The WinViz verdictIndia 76 per centEngland 24 per centThere will be time for around 18 overs tonight,Here’s the deal,If England are to win this game, they have to take wickets plural in that time,That’s all she wrote,Washington Sundar skids one past Bashir, who becomes the seventh England player to be bowled in this innings and the 12th in the match.

Washington, the quiet achiever of this team, has triggered an England collapse of six wickets for just 38 runs.Ouch.India need 193 to win.62nd over: England 192-9 (Archer 5, Bashir 2) Eleven England players have been bowled in this Test, a remarkable statistic and the first time that has happened since the Cape Town Test of March/April 1906.Bumrah tries to make it 12 but is repelled by Archer and Bashir.

The sub keeper Jurel also saves four byes with a smart dive down the leg side.You wouldn’t know it from all the byes India have conceded, but he has kept quite beautifully.61st over: England 191-9 (Archer 5, Bashir 1) Bashir thick edges Sundar’s first ball for a single to get off strike.The fourth innings of this game, while not quite make or break for Bashir, will be loaded with pressure.One bad spell could cost England the game; one good spell could win it.

It’s a lot of responsibility on a 21-year-old.Archer can’t return the favour, which means Bashir will be on strike at the start of Bumrah’s next over.60th over: England 190-9 (Archer 5, Bashir 0) Archer turns down a single early in Bumrah’s over.It might be that he only does that at this end because of the threat and pace of Bumrah.The last ball of the over, an attempted yorker that turns into a full toss, is punched through mid-off for four by Archer.

Every little helps.“Speaking just for myself from a sweaty north west the reason why India are heavy favourites, even before this clatter of wickets, is that their openers are in good nick and have consistently got them through the tough new-ball period,” says Will Vignoles.“England’s change bowlers have struggled to maintain pressure and they’re generally better players of spin.Also bar Pant also less likely to get out trying to slog sweep a guy bowling 85mph+.Maybe I’m just being a miserable git but even as a Bazball true believer this has been a bit disappointing from England.

As well as India have bowled, this has felt a bit of a headloss.Am I being unfair?”I can see both sides! One of the reason I’m reluctant to say we’re all doomed is that we were having the same conversation at this stage of the Edgbaston Test in 2018.India’s target was almost identical and I’m not sure that pitch was worse than this.59th over: England 186-9 (Archer 1, Bashir 0) “I do wish sometimes we didn’t live in this fast-paced fractured meme society,” writes Pete Salmon.“If ‘Mr Smith Goes to Washington’ had been splashed a newspaper headline in the 1980s we’d still be talking about it now.

“Reminds me of a fun book I had when I was young which had (according to it) true newspaper headlines, including the the winner of a World’s Most Boring Headline competition: Small Earthquake in Chile, Not Many Dead.That became a catchphrase in our family for a day of minor grievances, as in:‘How was your day?’‘Oh you know, Small Earthquake in Chile, Not Many Dead’They won’t be saying that in the England dressing-room tonight.58th over: England 185-9 (Archer 0, Bashir 0) Shoaib Bashir comes out at No11 despite a significant injury to his left hand.He wrings his hand in pain after doing very well to keep out another Bumrah yorker.A wicket maiden from Bumrah, a bowler without compare.

Chris Woakes walks off shaking his head, trying to fathom what just happened.He’s the sixth England batter to be out bowled in this innings.Bumrah got him with a huge breakback that brushed the inside-edge and rattled the bails.Thirty seconds earlier Bumrah was sitting on his backside receiving treatment after landing awkwardly in his delivery stride.Then he got to his feet and bowled an 86mph off-break.

Pure genius.57th over: England 185-8 (Woakes 10, Archer 0) Woakes drives Washington to long on for a single, the only run from an over filled with watchful defensive strokes.Time is still a factor in this game.England would probably like just under about an hour with the ball tonight, as that would give Jofra Archer two spells with the new ball – one tonight and another in the morning.56th over: England 184-8 (Woakes 9, Archer 0) Jofra Archer emerges from Bumrah’s over with his wicket intact, though I’m not entirely sure how.

Bumrah’s skill is mind-blowing.Archer is not out! Yep, the ball sneaked under the bat, which then scraped the turf.India are down to their last review; I suspect they’ll get by.India review for caught behind against ArcherThe keeper Jurel leads the appeal for caught behind when Archer tries to drive a very full delivery outside off stump.It’s given not out and Gill reviews a little reluctantly.

I think Archer’s bat scraped the ground.And it’s goodnight from Brydon Carse.He has just been bowled by a perfect yorker from Jasprit Bumrah, which pegged back the leg stump after sneaking under the bat.Some of the England wickets today were eminently avoidable; not that one.It was a great delivery from an all-time great bowler.

Absurdly, given how well he has bowled, it’s Bumrah’s first wicket of the innings,55th over: England 181-7 (Woakes 8, Carse 1) Stokes had dragged a sweep for four earlier in the over, an effective but not particularly convincing shot,“Hi Rob,” says Anthony Baxter,“Following on from Ray Murphy’s inspired reference, when Mr Smith finally makes it there, he encounters the crooked elder statesman Senator Paine, whose cricketing namesake also had a few, shall we say, bones in his closet,”Washington Sundar has wiped out England’s middle order! Stokes threw everything into a slog sweep, missed and was cleaned up.

He whacked his bat angrily before getting to his feet and stomping off furiously.Not only has Washington dismissed Root, Stokes and Smith, he’s bowled all three of them.54th over: England 177-6 (Stokes 29, Woakes 8) Jasprit Bumrah returns for a post-tea burst.He has a superb record against both these players, especially Woakes.Stokes almost gets a taste of his own medicine when he survives a run-out chance to Gill at mid-off.

The ball bounced perfectly into the hands of Gill, whose throw whistled past the stumps with the diving Stokes just short of his ground.53rd over: England 176-6 (Stokes 28, Woakes 8) The dangerous Washington Sundar, who took 2 for 13 in seven overs before tea, resumes after the break.Stokes defends a series of deliveries before squirting a thick edge for as single.That takes him to 28 from 89 balls; a strike rate of 31 shows how responsibly Stokes has batted.“Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon.

“This Test match, being as delicately balanced as the atmosphere when you’re on the night bus to London with Francis Begbie and realise you’ve forgotten to bring the cairds, is an engrossing watch.And the blossoming rivalry that is Alcaraz v Sinner is just about to start in the Wimbledon men’s singles final.The next few hours could be epic.”Teatime readingMr Smith goes to WashingtonThanks for all the fawning nice emails about the above description of Jamie Smith’s wicket.Can I just reiterate that it’s Ray Murphy’s line, not mine? It’s far too classy and understated to have emerged from my brain.

52nd over: England 175-6 (Stokes 27, Woakes 8) Stokes pushes Jadeja between the legs of short leg, who didn’t have time to get down.Woakes is then beaten by a gorgeous delivery, much slower and bowled from wider on the crease.This is so good, and there’s another two-and-a-half hours to come after tea.The match remains in the balance after another compelling session.England scored 77 in 27 overs for the loss of two wickets – but they were the wickets India wanted most, Joe Root and Jamie Smith.

The consensus is that India are fractionally ahead in the game.I think it’s closer than that.51st over: England 173-6 (Stokes 26, Woakes 7) Stokes continues to defend almost solemnly against Washington.Every particle of his being is fighting to produce another Lord’s epic.An accurate maiden ends with a good delivery that boings past the edge as Stokes goes back to defend.

50th over: England 173-6 (Stokes 26, Woakes 7) Woakes is beaten by a horrible delivery from Jadeja, speared in, just short of a length, from round the wicket before straightening dramatically.Time for two more overs before tea.“Congratulations!” says John Starbuck.“I bet you were kept awake last night pondering the possibility of ‘Mr Smith goes to Washington’, delighted to get the chance to use it, and hopeful of the Guardian’s Quotes of the Year options.”No no, I can take no credit.

A reader by the name of Ray Murphy coined the phrase (at least on these pages) when Washington dismissed Steve Smith in the 2020-21 Border/Gavaskar series.And here’s the proof.49th over: England 170-6 (Stokes 25, Woakes 5) Woakes skips down to clip Washington between mid-on and midwicket for four.That’s a fine shot.The ball is spitting, as you’d expect on a pitch that has been in the oven for nearly four days.

It sounds like Shoaib Bashir will be able to bowl despite the injury to his left hand.He’ll surely bat too, even if it’s one-handed like Malcolm Marshall in 1984.48th over: England 165-6 (Stokes 24, Woakes 1) Maiden from Jadeja to Woakes.Domink Hindal has shared an intriguing stat from Cricbuzz: since 2024, when playing the conventional sweep in Tests, Joe Root has scored 101 runs at an average of 17.I’d like to see the dismissals, and his sweeping stats before 2024, but an average that low suggests it’s not the safe shot many of us thought.

47th over: England 165-6 (Stokes 24, Woakes 1) There have been a number of dramatic momentum shifts in this brilliant Test match.We’re in the midst of another: England were 154 for 4 and eyeing 250+.Now they’re 165 for 6 and could struggle to reach 200.England are in bother.Washington bowled Root round his legs and now he has done Smith on the outside.

Smith pushed defensively down the wrong line and was mortified to see the ball go straight on to plink the off stump.I’d like to see the replay again as there was probably some drift involved.Not that it matters: the big news is that Jamie Smith is out and India are into the bowlers.Mr Smith goes to Washington!46th over: England 162-5 (Stokes 24, Smith 6) Jadeja bowls his fifth over, the ninth of spin in this innings.The only attacking strokes I can recall are sweeps, most of them unsuccessful; Stokes tries another and is hit on the pad outside the line.

45th over: England 159-5 (Stokes 23, Smith 4) Smith has started calmly, getting a long way forward to smother the spin whenever possible,Once he gets his eye in he will surely try to reverse the pressure,What England would give for a Gilchristian cameo today,