By The Telegraph (World News) | Created at 2024-09-27 10:40:33 | Updated at 2024-09-30 07:23:41
2 days ago
By Rob Bagchi
Good morning and welcome top live coverage of the fourth one-day international between England and Australia at a sold-out Lord’s. We ought to emphasise that ‘live’ as, by virtue of Harry Brook and Will Jacks at Chester-le Street, the series is still alive and, although the covers are on at a gloomy and moist Lord’s, the remarkable drainage system installed by MCC 20 years or so ago and a forecast which takes the threat if rain down from a 50 per cent likelihood at noon to 20 per cent at 1pm and five thereafter, we should have some form of game to enjoy even on a two-sweater day.
Lord’s ought to be a free-scoring ground in white-ball cricket but it rarely is, particularly on days when the pitch has had time to sweat under the covers. Remember the World Cup final in 2019? When we arrived at the ground early it was drizzly and we feared a long delay but in fact we started pretty much on time and the sticky pitch, as well as the magnitude of the occasion and consequent butterflies, made for a proper nipper of a match. That’s one thing this series has lacked. While there have been see-saw moments in matches, the results have been proper beatings. Lord’s usually gives us something far closer.
One suspects that England will not be experimenting with their line-up today other than possibly resting Jofra Archer for Olly Stone as they manage the building-up of his stamina as part of their long-term plan for the Champions Trophy, 2025-26 Ashes and 2026 T20 World Cup. Jordan Cox, Saqib Mahmood and John Turner, therefore, will have to be patient and Reece Topley is still ill and has gone home. Travis Head should return for Australia at the top of the order and Adam Zampa, a big miss in Durham, should be over the illness that has sidelined several members of the touring side’s white-ball squad over the past fortnight.
