Every Lord’s Test leaves imperishable memories, except perhaps the dismal New Zealand match in 1990 when Trevor Franklin constructed, brick by brick, a century of overwhelming tedium. It took him 11 minutes over seven hours, and he was out next ball, the rotter. Boo!
What memories shall we take from the second of this summer’s matches?
An extraordinary catch
Gus Atkinson batted jolly well for his maiden first-class century, and it took a catch of remarkable agility to end his innings on 118. For Milan Rathnayake to reach the ball at deep midwicket was impressive. To hold on as he took it over his shoulder, and retain it after he landed, was almost miraculous. The Lankan fielding was a thing of threads and patches. Some of it was comical. But this catch was one for the ages. It might not quite efface memories of Jack Bond’s catch in the Gillette Cup final of 1971, when he intercepted Asif Iqbal’s ferocious cover drive, but that is the Lancastrian in me talking. Bond and Rathnayake were separated in field position by 30 yards. So equal first, we shall say.
A straight bat
The most impressive feature of Atkinson’s innings may have been the way he settled himself when he walked to the crease with his team on 216 for six. Although Joe Root was batting beautifully the innings was in danger of disintegrating. Had the new boy gone early England may have been bowled out for 260. But he stayed to see Root to his century, and then applied himself to the task of making good his own start. There were plenty of rousing strokes on that first afternoon, two going down the ground for six, and two more lifted over the midwicket boundary. There was also the unmistakable sense, exhibited in a straight bat, that he was going to make the most of his opportunity. When the century arrived the following morning, with two of the most sapid off drives a No 8 can ever have played, it was a moment to savour. Another of the great Lord’s moments.
Prince Charming
‘Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair’. Not really. The lad from Dore, who still looks cherubic at 33, is not a seeker after personal glory. So it is no hardship to throw garlands his way, and he gathered a few more after making charming centuries in each innings. How good is he? A friend who has a deep love and knowledge of the game reckons he is one of the five greatest English batsmen, after JB Hobbs, WR Hammond, L Hutton, and PBH May. No DCS Compton? It’s impossible to resolve but one thing we can say with certainty is that Root is one of the supreme pleasure-givers, just as Compton was, and a bit later ‘Lord’ Ted Dexter. MP Vaughan, also of Dore, was another beauty. How fortunate we are to watch Root bat. Long may he run.
A presidential privilege
It was a boon to watch some of the match in the president’s box, where the company was excellent. Mark Nicholas and his wife Kirsten were splendid hosts, and the joy was boundless when Ed Atkinson celebrated his son’s great moment. He had more than one, of course, but the century stood out. MCJ has put eight pictures on the wall this year to honour those men, now dead, who did most to shape his life. They were his father, Peter; Colin Ingleby-McKenzie, the former captain of Hampshire; Richie Benaud; Lord Ted; David McCay, a friend from South Africa; Martin Crowe; Malcolm Marshall; and Shane Warne. So the departed live on, modified in the guts of the living.
The tender trap
Did David Boon, the match referee, have a word with the captains before the toss, informing them that he would punish them severely for the absence of a leg slip? Suddenly the ‘leg trap’, a regular feature of cricket in days past, became fashionable, with results that justified the deployment of catchers behind the batsman. It was like going back to prep school, where leg slips were obligatory if not compulsory. Top stuff!
Fourth day blues
It wasn’t pretty to see the home of cricket two-thirds empty on the Sunday. It’s the first week of September, of course, which ranks as late summer, and some Tests struggle to reach the fourth day, but it was a poor show. Is Test cricket too expensive? Well, some sad folk are happy to part with a king’s ransom to see a tribute band’s tribute band, which has reunited to pocket a cool million or five. Football is not cheap; neither is international rugby. There’s no easy answer.
Two thorns
When will some kind soul rid us of that infernal bore on the mic? Each morning, and during every interval, spectators have to put up with a waffler who must be paid by the word. We don’t need to be badgered about the necessity of behaving without prejudice, and keeping off the playing area. Shut up, man, and let us watch without verbal harassment. Also, the boundary is too short. This is not the Hundred, or T20, and its infantile obsession with sixes. The boundaries at third man (not ‘third’, please note, Alison Mitchell) fell short by 20 yards. It looks dreadful.
So to the Oval, where victory will give England their sixth win out of six, and conclude a summer in which they have discovered some things worth knowing. A low-key season, possibly, but not without significance.
It’s true that Trevor Franklin rarely caused a spike in the crowd when he was batting but many of us would have been happy to bat for 24 hours if the outcome was a test century at Lord’s. And if Franklin ever comes across Ponting and Tendulkar he can always ask them what was their highest test score at Lord’s- Ponting 42 and Tendulkar 37.
Your insistence on pointing out the use of ‘third’ (and on pinning it to one particular commentator) when it’s been used in the game for donkey’s years (as has the gender-neutral term ‘bat’ rather than batsman) is just as infantile as people liking sixes.