A day at the cricket
Sun shining, cold beers and a hum of the crowd create one of the best settings in world sport
Summer has been a letdown in England this year. Long dull days and little sign of the sun in July especially have left the cricket season with a shadow cast over it. The gloomy weather took a back seat in Nottingham and the sun shone through for the opening day of the Second Test between England and the West Indies.
Trent Bridge filled up nicely and I joined the thousands of others on the walk from the train station in the city centre. ‘England are having a bat!’ was the word on the coin toss that spread around as we headed through the streets of West Bridgford to one of the finest cricket grounds in Britain. This was to be a day at the cricket with my dad, a late Christmas present for him, and it was one we’d both been waiting on for too long.
The news of the coin toss, one that the touring side won and elected to bowl, had the potential to see England bat on what was likely the hottest day of the year so far. As the players took drinks through the day, supporters in the stands also kept hydrated- although only sometimes with the recommended fluids.
England started strong and continued this way throughout the day. Not wanting to start drinking too early on this red hot day, I suggested getting the first round in once one of the openers reached a half-century. At just after 11.45 am, under an hour into the day’s play, Ben Duckett completed his rapid journey to 50, and with that, I was off to the bar.
The sun beat down throughout the day, and England kept up the fruitful run rate against some often testing West Indian bowling. Duckett reached 70, captain Ben Stokes was out for 69 but the day’s highlight was Ollie Pope scoring 121. It was by no means the most brutal innings of the day, but his solid performance kept the runs ticking even when wickets started to fall around him.
A cheer went up when the crowd thought he’d scored the run to take him to a century game, only for the umpire to signal for a leg bye- light-hearted boos rose from around Trent Bridge. Pope was keen to make sure the next time there would be no doubt over whether the runs were his, and a thumping pull shot raced away for four, triggering a wave of applause from all around the famous old ground.
The sun began to set on an enthralling day of Test cricket, but not before England surpassed 400 thanks to a cameo from Chris Woakes and Mark Wood who put on a 38-run partnership for the ninth wicket. Shadows lengthened and fans gradually drifted away from the ground, sunkissed and many with more than a few alcoholic beverages in their system. Shoaib Bashir edged behind as the clock ticked towards 6.30pm and the England innings was wrapped up for 416.
Filtering back out onto the streets of Nottingham, I joined thousands of others in reflecting on one of the great days in English cricket in recent years. England’s new ‘Bazball’ approach to Test cricket has seen faster scoring than is the norm in the sport’s longest format, and on a stunning day at Trent Bridge, this reputation was maintained.
Watching Test cricket on a gloriously sunny day, beer in hand and an expectant murmur flowing across the fans. There is something therapeutic about watching two sides sizing each other up for hours at a time.
Time moves differently watching Test cricket, with your day split into morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. To many, it may seem tedious.
Yet even the slowest periods of play can be cherished by the Puritan cricket fans, who know that in a world where T20 cricket and even shorter formats are taking hold, there is still very much a place for the sport’s longest format.
