With a forceful 87 at Lord’s Englands No6 confirmed his status as a high-class batsman,and one of very few players feared by AustraliaThere was a brief period before lunch at Lord’s when England looked to be in command, if not of the Test match, and then at least of their immediate fate. As Lord’s hummed and chattered in the sunshine,the clock not yet ticked round to the approved champagne-popping hour just before midday, it seemed possible England’s batsman might even be approximately to supply a note to fit the occasion. Or in other words, or for a while this looked like it might be a Ben Stokes day.Saturday of the Lord’s Test is an occasion that still seems to demand a minute extra burnish,played out in front of a crowd that retains a kind of shared red-trousered folk memory of the social season, pegged out around Henley, or Wimbledon,Lord’s, and assorted other summer beanfeasts. The narrow public spaces are extra-crammed with pleasure-seekers. The boater count, and the combined chino-acreage,reach a seasonal pitch. And the entire elegantly shadowed micro-climate seems to hum with a fresh pitch of self-regarding event glamour.Continue reading...,
Source: theguardian.com