EDGBASTON — The Bazball doctrine of “we don’t do draws” will be given its biggest stress test yet after England ended the second day at Edgbaston so far behind the game that a three-day defeat cannot be ruled out.
Even if they don’t, it can now safely be said that England captain Ben Stokes’s decision to bowl first on one of the flattest pitches seen in this country in the past decade was an absolute stinker.
Nasser Hussain is always remembered for inserting Australia at the start of the 2002-2003 Ashes in Brisbane.
India have their THIRD wicket Mohammed Siraj picks up the wicket of Zak Crawley, England are in BIG trouble pic.twitter.com/qEpmGBVcjx
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 3, 2025Stokes was ultimately vindicated for doing the same in the opening match of this series at Headingley last week after his team chased down 371 to seal a remarkable win.
Only one team in Test history has ever lost after scoring more in their first innings, Bangladesh against New Zealand at Wellington in 2017 after they posted 595 for eight declared.
And Southee, Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum will no doubt still have the utmost belief this England team can still win from this seemingly hopeless position.
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England will have to do something similar here to have any hope of forcing a positive result.
Losing their top three to the new ball on the second evening has also taken even more time out of this game given it forced Harry Brook and Joe Root to consolidate and play the percentages.
Pakistan posted 556 batting first back then, with England eventually winning by an innings.
India’s bowlers might argue there was plenty in it for them on this second evening as they felled Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley.
After all, England had the ball talking early on the first day of this match and could have had India 30-odd for 3 as well had Chris Woakes had a couple of lbw decisions go his way rather than seeing them denied by umpire’s call.
But the tourists, wary of setting England anything to chase after that experience and the one at Headingley last week, are unlikely to play ball in terms of a positive second-innings declaration.
The odds, though, seem stacked in their favour to level the series at 1-1 heading into next week’s third Test at Lord’s.
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