on, 200 runs behind, when Akash Deep – freshly armed with the shiny new ball – seamed one back through the defences of Brook, clattering his stumps and bringing the monumental stand to a close.
Also Read | Harry Brook and Jamie Smith smash records as England mount thrilling comeback against India at Edgbaston
A formidable lead for India
With an end now open, India and Mohammad Siraj in particular, wielded that new ball with malice. England experienced a precipitous collapse that saw them lose their last five wickets for just 20 runs. It meant they finished on 407, Smith not out on 184 – the highest score in Tests for an England wicketkeeper.
It was one of the more bizarre scorecards in memory, two scores over 150 and then nothing else higher than 22, with six ducks thrown into the mix for good measure – Brydon Carse’s claiming the ignominious honour of being the 10,000th in Test history.
England would not enjoy anything like the same success with their effort with a new ball and by close India’s lead had stretched to a formidable 244 – without the intervention of Brook and Smith however, this game might very well already be wrapped up.
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