England v India: first men’s cricket Test, day five set for thrilling finish – live | England v India 2025
Key events
72nd over: England 313-5 (Root 35, Smith 3) Jadeja runs through his six in quick time.
Andy Bradshaw asks: “Should we be worried about how many empty seats we can see?” Administrators should always be asking themselves why there are empty seats at a ground. It’s a Tuesday – maybe the final day should’ve simply been free entry?
England need 58 to win.
71st over: England 312-5 (Root 35, Smith 2) Root drives for four through the covers off Krishna, a release that was needed.
England need 59 to win.
70th over: England 308-5 (Root 31, Smith 2) Jadeja has some serious rhythm as he twirls past Smith’s outside edge.
England need 63 to win. Twenty-six overs remain.
69th over: England 306-5 (Root 30, Smith 1) Smith takes a single to close Krishna’s over and get off the mark. The second new ball, 11 overs away, is likely to still have a say. India will surely have to bring Bumrah back before then, though.
England need 65 to win.
68th over: England 302-5 (Root 27, Smith 0) Jamie Smith joins the circus. England need 69 to win.
WICKET! Stokes c Gill b Jadeja 33 (England 302-5)
The reverse-swat eventually goes wrong for Stokes. He launches again but gets the edge, and the ball bops up for an easy grab at short third, Gill the jubilant taker. The contest remains alive.
67th over: England 300-4 (Root 26, Stokes 32) Prasidh Krishna replaces Bumrah and Stokes sees a release: he moves down the pitch and slaps the ball through the covers for four. An outside edge follows but it beats the wide gap between Pant and Nair at slip. Four more, every boundary now so precious.
England need 71 to win.
66th over: England 291-4 (Root 26, Stokes 23) Stokes, reverse-sweeping again, gloves Jadeja and the ball lobs up … but somehow lands safe by the close fielders. Root benefits from a misfield by Karun Nair behind point, a bobble confounding him, the ball running away for four. Just as India were beginning to build some real pressure.
England need 80 to win.
65th over: England 286-4 (Root 22, Stokes 22) Bumrah tempts Stokes with a wide delivery and it nearly works: the bat is thrown at it, but there’s no contact. A clipped single keeps Stokes on strike for the next over.
Paul Griffin is questioning reality: “I suppose one way of looking at this is that it is an astonishingly disciplined, gutsy, gnarly performance by England, against unbelievably talented opponents. I am going with an alternative: that this merely confirms we are living in a simulation. This doesn’t happen in real life.”
England need 85 to win.
64th over: England 285-4 (Root 22, Stokes 21) Stokes continues to reverse-sweep away against Jadeja, who speeds though his over.
England need 86 to win.
63rd over: England 284-4 (Root 22, Stokes 20) Stokes steals a single before Bumrah gets one to stay maybe a touch low to Root – the defence remains intact, though.
England need 87 to win.
62nd over: England 283-4 (Root 22, Stokes 19) Jadeja goes back to around the wicket and Root greets him with a reverse-sweep behind square for four. But then a huge lbw shout from India after the ball goes straight on – it’s a no from the umpire but Gill reviews. That looked plumb in real time. But it’s projected to go over the stumps. India have lost all their reviews.
The next ball is a stunner from Jadeja, biting off the surface to turn past the outside edge. Root sprints for three with the next delivery after a slip by Thakur at mid-on – Jadeja is fuming with the fielder. Even with a misfield, you’d expect just two there.
England need 88 to win.
61st over: England 275-4 (Root 15, Stokes 18) Bumrah, refreshed after the break, takes the ball, two slips waiting for Stokes to err. The left-hander shows off his forward defence as Bumrah goes down in his follow-through. A maiden.
Here’s Andrew Goudie on how good life is Down Under (regarding ticket prices): “I recently bought tickets for the Perth test in November for about £20 per day. Feels like a bargain.”
60th over: England 275-4 (Root 15, Stokes 18) Jadeja settles in as Root and Stokes exchange singles, with the lights on at Headingley. England need 96 to win.
59th over: England 273-4 (Root 14, Stokes 17) Stokes begins with a sweet straight drive but Thakur gets a hand on it. The England captain throws the bat at a wide one and sees a bottom-edge run away to the ropes. The target goes under 100.
Play resumes
The sun is out at Headingley as are the players. Let’s get back to it – India need six wickets, England 102 runs.
Lovely from Matthew Hill: “Perhaps it’s time for Jos B to write Duckett on his bat.” Context here, if you require it.
It’s looking a bit clearer at Headingley … from my screen. Can’t be long before we’re back at it.
Kirsty Cheetham writes in, following my flippant query over the empty seats at Headingley. Ticket prices in England are ludicrous.
I think a combination of rain and 20 quid a ticket even after tea are the reason. I’ve ummed and ahhed all day about coming.
Paid full price for day one which I don’t think is a fair price really, so for some reason baulk at the twenty quid for today, which is obviously bonkers, this is outstanding.
Anyway, got here, brought with me weather and wickets so sorry everyone .I did watch every ball of Stokes last epic at Headingley, all be it on telly.
Anyhow, on to the crucial last session.
In case you’re wondering … Joe Root averages 42.45 in the fourth innings of Test matches. Stokes averages 37.96 with three hundreds: all against Australia.
Andy Flintoff (not that one) writes in:
It is frustrating that there are unplanned weather breaks today, but I suppose one of the advantages of playing this match this close to the solstice is that sunset not being till beyond 9.30pm tonight means they could play on until all the overs are bowled, unless a result is not possible. And Headingley’s pitch is oriented north-south, so the sun won’t be in the batter’s eyes as it gets lower.
I’ve just bought myself a bag of popcorn to ensure we’re in for some real drama.
Ian Sargeant writes in:
30 second power cut in the office. The whole floor plunged into darkness – except for those few souls watching the cricket on their phones
“Nobody panic” came the cry swiftly followed by “we haven’t lost a wicket……………..”
Love it.
Rain means tea
It’s all gloomy again at Headingley and after Stokes takes two off Thakur, the covers are called on. Probably time for tea. Hopefully, we’re back on soon.
58th over: England 266-4 (Root 13, Stokes 11) A few umbrellas going up at Headingley as Jadeja twirls away, Stokes sticking to his beloved reverse-sweep: it brings him two at the end of the over.
57th over: England 263-4 (Root 12, Stokes 9) Shardul Thakur has found some extra yards. He gets Stokes to edge away for four and four dots follow.
Arul Kanhere still isn’t convinced: “While I agree Shardul has somehow conjured up two wickets and kept the game alive, those were nothing deliveries really. India need a bowler who can hold up one end while batting as it is the tail is non existent.” I would love to see India find some room for Kuldeep Yadav.
56th over: England 259-4 (Stokes 5, Root 12) Jadeja gets the ball to spit out the rough and Stokes has a mare trying to keep it out with a reverse-sweep, the ball popping up for a grab at short leg. It appears it came off his arm. Gill reviews for India, the captain sensing this is his side’s moment – but the ball was nowhere near the bat or gloves. Stokes, even with his history, looks nervous. He misses another reverse sweep, the ball leaping off the surface to evade the stumps.
How are there empty seats at Headingley right now? Quit your jobs, people of Leeds, and get down there.
55th over: England 256-4 (Root 11, Stokes 3) It’s up to the two veterans.
… and Stokes clips it through the on-side for three. Thakur, the man whose position has been questioned for the last five days, has split the game open. Test cricket, baby.
Thakur is on a hat-trick …
WICKET! Brook c Pant b Thakur 0 (England 253-4)
Oh my. Harry Brook comes down the pitch and flicks his first ball down the leg side and into the mitts of the diving Rishabh Pant. Ben Stokes emerges in the fourth innings at Headingley.
WICKET! Duckett c sub Reddy b Thakur 149 (England 253-3)
Thakur, out of nowhere! Duckett drives but can’t keep it on the carpet, finding the hands of short extra cover. Ben Duckett deserves his standing ovation, but someone else will have to complete the job.
54th over: England 253-2 (Root 11, Duckett 149) Better from Jadeja, finally finding the rough and leaving Duckett shotless, the deliveries too explosive to reverse. And just as I type, out comes the trademark, with Duckett sweeping a fuller ball fine to the boundary. We still have 42 overs left in the day. England need 118 runs.
53rd over: England 248-2 (Root 11, Duckett 144) Here’s Shardul Thakur, who has had a very difficult Test match. He’s probably playing for his place here. Thakur’s tidy but hovering at 79mph, and Duckett finds a single with ease.
The players are grabbing a drink – looks like we’re having a change of ball, too.
52nd over: England 246-2 (Root 11, Duckett 143) Jadeja replaces Bumrah and Duckett, as you’d expect, gets the reverse out … smashing the final ball of the over all the way for six! Outrageous.
Krishnamoorthy v asks the question: “A tie? Anyone?” Ben Stokes isn’t for draws but I’m not aware of his views on the tie.
51st over: England 238-2 (Root 10, Duckett 136) Krishna overpitches and Duckett, deep in his crease, throws everything at it, the ball sprinting to the extra cover rope. An edgy pull from the left-hander travels fine and for four more. Dean (see over 47) reports that he’s got his remote back …
50th over: England 229-2 (Root 10, Duckett 127) Root watches Bumrah fizz them past his off stump, the batter unwilling to walk into the trap that got him in the first innings.
49th over: England 228-2 (Root 10, Duckett 126) We’re not going off just yet as Krishna continues, Root tucking away for one. Duckett rotates the strike too as a bit of sun pokes out; this day continues to confound. Root is struggling to time his pull shot as he tries to adjust to the surface. England need 143 to win.
48th over: England 224-2 (Root 7, Duckett 125) This feels weird: with Krishna’s tail up, England suddenly look more comfortable against Bumrah. Root finds four behind point while Duckett pulls away for his boundary. Yuck, the rain’s back.
47th over: England 215-2 (Root 2, Duckett 121) Krishna bowls a corker, finding the gap between Root’s pad and bat but not the stumps. Root then misses out on a pull, running through for a leg bye – there’s nearly a runout chance as Duckett desires two, but he’s forced back to the striker’s end. Krishna, oozing confidence, beats Duckett’s outside edge to close the over. He’s very much in this Test match now.
Dean writes in, his remote surely chucked out of the window: “I’ve switched from your marvellous OBO to Sky twice in the past 45 mins and seen a wicket both times. The remote had been hidden.”
46th over: England 213-2 (Root 2, Duckett 120) This is the battle. Bumrah returns with India finally tasting joy, and he’s up against Root. England’s No 4 takes a single off the second ball and Duckett guides with a horizontal bat for his own single.
Matt Dony writes in: “I mean, heroically getting ahead of myself, but there’s no reason for concern over a few wickets falling. If England are going to pull this off, it would almost feel wrong for Stokes to not be involved at the business end…”
45th over: England 211-2 (Root 1, Duckett 119) Duckett doesn’t want to stop – he cuts hard to finish the over with a boundary.
WICKET! Pope b Krishna 8 (England 206-2)
This really is brilliant from England, unwilling to relent after Crawley’s dismissal. Duckett pulls away Krishna for four and nicks a single off the next delivery. Oh, never mind me: Krishna still has a touch of magic and he bowls Pope with a nip-backer, a little bit of bat on it before the rattle.
44th over: England 201-1 (Pope 8, Duckett 111) Duckett is middling his reverse-sweeps, beginning another Jadeja over with a boundary. Pope closes it with a slashing cut for four more. England move past 200, with 170 left to win.
43rd over: England 192-1 (Pope 4, Dukcett 106) Krishna brings danger and a bit of looseness, too; Ollie Pope is up and away with a clip off the pads for four. The over closes with a wide one outside off and Pope resists – for now.
Andrew Goudie has you sorted: “I’m not sure that anyone’s sent in the TMS link today. I thought about sending it at about 10.31 this morning, but I was sure somebody else would do it.”
WICKET! Crawley c Rahul b Krishna 65 (England 188-1)
Finally. Crawley greets Krishna with a pull for four but departs next ball. The beanpole quick got a bit of swing away from the batter as well as the outside edge, with Rahul gobbling up in the cordon. A monster opening stand comes to a close.
42nd over: England 184-0 (Crawley 61, Duckett 106) It’s Ravindra Jadeja on from the other end, with Crawley tucking away into the legside for one. Duckett gets the cheeky reverse out, even when Jadeja goes a little short. Jadeja is going over the wicket to the right-hander, trying to get the ball to explode out of the rough. Crawley remains calm, pushing into off for a single. Gautam Gambhir yawns from the changing room. Are you not entertained?
41st over: England 181-0 (Crawley 59, Duckett 105) A reminder: England need 190 more to pull off a stupendous win. Duckett blocks Siraj to close the over.