New Delhi: England resumed Day 4 on 50/1 while chasing a challenging 374-run target, but the hosts lost two early wickets in the first session. Joe Root and Harry Brook stitched an unbeaten 58-run partnership for fourth wicket as England post 164/3 at lunch in the Oval Test on Sunday, August 3. The Indian fast bowlers kept the pressure on the English batters as Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna picked up a wicket each.
Chasing the massive target, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett forged a 50-run partnership for the first wicket, but Siraj picked up a wicket on the last ball of Day 3. He removed Crawley for 14 with a yorker delivery which crashed onto the base of the off stump, and the batter wasn’t prepared for it.
Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett began the batting on Day 4 and stitched a 32-run partnership. Duckett completed his fifty but was dismissed by Prasidh for 54 with a fuller length delivery. Duckett looked to play a drive but didn’t quite commit to the front-foot, and the ball took a thick outside edge and flew to Rahul at second slip.
Siraj picked up his second wicket of the innings and removed Ollie Pope for 27. He bowled a wobble seam delivery and found some sharp seam movement back into the right-handed Pope, and the batter played outside the line, which made it impossible for him to defend it. After his dismissal, Harry Brook and Joe Root forged an unbeaten 58-run partnership for the fourth wicket at lunch on Day 4.
(more to follow)