Bairstow and Woakes steady the ship

1.2264725-3700738246 — England’s Jonny Bairstow in action during the third day of the second Test against India in Lord’s on Saturday. Image Credit: Reuters

London: Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes led England into a strong position on the third day of the second Test at Lord’s on Saturday as their unbeaten 99-run partnership earned the hosts a significant lead of 123 runs over India.

England had stumbled to 89-4 in reply to India’s first innings’s score of 107, but Bairstow played confidently and was unbeaten on 62 at the interval while the returning Woakes (55 not out) notched up his fifth Test fifty as the hosts reached 230-5.

Bairstow hit eight boundaries and scored freely to keep pressure on the India bowlers and Woakes also struck eight fours following his two wickets on Friday.

Jos Buttler was the one wicket to fall in the afternoon session, trapped lbw for a breezy 24 by the impressive Mohammad Shami who claimed three wickets.

Earlier, England’s top order again failed with openers Keaton Jennings (11) and Alastair Cook (21) falling in successive overs.

The 20-year-old Ollie Pope impressed on debut but fell for 28 before captain Joe Root, strangely subdued, was lbw to Shami for 19 with the last ball before lunch.

Root was dismissed by a Shami off-cutter that came back sharply and kept low.

India, following Thursday’s total washout, had batted under overcast skies and on a green-tinged pitch in an innings that lasted a mere 35.2 overs.

James Anderson, England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker, took full advantage of the swing-friendly conditions with a return of five for 20.

By contrast, Saturday’s play started under sunny blue skies that promised to make life easier for the batsmen.

But England’s batting has often proved fallible recently.

In 17 Tests since Root became captain, England have been dismissed for under 300 in their first innings seven times.

But it was Shami who struck first when, from around the wicket, he had Jennings, aiming across the line, lbw for 11, with a wasteful review compounding his dismissal.

Five balls later Jennings’s fellow left-handed opener Cook was out as well.

Cook’s 21 featured four fours but he had no answer to a superb Sharma delivery from around the wicket that squared him up and seamed away before taking the outside edge on the way to wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik.

The exit of England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer meant 20-year-old debutant batsman Pope walked out with the hosts in trouble at 32 for two.

It took the Surrey right-hander just two balls to score his first Test runs when he flicked a Sharma inswinger behind square leg for four.

But a promising innings of 28 ended when Pope was lbw on the back foot to pace-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

Root, generously if unwisely, let Pope review the decision but Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar’s original verdict was upheld and England were 77 for three.

Then came Root’s exit and, with England having used up both their reviews, there was no delaying his departure.

Before Saturday’s play, both the England team and ground owners MCC made presentations to head groundsman Mick Hunt, who was overseeing his last Test pitch before retiring at the end of the season after 49 years on the staff at Lord’s.