This is not just Jamie Smith’s third 50 in five Test innings. It’s his third 70. He started as he meant to go on, with 70 against West Indies at Lord’s. Since then he has made 6, 36 and 95, also against the Windies, and now 72 not out in his first brush with Sri Lanka. He just could be England’s Adam Gilchrist.

It’s raining harder now, Ian Ward reports. Next to him, Kumar Sangakkara is holding an umbrella while still wearing his tinted glasses, surely the funkiest specs ever sported by a former president of MCC.

60th over: England 252-6 (Smith 67, Atkinson 3) Smith, full of beans again after that spell of inertia, clips Jayasuriya into the leg side for two – not once, not twice, but three times. England lead by 16.

59th over: England 244-6 (Smith 60, Atkinson 2) Again, de Silva declines to go in for the kill, keeping Mendis on with his part-time spin. Gus Atkinson settles in with a single or two as Smith, his county colleague, shows as much faith in him as he did with Woakes.

58th over: England 239-6 (Smith 57, Atkinson 0) Well done Prabath Jayasuriya, who has been tireless, accurate and occasionally lethal. He now has two for 50 off 20 overs.

56th over: England 231-5 (Smith 50, Woakes 24) Smith’s 50 comes up off 81 balls with only four boundaries – three fours and a very handsome six.

55th over: England 230-5 (Smith 49, Woakes 24) Remember the daisy-cutter that brought Shoaib Bashir a wicket yesterday? Vishwa Fernando produces another one now, though it’s not on the stumps, so Woakes gets away with a waft. And then Fernando gives him the width he loves and Woakes cashes in with a handsome drive that glides away off a half-open face.

54th over: England 225-5 (Smith 48, Woakes 20) Jayasuriya is fit to continue his long spell. Smith manages another single, though it’s off the edge – the inside of the bat again. Is he playing himself out of form?

53rd over: England 224-5 (Smith 47, Woakes 20) After racking up his 12th successive dot, Smith finds a gap behind square on the off side and cuts for a single. It didn’t seem to bother him: his short Test career so far has disclosed a top-class temperament, although it has yet to meet a top-class attack.

52nd over: England 222-5 (Smith 46, Woakes 19) Drinks arrived in mid-over because Jayasuriya needed some strapping on an injured thumb. He seems OK now and gets through the over, conceding only a single to Woakes.

50th over: England 220-5 (Smith 46, Woakes 17) Jayasuriya is still wheeling away, wondering where that wonderball came from. He does beat Smith outside off with some nice flight, but can’t find the edge (and the keeper grasses it anyway). The trumpeter switches to Sweet Caroline: the crowd know the words to that one.

49th over: England 220-5 (Smith 46, Woakes 17) The ground wakes up again as Vishwa Fernando returns and Woakes helps himself to successive fours – a classy leg glance and a streaky thick edge that squeezes through the slips. Woakes’s strike rate today soars from the 20s to the 40s, still some way behind everyone else on this England card: they’re all above 70.

48th over: England 211-5 (Smith 45, Woakes 9) Another over, another pair of singles. You know the way the game can suddenly go to sleep? That’s happening now and it even extends to my email. If you’ve ever felt like making your debut as an OBO correspondent, this would be a good time.

47th over: England 209-5 (Smith 44, Woakes 8) Just a couple of singles off Rathnayeke. The trumpeter strikes up Don’t Look Back In Anger and a few spectators do their best to remember that line about Sally.

46th over: England 207-5 (Smith 43, Woakes 7) A third maiden for Jayasuriya, the only bowler to manage one in this innings. Woakes has seven off 29 balls. Now he’s the old man of the England team, is he trying to show the kids what proper creekit looks like?

45th over: England 207-5 (Smith 43, Woakes 7) After starting so well, Smith threatens to let his monster average go to his head. Facing Milan Rathanayake, he plays not one but two inside-edges – a thin one for four, a thicker one for a single. But he survives and now England trail by just 29.

44th over: England 201-5 (Smith 38, Woakes 6) Three singles off Jayasuriya’s first three balls, and Jamie Smith’s average is now even higher than Harry Brook’s. Following his dismissal, Brook has crashed to 59.75, while Smith has sneaked up to 60.

43rd over: England 198-5 (Smith 36, Woakes 5) This over begins with a rare short ball from Asitha, and he may not try another for a while as Smith responds with a jab-pull for three. Woakes follows that with a steer for two, taking the deficit down to 38.

42nd over: England 193-5 (Smith 33, Woakes 3) Another testing over from Jayasuriya, albeit without a wonderball. “That one must have landed perfectly on the seam,” says Mark Butcher, “and gripped and turned.” Jayasuriya has 12-2-42-1, good going in the first innings against Ben Stokes’s blasters.

41st over: England 192-5 (Smith 32, Woakes 3) Smith shows some faith in Woakes, wisely, by taking a single off the first ball of this over from Asitha Fernando. Woakes, as is his wont, waits for some width outside off and then carves for three. “I really don’t like this field,” mutters one of the commentators: too defensive again. Dhananjaya de Silva seems like a good captain, but has he ever heard of the jugular?

40th over: England 187-5 (Smith 30, Woakes 0) It’s not just that ball that turned, it’s the game too. England are only 49 behind, but their young superstar has gone and Jamie Smith has only the bowlers for company now. Chris Woakes, no mug at all, begins watchfully, playing out five dots from Jayasuriya. And that’s a wicket maiden.

39th over: England 187-4 (Brook 56, Smith 30) With England only about 50 behind, back comes Asitha Fernando, Sri Lanka’s man of the day. He finds some reverse inswing, as Brook signals to Smith, but it doesn’t bother them. Smith plays that crunching cover drive again, for three this time, and Brook takes two singles.

38th over: England 182-4 (Brook 54, Smith 27) Jayasuriya continues with his slow left-arm and Smith immediately helps himself to a single down the ground. Brook takes a single too and then Smith hits a cover drive like a rocket that just eludes the two men in the deep converging on it. The commentators were making the point just now that Dhananjaya de Silva, who had done well at first, posted a 7-2 field after Root was out, going on the defensive when he could have gone for the jugular. That could be a costly decision.

The umpires are out in the middle under brooding skies. Dear old Manchester, playing up to its reputation.

36th over: England 175-4 (Brook 53, Smith 21) Jayasuriya tries going over the wicket. It works in terms of sixes (no more as yet), but not in terms of singles (two to each batter). The fourth one brings up the fifty partnership, off 10.3 overs – almost sedate by England’s standards.

34th over: England 168-4 (Brook 48, Smith 19) Jamie Smith is very good too. That maiden a few minutes ago was just his way of getting the measure of Jayasuriya, whom he now swings for a straight six. That’s gorgeous – though Mike Atherton points out that it was a six from Smith in the last series that helped West Indies’ bowlers to find some reverse swing, as the ball took a battering. And the Sri Lankan seamers have already found a bit of reverse by themselves…

33rd over: England 160-4 (Brook 47, Smith 12) Brook is just so fluent. Facing Vishwa, he plays another straight drive for four, a tuck for two, and a dab for two more. It didn’t feel like a bad over, yet it’s gone for eight.

32nd over: England 152-4 (Brook 39, Smith 12) Three more singles from this over as Brook works his first ball from Jayasuriya to leg, Smith soon follows suit, and then Brook adds a restrained cut. England pass 150 and trail by 84 now.

31st over: England 149-4 (Brook 37, Smith 11) The other Fernando, Vishwa, replaces Rathnayake, who won’t remember his spell with much fondness (7-0-45-0). The batters content themselves with three singles.

“Please could your scorecard let us know which Fernando got the dismissals,” says Gary Amer. “If memory serves, when the Overton brothers play and get wickets, we get the info who it is by their forename initial letter. Keep up the work Guardian.” It’s a good point, Gary, but it presumes that we have some control over the scorecard, which is, I’m afraid, above my pay grade.

29th over: England 146-4 (Brook 35, Smith 10) Rathanayake is supposed to be primarily a bowler, but he’s been less impressive with the ball than he was with the bat. Smith steps across his stumps to helps himself to a slice of Viv Richards, and then Brook plays an off-drive that is so classical, the purists may even recover from that ramp shot.

28th over: England 138-4 (Brook 30, Smith 7) Smith picks up a couple into the covers and a single to backward square. “Asitha just tiring a bit now,” says Mark Butcher, so comfortable at the mic as ever. He’s sharing it with Stuart Broad, who is also good but just popped up on a jarringly naff ad for a wine merchant, possibly scripted in America in 1957.

27th over: England 134-4 (Brook 29, Smith 4) Harry Brook is now the last man standing from England’s regular top six (two out with injury, three back in the hutch). Will he let this cramp his style? Hell no. He dabs Rathnayake to third man for two, pushes past cover for two more, then tries a ramp shot – a tribute, perhaps, to the departed Root. He’s rapped on the pad and there’s an appeal for LBW, on the optimistic side.

26th over: England 129-4 (Brook 25, Smith 4) Jamie Smith, in the top six for the first time in an England helmet, flicks his first ball for four. Asitha was going for the toe-crusher, but useful as he is, Waqar Younis he isn’t. Good figures, though: three for 42 off just nine overs.

26th over: England 129-4 (Brook 25, Smith 4) This is a good test for Jamie Smith, promoted to No6 in the absence of Ben Stokes. Asitha tries a first ball yorker, overdoes the line and length and is flicked to fine leg for four.

Time for me to hand over to the great Tim de Lisle for a few hours. Thanks for your company and emails. You can contact Tim at tim.delisle@theguardian.com.

Afternoon everyone and thanks Rob. When Rob turned up as the intern at Wisden Cricket Monthly, a year or two ago now, we soon got the impression of a big talent with a small ego. He hasn’t changed a bit.

25th over: England 123-3 (Root 42, Brook 24) A half-grubber from Rathnayeke is kept out well by Brook, who then drives classily through extra cover for three. England are in control at the moment.

“I’m not sure I agree with me about Jacks either,” says Felix Wood, “but I’ve put it out there as my opinion now so it looks like I’m stuck with it, and I’ll defend it to my last breath.”

Imagine if we all had to do that, if stating an opinion on cricket was like a gangster taking an oath. I’d have spent the last 15 years pleading that Jimmy Anderson wasn’t up to the job.

Or I’d have gone to see Lawrence Booth, given him a Boost and asked that I be allowed to change my opinion on Anderson. “You took an oath, Smyth…”

24th over: England 117-3 (Root 40, Brook 21) The technical problems are over and so, for the time being, are England’s worries. Root and Brook have restored with minimum risk and even less fuss. Root works a single off Avisha to bring up the fifty partnership in just 58 balls. These two bat beautifully together.

“Funnily enough, I was going to mention the broadcasters,” says Max Willians. “It feels like the 1990s generation are way more represented in the media but I’m not sure that’s the case. It’s just that two of the best pundits in the game today happen to be two of the defining players of the 1990s. (The defining player in Atherton’s case.)

“I’m 32 so I only caught the end of that era - 97 Ashes, 98 vs SA and 99 vs New Zealand. All epic series in their own way. I only got four years of Atherton but he’s a defining figure of my childhood. I think the free to air point is bang on - I’ve probably watched John Crawley bat more often than Jonathan Trott.

“Feels like the 1990s is the nostalgia sweet spot for sport because there’s endless footage which holds up fine today while obviously being of another era. Footage from the 1980s is notably lower quality and a clip from 2004 looks basically the same as clip from 2024. Also true of football - which also had a 1990s golden era.”

23rd over: England 113-3 (Root 39, Brook 18)

22nd over: England 109-3 (Root 36, Brook 17) “I don’t want to have the Ollie Pope chat, you don’t want to have the Ollie Pope chat, but nevertheless I feel we need to have the Ollie Pope chat,” says Felix Wood. “He’s well beyond his quota of innings for being a promising youngster, we have to accept that his average now (35) is what is average is going to be, and someone with that average shouldn’t be batting at number three for England.

“Surely there are other players who could be tried there? And if he’s not good enough at three it’s hard to see a place for him. For what it’s worth I would have picked Jacks as opener for this series – would have got some low scores, but no more than Crawley and could do the same turbo charging of innings if he didn’t get out.”

While I agree with a lot of what you say (not about Will Jacks mind), Pope’s average at No3 is a very good 44. I think he deserves more time, not least because of all the runs he scored against West Indies. Like all the best things in life, it’s nuanced.

21st over: England 108-3 (Root 35, Brook 17) We’re having some technical problems but you’re not missing much, just two runs from that Jayasuriya over.

20th over: England 106-3 (Root 34, Brook 16) When Asitha returns to the attack, Brook drives quite majestically through extra cover for four. He plays some stunning shots.

There’s a hopeful LBW appeal against Root later in the over – he was outside the line.

“We love 90s England now, but god they were frustrating at the time!” says Oliver Haill. “Robin Smith was possibly my favourite, and a case in point just like Athers, Tuffers and Caddick too - moments of greatness and heroicism in amidst many, many more failures and losses.”

The most frustrating thing about them was not how bad they often were, but how good they can be. So many of their victories came from spectacular attacking cricket, peaking for 24 astonishing hours at the Oval in 1994.

I did something on that game in the new Wisden Cricket Monthly if anyone’s interest- hello? Helloooooo?

19th over: England 100-3 (Root 33, Brook 11) The left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, who bowled a couple of overs last night because of the light, comes on for the first time today and is milked for six runs. Root has unobtrusively changed the momentum of this game.

“I’m in agreeable disagreement with James Brough, as Sky’s money has in effect created the careers of Root, Cook, Bell et al,” writes Gareth Wilson. “Without that money, no central contracts and likely a lot more unfulfilled careers. And in agreement that today’s kids DO get to see the likes of Smith, Cox, Jacks, Capsey, Sciver-Brunt, as the Hundred is, at least partially, on free to air tv.”

I can’t host another TV rights chat. Nothing personal, I just can’t do it.

18th over: England 94-3 (Root 30, Brook 8) Brook has been starved of the strike in the last few overs. No matter: he gets his first boundary from the fifth ball of his innings by pushing Rathnayeke beautifully down the ground. There’s even a hint of sun at Old Trafford now.

Rathnayeke hasn’t bowled quite as well as the two Fernandos. Root punches him straight for successive boundaries to make it 14 from the over.

“Any love for the England Test teams of the 1970s?” sniffs Jon McKinley. “Just about my only memory of the summers from 1972 onwards is spending hours in front of the TV with Richie Benaud and John Arlott commentating on Boycott and Edrich, Randall and Roope, Greig and Knott, Geoff Arnold and Chris Old. To name quite a few. OK, the West Indies used to rip them up on a regular basis but they were a big part of my young life every summer.”

Loads of love. I didn’t mention them because, although I was a precocious little bugger, even I couldn’t appreciate Alan Knott’s artistry at the age of 3.

17th over: England 80-3 (Root 21, Brook 3) Vishwa angles a full delivery across Root, who times it down the ground for a couple. It feels batting is starting to get a bit easier. Or maybe it’s just that Joe Root is batting.

16th over: England 75-3 (Root 18, Brook 1) Rathnayeke is fractionally too straight to Root, who clips him wristily past mid-on for four. I mean really, that is so good. If you or I played that shot we’d dine out on it for 40 year; for Root it’s just another boundary. He’s looked in extremely good touch this summer.

“All this nostalgia for the 90s, which when you get to my age feels like last Thursday week, isn’t half making me feel old,” writes Martin Wright. “The late 60s/early 70s was when I fell in love with the game: clutching my Playfair Cricket Annual, and watching the likes of Underwood, Knott and my personal hero, Basil D’Oliveira, work miracles on a grainy black-and-white TV...”

15th over: England 69-3 (Root 13, Brook 1) Root is the key wicket, this being a cricket match. He and Brook batted beautifully in not dissimilar conditions on the third day of the second Test against West Indies.

Drinks

England are in a game here, and don’t forget they have Chris Woakes coming in at No7 this week.

In other news, Rocky Flintoff made a pretty good 32 in his first County Championship innings.

14th over: England 66-2 (Lawrence 30, Root 11) Root back cuts Rathnayeke skilfully for two. It feels like England have been under the pump this morning, yet they’ve still scored 44 off nine overs.

“I think age has a lot to do with the affection for the 1990s team,” says James Brough. “Gower, Gooch, Botham etc were adults when the 13-year-old me started watching - they were people to look up to.

“If you’re the same age as me - early 50’s - then Atherton, Thorpe et al were the players we identified with. We saw them make their debuts, we worried whether they’d make it as Test players. We followed them from debut to retirement. They were our team.”

13th over: England 62-2 (Lawrence 29, Root 8) For reasons best known to himself, Asitha bowls successive short balls that are pulled handsomely for four by Lawrence. The first was fair enough as a surprise, the second made no sense at all.

12th over: England 53-2 (Lawrence 20, Root 8) The debutant Milan Rathnayeke, a right-arm seamer, replaces Vishwa Fernando. He’s on the money straight away, full of length and making the batsmen play at pretty much every delivery. This is a good test for England.

11th over: England 51-2 (Lawrence 19, Root 7) Root’s first boundary is a timeless classic, the open-faced steer between second slip and gully. A flick for two from Lawrence brings up the England fifty.

10th over: England 44-2 (Lawrence 17, Root 2) Two singles from an accurate over by Vishwa. Lawrence has done okay so far. He’s definitely not the second coming of Sir Geoffrey but nor has he looked a trespasser at the top of the order.

9th over: England 42-2 (Lawrence 16, Root 1) Nasser Hussain compares that ball from Asitha to one of Vernon Philander’s stump-botherers, which is spot on. It was nigh-on perfect.

“Max Williams wonders why the 90’s England team is so beloved,” says James Brough. “Surely a big part of that is that Test cricket was still on free to air TV? Atherton, Stewart, Thorpe, Hick, Gough, Caddick - they’re the last generation of players who you could follow simply by switching on BBC1 or Channel 4. I got into cricket because one day in 1985 during the summer holidays, I was bored. I turned on the TV and found David Gower in the process of making 215 against Australia and was captivated.

“For the last 19 years, that’s not been possible. Unless their parents pay for Sky Sports, no children have turned on and been captivated by Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali or Kevin Pietersen. Not a single game of Alastair Cook or Stuart Broad’s careers have been shown free to air. Only a few matches of Jimmy Anderson. And I think it’s a crying shame.”

That’s a fair point, although it feels like the 1990s team was more beloved than the 1980s. Maybe that’s just because of my age. And I love them all anyway.

8th over: England 39-1 (Lawrence 14, Pope 6) A piece of filth from Vishwa Fernando is cut easily for four by Pope. Vishwa gets it right next ball with a nice inswinger that Pope thick-edges for a single. Pope can struggle against left-arm swing bowlers.

7th over: England 32-1 (Lawrence 12, Pope 1) Sri Lanka have a chance here because the ball is doing a bit. Ollie Pope gets off the mark by working his first delivery off the pads for a single, then Lawrence inside-edges another.

Sri Lanka almost ran out of time with that Duckett review; there was one second remaining when Dhananjaya sent it upstairs.

“After weeks of dry weather and occasional scattered showers, it is of course sod’s law that it will rain for almost five days of a Test match at Old Trafford,” says Ruth. “As a local, it happens almost every time and it won’t stop being funny.”

It stopped bloody being funny last summer!

I’ve over it, it’s okay. DON’T TOUCH ME.

Duckett flicked across a full delivery from Asitha Fernando that hit him in front of middle and leg. We’ll soon find out where it pitched. I reckon it might be umpire’s call.

Sri Lanka review for LBW against Duckett!

This is really close. If it pitched in line it’s surely out.

Lawrence is not out!

Lawrence shovelled across a good nipbacker that hit him above the knee roll, and he’s a tall man. There was a bit of surprise when Paul Reiffel gave it out… because it would have bounced over the top, as the technology has just confirmed.

Review! Lawrence given out LBW to A Fernando

Height will save him I reckon.

6th over: England 29-0 (Duckett 18, Lawrence 10) The other Fernando, the left-arm seamer Vishwa, starts at the other end. He had a good spell at Yorkshire earlier in the season, which included match figures of 9 for 88 against Derbyshire.

Duckett push a single to deep point, whose deployment is annoying Stuart Broad in the commentary box. “How can you let a really good ball like that go for a run?”

So far, so comfortable for England.

5th over: England 27-0 (Duckett 17, Lawrence 9) Duckett drives Asitha’s Fernando’s first ball of day two through the covers for a couple. Sri Lanka have sweepers on both sides for both openers. There’s a strangled shout for LBW when Lawrence misses an attempted flick off the pads; it was missing leg.

“The revised session times add up to 5 hours and 55 minutes of play, but eight overs are lost from the full day of 90. Is this a tacit admission that teams aren’t keeping up with over-rates?”

That includes the extra half-hour, which I added on because they will inevitably need it. Officially the evening session finishes at 7pm.

Time for cricket. England are 22 for 0, a deficit of 214, with Ben Duckett on 13 and Dan Lawrence on 9. And it’s a really good time to bowl.

The floodlights are on so this will be a good time to bowl, and a significant test of Dan Lawrence, opening batsman.

“That 1990s England team holds a special place in the hearts of so many fans,” says Max Williams. “They seem to be more beloved than more recent and successful England teams. There are podcasts, books – Emma John’s is a lovely read – and vast amounts of goodwill. Is heroic (mostly) failure easier to cherish than hardnosed triumph? Or is it that they competed in the last golden era of Test cricket? They were playing in the most glorious of sunsets, even if we didn’t know it at the time.”

I was going to say it’s probably a generational thing, but you’re a lot younger aren’t you? The fact Athers and Nasser are such extraordinary broadcasters probably adds to the affection as well. And you’re right: Emma’s book is fantastic.

“Re: Andy Davies’ 12.22 email on the Old Trafford karaoke singers - it’s not the first time something like this has happened,” writes Josh B. I was at a Hundred game last year where I was unable to hear anything of what I’m sure was a storming set by the Lottery Winners because of a singer with an acoustic guitar in the same very spot.

”No blame to the entertainers themselves, of course, but given that one of the big selling points of The Hundred is meant to be the live performance in between matches, there seems to be somewhat of a consistent disconnect between what’s being arranged on and off the pitch at OT.”

The covers are off! Peep peep! No start time yet but it’s looking good for 1.10pm.

Rocky Flintoff is going well, 21 not out on his Championship debut at The Oval, although he was dropped on 13. Tanya is following his progress on the county blog.

“I was thankful to be at Old Trafford early enough yesterday in time for the tribute to Graham Thorpe, which as Taha Hashim rightly points out was lovely,” writes Andy Davies. “Can I give a big thumbs down though to the Old Trafford Stadium team, who didn’t stop the karaoke singer based just behind The Point from singing party songs throughout the tribute.

“The caterwauling was handily positioned behind what was at the time the only working screen in the ground, so it meant half of Athers words were drowned out by someone singing along to I Feel Good by James Brown and other songs of a similar ilk. Seemed to sum up quite a lot of the things which annoy me about the modern game, or should that be the modern sports entertainment experience?”

Is that right? That’s remarkably poor, and if this wasn’t a family website I’d be using a different word to ‘remarkably’. That’s bizarre.

“August, summer in England, 12 degrees and rainy,” begins Guy Hornsby. “It’s what we do, isn’t it Rob?I think we’ll get play after lunch though. It’s spitting at Old Trafford but the skies look better where the wind is coming from.

“I’m hobbling around the stands here on crutches after pinging my calf in the field for Sale 4ths on Sunday: proper old man energy. I’m 50 next year, so will it stop me playing? No, of course not. That’s for real people, not glorious cricket tragics. It’ll take more to stop me getting to the cricket!”

Oof, I’m sorry. I’ve only ever had one mild calf ping and that was more than enough.

Duleep Mendis v Ian Botham (ii)

“For some reason, Botham started berating Gower after the third six had been launched into the crowd,” writes Marcus Abdullahi, “prompting one of the great lines from Jim Laker on comms: ‘I don’t really understand what he’s compaining about the whole time. You can’t have men in the crowd to catch ‘em.’

“It can be enjoyed here. (Vid set to right time.)”

No cricket here but there is at The Oval, where Rocky Flintoff, insert age here, is batting against Sam Curran and Dan Worrall on his Championship debut.

“I see next summer’s fixtures have come out,” says James de Mellow. “Six Tests, six ODIs, six T20Is. Feels very slim. Do you think this is what the cricket public wants and what are Sky subscribers to do with their diminishing returns?”

It’s not all meh news though.

The rain has stopped and the groundstaff are getting busy. They have plenty to do, so there’s no provisional start time yet.

Remember the name, etc

Rocky Flintoff, 16, is making his County Championship today for Lancashire against Surrey at The Oval. He could be in soon: Lancs are 9 for 1 after losing the toss.

Miller’s got the radar of doom out again, which can mean only one thing: it’s an Old Trafford Test. No, I’m still not over last year. At least this time it appears to the radar of hope.

Sky are currently showing an extended masterclass with Nathan Lyon. As always it’s top-class, just terrific. If you can catch it online later, you should.

“If you’re really, REALLY bored during the inevitable rain breaks today then maybe you might be interested in an old blog of mine on the first Test between England and Sri Lanka in this country back in 1984,” writes Steven Pye. “The match at Lord’s was supposed to provide England with a bit of light relief after the battering they faced at the hands of the West Indies that summer, but it didn’t quite work out that way.”

Thanks Steve. It’s a great story, this, especially Duleep Mendis emasculating Lord Beefy. We covered it in an old Joy of Six as well.

The TMS overseas link is here. (Thanks to Ruth.)

Weather update It’s still November in Manchester. Can’t see there being any play before midday, and probably not before lunch.

Taha Hashim on Graham Thorpe

For the current England team, he wasn’t just a storied name from the past to emulate but someone who was perched in their dressing room until a couple of years ago, passing on advice as a coach. Ian Ward, Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain, his former colleagues, were on the field in the morning as part of Sky’s coverage, remembering both the cricketer and the man. When Hussain walked off at Lord’s with a century and the winning runs against New Zealand in his final Test, Thorpe was alongside him. He was there with Hussain when they won in Karachi, when they put on 288 against Australia at Edgbaston, when they were boys turning into men at Trent Bridge in 1993. And he was there when it was difficult, too.

Chris Woakes on his winter plans

As you get older, the more Test cricket you play, you pick up new skills, have more experience to fall back on and [are] a little bit wiser. That might be a good thing as well that I haven’t [played an away Test] in a little while. It gives you a fresh look on things.

Read Simon Burnton on Captain Pope

The common criticism of Pope’s batting is that he is overly frenetic in the early stages of an innings, but in time settles down. It turns out that he captains in precisely the same way, though it took some time for him to be becalmed.