England v India: Trent Bridge, Day Four

KP duck gets another outing this summer! It was an absolutely brilliant day and made even better by meeting Swanny afterwards!

Anyway, enough about my big day out. Here's day four from Trent Bridge, where England put in a performance worthy of being number one (© All National Newspapers):

Bressy Lad starts Yorkshire Day by getting a ball that hits him near the top of his bat...

But luckily for him, it goes through the vacant third slip area and down to third man for four.

And it brings up his half century. His and Prior's partnership has really allowed England to take a huge grasp of this match.

The shot that Bressy Lad plays the ball after he's reached his half century is probably the one he'd have preferred to have played in order to reach it.

His straight drive brings up England's 450 and there's still no sign of a Strauss declaration.

Matt Prior gets a feather on a Kumar delivery and the wicket brings to an end the 119 run partnership.

Prior goes for 73 and England are 458-7, a lead of 391.

Bressy Lad manages to get bat on a Sreesanth yorker...

And to rub salt into Sreesanth's wounds, the ball goes to the boundary for a four.

India turn to their part-timers in the hope of an England declaration. Broad gives the buffet bowling the treatment.

First with one six...

And then another the following ball.

It's a Trent Bridge Pie special. (Inspired by the "humour" of Pietersen/Yuvraj)

But as England look to pile on the runs, Broad goes for a quick single that was never there.

The sub fielder of Saha collects the ball...

And quickly runs Broad out.

Broad walks off and England are 540-8. There's still no sign of the declaration.

The next ball, Bressy Lad departs. He gets a good delivery from Kumar...

And Dravid takes the catch. Bressy Lad departs for 90 and England are 540-9.

After a painful few overs where the run rate has dropped, Swann decides to hit out against Ishant Sharma.

Unfortunately for him, but probably fortunately for England, he hits it straight to the sub, Saha, who juggles it...

But catches it on the second attempt.

Jimmy and Swanny hastily run off as England are all out for 544. India need 478 to win the second Test, England need 10 wickets in humid and cloudy conditions.

England almost get off to the perfect start. Mukund, on a king pair, gets an edge on a Jimmy delivery...

Bressy Lad dives in front of Straussy at first slip...

But the chance goes down. It's probably a ploy by Bressy Lad to not give the Lancashire seamer any joy on Yorkshire Day. 

(Error: Ian Bell should be in at short leg. Just imagine him in a helmet or something) Broad gets the crucial wicket of The Wall. He edges behind and is caught by Prior.

It is a big wicket and India are 6-1. India go into the lunch break without losing any more wickets and find themselves 8-1 at the interval.

But things get worse for India once the match resumes. 

Jimmy gets one past the outside edge of Quaxman's defences and sends the off stump cartwheeling towards Matt Prior.

The umpire tells Quaxman to wait as he just wants to check whether or not the delivery was a no-ball...

But the replays show that Jimmy was absolutely fine...

And Quaxman goes to leave India 13-2. 

In comes Tenduckar and he's not having talk of Jimmy having his measure.

He plays a wonderful on drive to the boundary for four.

Meanwhile, Mukund is not having the best time of it. Bressy Lad is brought on to bowl and bowls an absolute corker of a delivery...

That Mukund can only play into the hands of Andrew Strauss. It's a big relief for Bresnan and India are 31-3.

Raina comes and goes, showing that his Test match temperament is not exactly brilliant. 

He hooks a Bressy bouncer...

Straight down the throat of the substitute fielder and Notts cricketer, Scott Elstone. It causes the crowd to go wild and routinely ask for a wave/give him a massive cheer whenever he touches the ball. India are 37-4.

Yuvraj gets a dose of the short stuff from Bressy Lad. He cops one on the end of his wing (which is now broken, meaning he's out for the rest of the Test series). Cook, having been in the slips, is given a helmet and put in at silly point and the next ball, lo and behold, Yuvraj pops it up in the air...

And Cook duly takes the catch. India are 55-5 and staring at a defeat.

It gets a whole lot worse for India the very next ball. Dhoni, having a shocker of a series with the bat and behind the stumps, pads up first ball...

And in swinging conditions, Bressy Lad's history (Watson! WATSON!), Dhoni is a goner.

Bressy Lad is on a hat-trick. But Harbhajan, deciding that he'd rather not have the first ever and second ever Test hat-trick against India occur in the same match, doesn't want to play by the script...

And hits a full delivery to the boundary for a four.

Meanwhile, Tenduckar reaches another half century as he hits Jimmy for another four.

He lifts his bat to an appreciative Trent Bridge crowd. 

But the Little Master makes a terrible error as he decides to leave an Anderson delivery. 

The umpire sends Sachin on his way. He goes for 56 and India are 107-7. 

Bressy Lad picks up a superb five-fer as Harbhajan finally plays one big shot too many.

The ball heads to Scotty down at fine leg...

Who, despite a bit of a juggle as it went in, manages to cling onto the catch and reduce India to 129-8. It's a relief for Scotty as he'd missed a chance off Jimmy Anderson a few overs before and Strauss and Prior are ecstatic for the young fielder. Everyone else congratulates the big lad from Yorkshire on his first Test five-fer. 

Scotty and Bressy Lad are then mobbed together as Harbhajan and his stomach injury vacate the Trent Bridge pitch.

And Bresnan salutes the crowd as he celebrates his wonderful five-fer. 

After Kumar comes in to have a bit of fun, the end is soon nigh as he is bowled by Jimmy.

India are 153-9 and Sreesanth is the next duck in. He hits out or he gets out.

And he is soon bowled by the eventual duck of the match, Stuart Broad.

India are all out for 158 and it hands England a 2-0 lead in the four match series.

England, having been in a hugely precarious position at tea on day one and on day two, are grateful for some fantastic individual performances. Broad and Swann's slogging in the first innings, Broad's hat-trick and figures of 6-46 in India's first innings, Ian Bell's eventual knock of 159 and Bresnan's 5-48 were outstanding. India did not apply the pressure when required and as soon as England had a sniff of getting a grip on the game, they took a hold of it and refused to let go. With Sehwag and Zaheer Khan tipped to return for the Edgbaston Test, can India fight back? Duck cricket will be back on Wednesday! See you then!