November in England is not generally noted as a prime time for insect sightings, but a combination of warmth and sun brought them out today.
I mentioned yesterday that it was unseasonably warm. The trend continued today, and unlike yesterday, which was virtually unremittingly grey, it has been sunny for much of today. The combination of sun and warm temperatures has brought the insects out in some force.
THE FIRST SIGN
The very first picture I took this morning was a portent of things to come…
A blurry picture of an insect on a green leaf. The tree, to which this leaf is still attached, is on the private road that runs behind my house.
THE FIRST HUGE SURPRISE: A BUMBLEBEE
It was during my second walk of the day, in the early afternoon that things really became strange for an English November (which month we are now into remember). In the Kettlewell Lane woods I spotted a large bumblebee, not a creature that one normally sees at this time of year in England.
A large bumblebee at rest on a big green leaf. In the bottom left of the picture as you look is a fly, large by the standards of such creatures but significantly smaller than the bee.
A RED ADMIRAL
Walking on the path alongside Bawsey Drain (the section between Losinga Road and Columbia Way) I was given another way off-kilter sighting – a Red Admiral Butterfly. Given its physical state it may possibly be a freakishly long lived survivor, but to see such a creature around in November is frankly ridiculous, and more than a little disturbing.
A red admiral butterfly resting against a wooden fence This one is in very poor physical condition, with major damage to its wings.
PHOTOGRAPHS
My usual sign off…
The first of three good pictures I got of last night’s half moon. A hover fly on a leaf (see next pic for a closer up version)A squirrel on a tree trunk.A wasp and two flies on a tree trunk.The bumblebee.Hoverfly on a thistle flower.The first of three shots of the Red Admiral
A look at developments at Edgbaston where India now have pretty much a complete stranglehold on proceedings and a photo gallery.
When I wrote yesterday’s post the sixth wicket stand between Harry Brook and Jamie Smith was still in progress. This post takes the story forwards from there.
THE END OF THE ENGLAND FIRST INNINGS
The great partnership between Smith and Brook that had partially revived England’s fortunes ended at 303 when Brook fell for 158. England were exactly 200 runs adrift at that point, needing one more to eliminate any chance of being made to follow on (India probably would not have enforced it anyway). They managed that, but not a whole lot more, as Mohammad Siraj and Akash Deep bowled magnificently with the second new ball to slice through the England lower order like a hot knife through butter. The innings ended when Siraj disposed of Josh Tongue and Shoaib Bashir in successive deliveries, his fifth and sixth scalps of the innings, giving him 6-70 on an absolutely plumb pitch. Deep had the other four wickets, also impressively cheaply on such a surface. England’s 407 was the lowest all out test innings to feature two 150+ scores (at Headingley in 1948 Australia scored 404-3 on the last day to win by seven wickets, with Morris scoring 182 and Bradman 173 not out, the last of his 29 test tons), and was also unique in featuring both two 150+ scores and six ducks (this is itself a joint test record, and unsurprisingly most of the totals to feature that number of ducks have been a lot smaller than 407). India thus had a lead of 180 on first innings.
INDIA PUSH ON
England managed one wicket before the close of play yesterday, by which point India were over 240 ahead. Thus today started with England in urgent need of early wickets. They did not get them, with Karun Nair and KL Rahul being the only casualties of the morning session. India took lunch on 177-3, with Pant and Gill both playing well in their respective styles. The afternoon began at rapid tempo, with Pant in particular going hard. Pant had been badly dropped by Crawley early in his innings, but the other England opener Duckett made no mistake when Pant failed to get quite enough on an attempted big hit off Bashir having hit 65 off 58 balls. That was 236-4, and in order to keep the left/ right handed combination going Jadeja was promoted ahead of Reddy to number six. Just before tea Gill reached his second hundred of the match, only the second Indian to have a double century and a century in the same test match (Sunil Gavaskar scored 124 and 220 against the West Indies in Trinidad in 1970). India went in to tea on 304-4, 484 ahead – already 66 runs more than any side has scored in a test match fourth innings to win. They have just resumed, probably planning to bat another hour, then have a go at England tonight, resume tomorrow with the ball still fairly new and the bowlers having had a night’s rest, and then be able to have a burst with the second new ball at the end of tomorrow if they have not already finished things by then. England are still talking about going for the win, which will surprise no one familiar with this iteration of England, but the truth is India are indeed in total control, and an England win from here would be an almighty shock.
PHOTOGRAPHS
My usual sign off…
Five hoverflies in one frame – three on the large dandelion head and two hovering nearby.
A look at developments in the test match between England and Sri Lanka at Lord’s, including a history making innings by Joe Root.
This post is mostly concerned with goings on at Lord’s where England and Sri Lanka are engaged in a test match. It follows on from the post I put up yesterday.
YESTERDAY
Sri Lanka lost their eighth wicket as I was preparing yesterday’s post for publication. The final two wickets offered a little more resistance, but Sri Lanka were all out for 196 in the end, giving England a lead of 231. Each of the four seamers had two wickets, Bashir one and there was a run out. England could have enforced the follow on, but even though they had not spent that long in the field and the chance of two shots at Sri Lanka, overnight and this morning, offered extra reasons for going for the quick kill they followed standard 21st century practice and declined to do so. Lawrence was out in the mini-session of batting they gave themselves. To his credit Pope did not shelter behind a nightwatcher, he came in himself. England were 25-1 at the close, 256 ahead overall.
TODAY
Duckett was first to go this morning, caught by Mathews off Rathnayake for 24 to make it 36-2. That brought Joe Root to the crease, and he carried on where he had left of in the first innings. Pope was third to go, to a really terrible dismissal, playing a ball from Asitha Fernando straight into the hands of Prabath Jayasuriya. Brook and Smith each played well briefly, making 37 and 26 respectively. Woakes made just 5. Atkinson made 14 before suffering what was easily the most bizarre dismissal of the match, reverse swishing (the only way the shot he played can be described) Asitha Fernando straight into the hands of Lahiru Kumara. Root was approaching the century that would move him into sole possession of the record for test hundreds for England, but he lost another partner, Matt Potts for just 2 before the landmark approached. Appropriately when the historic moment came it arrived with considerable style – no snatched single for Root to reach this ton – he stroked a four through the covers to move from 98 to 102. A declaration at that moment would have attracted little criticism, but England batted on rather purposelessly (if ever the cliche ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’ is justified it is for this period of play) until they were all out for 251, setting Sri Lanka 483 to win with time not a factor, since there are still two full days to play. Only once has 400 been scored in the fourth innings of a Lord’s test and that was in a losing cause, though there have been two huge run chases at this ground in the past – Cambridge University chased down 507 v MCC in 1897 and four years later in the marquee fixture of the season (no tests that summer) The Players chased down 501 to beat The Gentlemen. Sri Lanka have just lost their first wicket, with Root taking a catch off Atkinson to get Madushka for 13 and make it 19-1.
FROM THE CHAMPIONSHIP
A round of county championship fixtures is in progress (except for Gloucestershire v Northamptonshire, abandoned by order of the umpires on ground of a dangerous pitch and Warwickshire v Kent, where the visitors, already pretty much nailed on for relegation, have surrendered by an innings margin), and I have been using cricinfo to keep tabs on Nottinghamshire v Surrey. Nottinghamshire are making a decent fight of it, largely thanks to 19 year old left hander Freddie McCann, who came in at number three after the loss of an early wicket, and in only his third first class innings scored 154.
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