Chris Woakes shares duty for the opening overs with Carse, galloping up the hill from the Football Stand End. Pant gives him the charge, throws the bat at it, aiming for the long on boundary and edges it high over first slip for four. Purest of filth. Spawny so and so. Still, audere est facere. He plays the last two with almost self-conscious propriety.
What a start for England. Interesting that Carse and Woakes have swapped ends. It makes sense to me that Carse would be bowling down the hill, although he’s into the wind.
Listening to TMS – there’s some excitement that Woakes now has a tattoo on his left triceps. He is one of the least likely cricketers to get inked
Brandon Carse will open the bowling from the Kirkstall Lane End and the trumpeter plays his version of Jerusalem during his first deliveries. Gill pulls a shorter one down to deep backward square with his Madras Rubber Factory bat but two balls later drags on, thinking the ball was wider and wouldn’t move so much back into him. Dream start for England.
Looks like a bowling morning and just the early wicket that England craved, with Brydon Carse again showing his value to the side. His tight line, and the way he angles the ball back in, makes Carse very difficult to cut.
