Rain, rumblings and a restless Lord’s. Day two of the second Test between England and Pakistan began with more questions than cricket – and not all of them about the weather.
Damp morning, green pitch
The first inspection at Lord’s brought a familiar modern refrain: delayed toss, delayed start. Heavy overnight rain had soaked the square, the covers only recently peeled back as England’s players kicked a football around the outfield to stay loose.
Michael Vaughan, watching closely, did not like what he felt underfoot.
“I went across the wicket yesterday and there is a green tinge and it feels quite soft,” the former England captain said on Test Match Special. “I don't think it will have any pace. I think it will be a nibbler.”
That word – “nibbler” – will have interested both sets of seamers as much as the spectators. Toss at 11:30 BST, first ball at 12:00, if the groundstaff could win their own race against the damp.
Cox’s ‘only chance’ and Root’s calm
While the ground dried, England’s Jordan Cox reflected on his own Lord’s experience, and the unforgiving nature of Test cricket opportunity.
“It was an incredible fixture, wasn't it?” he told Sky Sports. “It started incredibly well, especially with the ball. Those [England] fast bowlers, let's just say we were lucky that we don't have to face them every week. They put on an absolute clinic, didn't they?”
Cox has seen that pace up close in training.
“To face them in the nets is awesome. Facing Jofra [Archer] and [Josh] Tongue in the nets, you're only going to get better.”
His own dismissal clearly still stung.
“I was devastated when I got out. I was saying to myself ‘this could be your only chance’. That ball unfortunately hit my pad. I didn't feel anything. I thought I'd go upstairs and I have never done it before - it was good fun!”
At the other end stood Joe Root, the constant in an England side that has swayed between brilliance and chaos.
On Root, Cox could barely find the vocabulary. “It is hard to put into words how Joe is. People say so calm and so composed. To bat with Joe and my goal was to try bat longer than Joe.”
Few manage that. Fewer still look comfortable while trying.
Ben, Baz and a fraying edge
If Root embodies calm, the mood music around England’s Test set-up is anything but serene.
“Under Ben and Baz it was an incredible ride, but it has always been quite loose,” Vaughan observed. The looseness was part of the charm when the wins flowed. It feels different now.
“When you start losing, and you carry on with that vibe, that's when the problem becomes.
The words ‘hacked off’ suddenly sent a shiver around the whole game of English cricket. If Joe Root is hacked off, then you know there's a real problem.”
When the most reliable figure in the dressing room is unhappy, people listen. They have to.
Babar back in the middle
On the other side of the contest, Pakistan welcomed back their captain. Babar Azam, who missed the first Test at Headingley with a hand injury, was passed fit and slated to return to the middle order.
Had the weather cooperated, it would have been Babar walking out alongside Root for the toss, a meeting of modern batting heavyweights in the Lord’s sunshine. Instead, the two captains waited while the groundstaff and clouds argued over who held control.
Salman Ali Agha, who deputised for Babar at Leeds, made way. Pakistan regain their premier batter, and with him, a measure of authority in the middle.
Carse controversy breaks through the drizzle
While Lord’s waited on the weather, a different kind of storm rolled in from Derby.
News emerged that England fast bowler Brydon Carse is under investigation by Derbyshire Police after an incident outside a nightclub. Images on social media showed Carse in handcuffs and surrounded by police officers during a night out in Derby on Saturday.
The 31-year-old was briefly arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly. Derbyshire Police confirmed they are looking into allegations of assault.
The England and Wales Cricket Board responded quickly. The ECB said the incident will be investigated by the Cricket Regulator and, as a result, Carse has been removed from the England squad for this Test.
Carse, who has represented England 58 times, including 14 Tests and last featured in the Ashes last winter, is playing for Durham in the County Championship against Gloucestershire at Chester-le-Street today, with his county side bowling first.
Jonathan Agnew did not downplay the seriousness on Test Match Special.
“This is quite serious because it undermines everything that everybody is trying to do for the good of cricket,” the BBC’s chief cricket commentator said.
“When you have been lucky enough to play at this sort of level, it is the proudest moment of your life. You shouldn't need reminding about your behaviour. This is part of the territory.”
On a day when England’s Test side needed clarity and control, the off-field narrative became even more tangled.
Radar, rain bands and restless stands
Back in London, the eyes weren’t just on the middle, but on the radar.
“We have a band of rain which is pushing northwards,” said BBC lead weather presenter Ben Rich. “What you'll notice over the next hour or so is the clouds will start to break up, and we will see some sunny spells.”
Hope, then. But not a guarantee.
“This afternoon we may not be completely out of the woods. We will see some storm clouds erupting. The scattered showers and thunderstorms that we typically see.”
For now, the toss was delayed again. The covers stayed largely in place at the Home of Cricket, even as the outer sheets began to slide away. The heavy overnight rain and morning showers had finally stopped, and the worst of the weather looked to be drifting north.
Play, though, would still have to wait. So would the first ball on that soft, green-tinged surface Vaughan called a “nibbler”.
Lord’s has seen bigger dramas than a delayed toss and a damp outfield. With Babar returning, Root restless, and England’s wider culture under scrutiny, how long before the real storm breaks on the field?
