Test Match Special - Dominant England set target for Pakistan at Edgbaston

Episode Date: September 10, 2026

Simon Mann presents reaction from Edgbaston after the second day of England's third and final Test against Pakistan.Hear from Sir Alastair Cook, Phil Tufnell, Ramiz Raja and Jonathan Agnew after a dominant batting performance with England which left them with a commanding lead over Pakistan. Hear from Dan Lawrence after an impressive batting performance.Plus, Henry Moeran is at Lord's for the Knight-Stokes Cup.

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Well the ball facts are that Pakistan are facing another defeat, 52 for two in their second things. They're still 268 runs behind after England made 453 with half centuries aplenty. Gay, Brooke, Lawrence, Smith and Olly Robinson who can do no wrong it seems in this series. Even Joffre Archer chipped in with 32 not out at the end. And then Pakistan lost two wickets in their wickets in their. first over both to Robinson. Aube driving caught by Brook at Slip and then Abdullah Shafik was caught low down by route at slip.

Route fielding at first step in place of Duckett who dropped Shan Massoud on 13 off the bowling of Atkinson who just can't get a wicket bed in this series. Just got the one so far. That's Duckett's third drop of the match. Jonathan Agnew is here. Alistair Cook is here.

Rameh Raja is here. Let's start with you, Jonathan. I mean, the story has not changed today at all. No, it hasn't really. It's rather uninspiring. It's a shame, isn't it? And that's, you know, teams do go through cycles like this. England have been through the cycle like this.

And it's a question of, for Pakistan, how they do build and come back from this. It's not all doom and gloom for them. I thought actually the way that the, that Sean and Azan batted here this evening has been, was good. They were busy, they were positive, despite the fact they were naught for two. Razola, of course, we've all been raving about him, the young fast bowler.

I just hope that when we do play Pakistan again in test cricket, whenever that is, and hasn't been scheduled yet, has it? That he's still there. I just hope that he's still playing and he's still part of the setup and he's improved and he's learned. But, you know, he's something. He really is something that could come away from this tour as being really positive. but there's kind of no guarantee that he will still be there. Such is the way that Pakistan cricket is structured, isn't it?

But it's up to them. They've got to knuckle down and they've got to find a way of Mike Heson, if he's able to roll his sleeves up. We heard Jason Gillespie yesterday saying that that's very difficult for him to do those interference. Well, they've got to let the coach do the job. And they've got to have a sensible selection policy and really just choose the right youngsters and give. give them time and space and so on.

So that's the Pakistan deal with. All England can do is beat what they're up against. And that's always the old adage, isn't it? You know, you can just beat what you face. And that's what England have been doing. It hasn't made for, say, inspiring test cricket. It's been a very strange summer, really, on the field, isn't it? There's been lots going on off it.

But on the field, you listed all those half centuries that were scored. Then no one's made 100 again, which is. disappointing from an England perspective and you know those batsmen who got in and against this attack really should have gone on to have scored big scores but I don't know maybe they're just a little bit sort of uninspired like the rest of us by it and so that's why they got themselves out but no England will win the game it'll be 3-0 England will have got themselves back on track again to an extent although quite how much we don't know but again I repeat it you can only

do the job that's in front of you and beat what's in front of you Yeah. We've kind of written Pakistan off, or you have there, and I think we all sense which way this game is going, probably even Ramiz as well. But that was actually a very impressive half-century partnership between Azan and Chamasou, because at naught for two, after conceding a lead of 320 on first innings, you might have thought, well, Pakistan, well, it could be 40 for five at the close of play. But Azan played so well. Shamish had a bit of luck. He was dropped by Duckett, but they're still there. And perhaps just putting this pitch into a bit of. perspective i mean they made 400 on it for goodness sake yeah i mean it's a good reference point for the players in the dressing room that look if they can put up a fight why can't we but it's the mental fatigue the fatigue of of relentless pressure that's that england have exerted on them and

being on the losing side it can have an impact on you on your makeup uh you just not good enough anymore mentally to put up a fight um so i i don't know i mean what will happen in the end And I was fearing for the worst tonight. I mean, there was still 40 overs to be bowled by England. And the maximum that they're batted in this series is around that 40 over mark. But you've got to put up a fight and take positives. I think Azana West is certainly a positive. For me, South Shaquille, because I always have known him to be good against spin.

But the way is face baseballing is a certain plus. Then you've got Razahullah, obviously, he's got. bit of talent but still work in progress. What about Barbara Azam? Barbara Asim has been a big disappointment actually and his batting needs to be up the scratch come the better bowling attacks because I think he is not that great now against the shot ball.

And unless and until you practice the pull shot or sway away from the line, it's going to muddle up your entire setup at the crease because you're always looking for that length and it's just not right for the captain to be sort of for the for the opposition to feel that you know here is barbarism let's get a fielder back at square leg and let's bounce him out that just pulls everybody down in the dressing room also Shan Masoud well he's got to come to grips with his batting

he's played 50 test matches and you know he looks promising and then he loses the plot so Pakistan need to find a good spinner to become a wholesome bowling attack so there are still puzzles that need to be filled up but overall this is this has been a bit of a disaster. Yeah, it has. Yeah. And the full house crowd are coming along tomorrow. I mean, they'll be hoping that someone like Babak can, you know, give them something to watch, really.

It's a little bit lost to me. Three single figure scores so far after his finger injury. He's got all this stuff going on, you know. And as we know, the captains of India and Pakistan are under so much more pressure than the captains of anywhere else. And, you know, it must be hard for him. He always seems very cheerful. He's got a big smile in his.

and all that, you know, he was comes and says hello. But inside, he must be thinking what is going on, you know, ever so hard. And it must affect his batting. Absolutely. I agree with you, Rosne, about his batting actually over the last couple of years of starting to diminish in returns. But actually, you're going to have to take this game out of it for me. Gaut, imagine walking out of that meeting when you're just been told that seven of your players are going home. You're bringing seven you in.

And then you've got to be part of it. of a leadership group of those players or be in the dressing or be on the field leading those players after all that chaos where no one's certain about anything. He's not certain about his place or his future. Everyone else is looking around and going, well, we play two bad games,

sending seven of us home next time. It's an impossible situation for anyone to manage, let alone a captain of cricket who then has to make however many decisions a day and then go out and try and be Pakistan's best batsman, which he is on paper, and he is over the last, historically last probably six or seven years,

he's been the future of Pakistan's batting. So I do genuinely feel he's been dealt with some cards which have been impossible to manage. And if he goes out tomorrow and scores runs, that's a real doff to him in terms of his mental resilience. Because that is, he's had something which I just wouldn't know how you could look at those players in the eyes, A, you're sending home,

B, the players are coming in and have authority and have control. So he, the selected, administration have dealt him a real tough tough deal and it's not surprising and I actually feared for them at nought for two I genuinely thought you know the only way this game is going in tomorrow was was the weather saving I thought they'll just lose well they actually batted pretty well and then to fair Joff was first over as actually it was a poor over it was you know he went for 12 but it wasn't

you know didn't back up he if I think if he'd have nailed that over in as well and built pressure from both ends you know the crowd had got right behind it and I didn't know how Pakistan would have stopped that kind of that tide of momentum but he kind of let them off a little bit and those two played beautifully dropped and run they build that kind of fight it's only of course 12 overs but a fight need to continue a lot more but a little glimmer or something yeah i mean cricketers and painters i mean they need calmness and quietness you know to create something superb you know this is uh a creative art as well cricket you're creating an innings you're creating an impression

and so if there's turbulence and if there's no peace of mind then obviously it'll show in the performance as well and cookie is absolutely right because it's a humongous task really seven players who not acclimatized to english conditions and it's far cry from subcontinent you know temperatures up in the 40s to come here and and play in seeming conditions from batting point of view and then what line to bowl suddenly you know you're asked to do the job at the highest level it's almost an impossible task not only for the captain but also for the individuals so i mean it just went pear-shaped for pakistan i think um so yeah i mean that's major reason of of disaster as well you you can talk a great deal about the technical aspect of the game but the

mental aspect of the game has been sort of badly hurt yeah we've seen one player come in he's back to pair Simon Ayur. Yeah, again, tough, tough. It is possible though. It is possible to go around the world and play under short notice, but it's not easy. Why are you laughing, Simon? I think because I know where you're going with it. I wasn't going at all with it.

It was a great knock cookie. I'll tell you what you played well. I wasn't even talking about me, but I was saying that probably the hard, it is possible to go and play with the pressures off in one sense. But these conditions for a subcontinental player to come to the ball seeming and nipping in the top order against some. someone who's averaging six at the time. That's pretty hard. We should just mark everyone's card. These people wondering what we're talking about.

Your first test, you came in from the West Indies. How many did you make in that? But I was playing cricket and I was in condition. I scored a couple. Simon, let's move on. Yeah, okay. He did all right in that game. Well, let's talk about England's batting, shall we?

Let's look ahead to the future and how they're going to fit players in. So lots of half centuries in this innings. Dan Lawrence today with 65. He played on to Imranch, quite a wide. board dragged it on second drag on of the innings he's come into this side this summer there's Jordan Cox there as well Jacob Bethel he's waiting in the wing trying to get fit he's had this knee problem he's not going to be fit for a while and there's the South

Africa tour which is in a way it this well it is this test team's next big series isn't it and how they get on that everyone will be watching waiting to see how they get on in South Africa how does it all fit together for you Alistair I think Bethel comes back in straight away. I think he's done that hundred is Sydney, 150 for me, after missing a couple of games, playing those last two games. He's, he's England's number three. I think he's earned the right to come back into that place.

He, again, if we go back to the beginning of summary, we came back into the England side with no Red Bull cricket whatsoever, leaving the IPL, at the end of the IPL and coming straight to a test match. We've got to revisit some red ball practice for the majority of batters to produce consistent performances. I don't think that argument will ever go away and I don't think it should go away. But I think Bethel for me does enough. I think Dan Lawrence at six with his role as a spinner, although it hasn't been required, I think will stays at six. And I think for me, Jordan Cox misses out in terms of, in terms of of, of, of, of,

selection. I don't think he's, I think we've seen glimpses of it. And I think all of us in those couple of 60s he's got or 50 you got there's a player there, but he hasn't done enough to knock the door down to say I'm playing. And I like, I like kind of the hierarchal system he is in so he plays and then he gets goes the chance. So I would take Cox as a reserve batts and Gaye's done enough to go again for me. And I think Dan Lawrence, the balance of Dan Lawrence spin with Bethel. So I would play the four seam is almost on most conditions. What about you Jonathan? What do you make of what Alastair said?

Yeah, of course. I mean, for me, it depends on how much they are depending on on Lawrence's spin. I mean, he's better than a part-timer, but he's not a front-line spinner. And it is difficult to balance the side, of course, given the players that they've got and no obvious all-rounder.

So I think that probably does give Lawrence the nod over Cox, who's, let's face it, it started pretty well. But he is quite I think the thing about Cox, in some it's a good thing, they can sometimes count against you if you're a bit of a utility player. If you can bat anywhere,

then I think you often therefore end up batting nowhere. Whereas if you've got a specialist in positions, then they tend to nail down those specialist positions. So, I mean, I do agree. I think Lawrence will start. I'm really glad he's been given a second chance.

We've seen much more of him now playing his natural game in his natural position than we did before. And yeah, he's nice. He's a bit quirky, but different. A lot of leg side stuff. I think opposition bowlers and analysts are having a long look at that.

And they will be looking at the sort of he gets him from quite strange positions sometimes. But he's a shot player, he's free. And if the bowling is invaluable and it probably is at the moment, not in these conditions, but probably will be more so in South Africa than I think he plays.

So I think just you go back to the start of this. selection under the new era of Joe Root, Sam Curran was mentioned about that if he was fit, he would have been considered for selection or had been in the squad and then considered for the final level. I think what these three games have done with the four bowlers, the four pace bowlers, is actually that is England's super strength in terms of that is where they are probably ahead of other teams.

And I think what that has done in these three games, yes, against not the greatest Pakistan batting line out yes on wickets of the help but you're thinking actually those four seamers now are the four seamers that I think will part their strongest team where they were kind of considering the balancing it with Sam Curran and they might end up having to go to a kind of planet of that but I think they will start the series at South Africa if they can with the four quick bowlers and then using Bethel and or just Dan Lawrence so if Bethel's not fit as a spinner where I think beginning of this tour or this series they

weren't certain about that What do they do in England do you think if they come across a pitch that says that screams play a front line spinner? What do they do? Because the Ben Stokes retirement means it's so hard to fit that front line spinner in. Well, especially if it's a spinner like Shoebashieh doesn't really offer you much with the bat. You can find a spinning all-rounder who's worth its place as a line spinner. Well, that'll come more to play when they go to Bangladesh, right? And those little tours are difficult to the subcontinent because they've got two tests against Bangladesh.

that in the scheme of the year, really are kind of irrelevant in terms of the team because you're not going to be playing any more matches in those sort of conditions. They are undoubtedly going to spin square. They did last time we went and that's the way that Bangladesh play their cricket at home. But in terms of the relevance of South Africa, the one-off tests against Australia, two more tests against Bangladesh here, and then the ashes, those two games have no relevance. So I've always felt you were really careful about the teams that you pick

and the relevance that you put on those two test matches given the bigger picture. If you go to Bangladesh and a couple of batsmen struggle, I mean, Ben Duckett's quite a good example. The last time England went there, if you remember, he had really struggled, didn't they? Bind, gone, largely because they felt where he can't play spin bowling. He's all over the place, and he was all over the place.

So they chucked him out, and of course he's had a second chance and he's come good. So I just think they've got to be careful about those two Bangladesh test matches and whatever happens with them, yes, of course, Of course you've got to win. Of course you want to win and everything else. But I don't think you must be knocked off your course by those two test matches. I don't think they're knock of course,

but all they have to do is play their best side for that. And that means flying in the two best spinners and then thinking, well, he's not going to go to Australia because you're not going to play the best spinner because you don't need to. Someone like Jack Leach, I'm not saying this is what's going to happen. But you say, well, Jack Leach is England's best spinner. He goes to Bangladesh. And even if he does really well, there's not going to take into Australia for that pink ball test because that's not part of the long-term plan that's the thing you have to go there to try and win it because sides good sides and sides built when they build something they they don't just ignore two test matches they're of course but we must be knocked off course by it and we have been in the past we've been knocked off course by the test series going wrong in the subcontinent get wrong in subcontinent yeah but then the bigger picture gets affected and because of the year that England have

I think they've got to treat those two games carefully. Of course they're going to play spinners. Of course, they've got to play their best team to win. But if Jack Leach gets seven wickets on an absolute square turner in C.L.Cott or wherever they're playing. That doesn't mean that doesn't mean they're going to play Melwyn. But that's the way we've done it before. And they've got to be careful not to do that. Well, tough is with us as well.

Where do you stand on this figure? England not playing a front-line spinner. I mean, they have got sort of Philean spinners to some extent, haven't they? Bethel potentially to come back. They've got Dan Lawrence there. Well, it's an awkward one, isn't it? And it seems to be a real sort of thorn in their side trying to get that balance right, doesn't it? I'm not quite sure.

I mean, they're very lucky to have, you know, a quartet, a scene bowlers who seem to be doing the job with things. But they'll be crying out for someone who can bat a little bit of seven. And Balramid, I mean, Ray and Armid is the one that they're hoping will really sort of like, you know, rise up and take that spot. You don't see too many great sides who don't play a sport. specialist spinner, do you, really, in all conditions. It doesn't matter whether it's green or whatever. You're always going to have a, you know, Graham Swan with yourself. You know, he was virtually first on the team sheet just because it wasn't spinning.

He was a very useful member to the side. So it is a tricky one for England. And they've got themselves in a bit of a corner, haven't they, with Bashir? They don't quite know, you know, when to play him. You know, if you're not going to play him in Adelaide last year, where are you going to play him? I don't see how he fits in because his spinning is okay. You know, he's a work in progress and maybe like Graham Swanee played a little bit of 22 but came back at 28 was the bowler he was.

That was Bashir 22, 23. So I'm expecting maybe in five or six years time that he could be that bowler. But because he doesn't bat very well particularly or field great, your, his match impact I actually don't think is worth playing him. So that's why I wouldn't go back to Bashir for a good couple, three or four years until he's really learned the craft of spinning. Because just to be a batter,

just to be an off spinner, about that 11, you've got to have a serious impact on the game. And if you don't, I'd rather fit it in with the four seamers and a couple of scenes. The England side, of course, desperately, to consider a great side, you need a great spinner. But if you haven't got the spinner, don't just play him because of the spinner.

of it. As a skipper, do you like that quartet? Would you like a sort of battery of four fast bowlers? Yeah, absolutely. In the modern game, you know, when we played in the modern game, how old am I? But in terms of you could get away with three and one because the spinner could hold an end because of, I actually think of the way batters play. The shots available to the batters now, I mean, they just wouldn't allow Graham Swan,

you know, to have just bowled, bold like he did. and just defended him and knocked him for threes and bits because the modern player are so comfortable banging sixes that if it isn't spinning and they think it actually, I will take him on. You know, Swanee would have got him in the second innings, but in the first innings, they wouldn't allow him to hold and end up

so you couldn't go with three seats. So you do need the four seams, I think now. Yeah, well, they have changed the way they play spin, you know, and that reverse sweeps and switch hits and everything like that is very, very difficult for a spinners, too, to a holding job. You know, when I was playing, you used to run up and perhaps, you know, be thinking they go,

2, 2.2 and half and over. And sometimes when I first started playing test match cricket on flat ones, they almost sort of patted you back a little bit, you know, because it was a bit more about time and, you know, using up overs and slowly getting towards a total. Nowadays, as Cookie said, they're just, they're teeing off on you. So you've got to, you've got to be able to make that impact, even in the first innings.

Otherwise, you know, why just try and squeeze someone in who you're really only going to be looking about 20 overs in the second in it? Yeah, and to be fair, you look at England's fixtures. It's that Bangladesh series, but if you look at those other matches that England have got, I mean, they do scream out, don't they? Four fast bowlers, really. Three tests in South Africa is normally about pace in South Africa, isn't it? And then over here, well, it hasn't always been about pace here,

because spinners have taken wickets. But, you know, what we've seen this summer, if we're going to get something similar-ish next summer, then it will be about keeping the four quicks fit and available. Well, I mean, it's been the hottest August in record of the hottest summer, and spin hasn't still hasn't paid an impact. No. Like if it's not going to make an impact this year, when is it going to make an impact? Yeah. Perhaps it might be the art, a dying art.

Toughest. No, what am I going to talk about? You'll be a relic of the past, toughers. Might be. Yeah. Yeah. Well, there are some good relics, don't worry. No, yeah. I mean, you can see, you can see England playing three spinners virtually in Bangladesh. Yeah, I mean, you can guarantee. The only thing I say about that in Bangladesh is they've got a few, they've got some handy paste bowlers now. Good side, yeah. But, but would they, would they,

would they do that against England? They're gonna take on England's four seamers against the side who doesn't have much spin. Yeah. I think they'll have spinning wicket surely. Think about it, Simon. Yeah. But all I'm thinking is I just kind of left field a bit

that you know for Bangladesh, I mean they've just gone to the Australian one, haven't they with some of pace bowlers? So I think if you want to progress as a test match team, when we look at Pakistan, I mean they play those last two tests against England on spinning pitches, they've got the heaters out,

they played on the used pitch. Yeah. Look where it's got the, them so if Bangladesh want to progress their cricket but they'll play to their hope strength yeah you'd think so wouldn't you but it is a bit I know what you're saying it is a bit short-sighted and I think that's one of the reasons why Pakistan keep going in this sort of like vicious circle because it's just like well let's just you know completely make it a lottery and hopefully we'll come out on the side of

it but that doesn't do you any good in the long term yeah three days left England got this test match I'm they well it's just just flown along isn't it you know still got three days left at a lead of 320 with a session to go on day two. I mean, well, there are two wickets away from, yeah, from just blowing the rest away really, on the basis of the first innings and and what the batting was left. Bubba has a final chance for him.

Let's suppose he'll play a test match in England again, a chance to go out on a high and it'd be nice to see him score some runs. He's a lovely player, but he just seems so weighed down with it all. Yeah, and there does come a time, how old Bubba now? Oh my, it's 35 or so? That's a good question. Yeah, I'm a bit tougher. You may scramble for...

Sorry. ...flats his sheet here. Your eyes do go a little bit, don't you? And you do get a little... He's 31? I mean, he should be in theory, but it's prime. Yeah, he should be... Yeah, he should be...

Okay, okay. But it just looks like his confidence is shot the pieces, and also now he's a bit windy against the short ball. Okay, thanks very much, everyone. Now, we've been talking about Dan Lawrence, who made another half century today, and he's been speaking with Eleanor Old-Droid.

Dan, congratulations on your third half-century of the series. You're enjoying playing against Pakistan and being back in this team by the sound of it. Yeah, love him being back in the team. It's obviously a pleasure every time you play for England. And, yeah, thankfully, I've got a few scores. I would have liked to have got a few more today, but I'm really happy to contribute again.

You set off at quite a pace this morning. There were even people talking about fastest ever century for England. Did you have a century in your sights? Well, yeah, of course. I think every time you get into the 50, and 60s, you start thinking about it. I certainly wasn't planning on trying to score really quickly this morning. I just got into a nice rhythm and yeah, for about 40 minutes me and Brookie were going really well.

So we just sort of rolled with it and yeah, thankfully it paid off. You look pretty frustrated when you got out though. Yeah, obviously bitterly disappointed to get out in the 60s. It's something that I've really prided myself on this season is kicking on when I get a start because obviously it's very hard to get starts when you're batting. Yeah, I really wanted to push on and and make a big hundred today, but I think if you'd have offered me 65 at the start of the day, I would have taken it.

And actually, it's quite a nice team effort, wasn't it? Really, five of you got 50s in the end. Yeah, I mean, everyone played beautifully. Emilio set the tone really well up top. And then Bricky was doing his thing, and then a few of us played around him. So, yeah, to get 450 on the board on a wicket that was tricky yesterday, was a really good effort. We don't know whether you'll get to bat again in this test match, quite possibly not. But there will be conversations about going forward into the winter and the England batting line up. Are you happy where you are in that lineup or are you just happy to be playing for England again?

Obviously the latter, I'd be happy to play and bat anywhere. But yeah, I feel like number six suits my game really well. It's a position that I'm more familiar with and in the knocks I've had this summer. I feel like I've given it a pretty good crack. So yeah, I'm really enjoying it for now. Give us an insight into what the dressing room feels like this time round compared to the last time you're in the team. Yeah, I mean, the atmosphere has always been great whenever I've been involved. It's obviously brilliant when you're winning and everyone's in high spirits.

Yeah, I mean, this group has been working really hard away from the pitch and thankfully it's showing in the results. And assuming that you can get things done tomorrow and wrap up that 3-0 series victory, what will that say for the way that you've come back from quite a turbulent start to this summer, certainly as a group even if you weren't part of that first part of the summer? Yeah, I mean, getting a 3-0 win would be an amazing effort. but I feel like we have been really dominant this whole series. And I feel like if we do get the eight wickets tomorrow, I feel like it would be a very well-deserved 3-0.

I feel like we've been the better side throughout and we've got one big last push to complete the 3-0 victory. Do you feel like you've put your place on the plane to South Africa? Well, you never know. You never know. Nothing's ever guaranteed, but I'm fairly happy with how I've performed. I haven't quite bowled the overs that I was planning to, but our big four bowlers have,

bowl beautifully. If I get selective South Africa, then great. And if I make the 11, then even better. And you're going to bring your bowling boots if you go. Well, let's hope so. If the four quickies keep bowling like they are, maybe I won't need to bowl as much as I thought. Well done, Dan. Thank you so much. This is the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. Your sales order says one thing. Your inventory says another. Your spreadsheet says, good luck. Odu brings your business together on a single platform, from sales and accounting to inventory and marketing. Visit Odu.com to book a demo.

It's ODbolo.com. Get more with BBC podcasts, wherever you listen. Be the first to listen to your favourite shows, like evil genius, good, bad billionaire, and You're Dead to Me, with a subscription to BBC Podcasts Premium on Apple Podcasts. You can also enjoy a range of our podcasts ad-free with an Amazon music subscription. The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. Now over at Lords today, we've had finals day at the inaugural Barclays Knight Stokes Cup,

the new National State School competition, and we sent Henry Moran to find out more. Well, here standing in front of the famous Lords Pavilion, and this is a very special day for four sides of under 15s. Cricketers who have made it through to the inaugural finals day of the Knight Stokes Cup. T20 cricket played exclusively by state schools. 1,100 different teams entered this competition when it all kicked off way back in April. We're on to the finals day and sides representing areas Yorkshire, Cheshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex. So right around the country, in action in men's and women's tournaments.

It's been a really special day. Good numbers have come in, friends and family and school children invited by the MCC. And certainly no question about it. It is the sort of day that does remind you the talent that is out there if given the opportunity to play. I've been speaking to Michael Vaughn, former England captain,

who is one of the key figures behind the tournament. The state sector is where I was from back in Sheffield. And it was a glaring kind of mist that it's never happened before. So a group of people got together. The MCC have been absolutely magnificent. first and foremost to agreeing to give up this incredible venue for the finals. That was a two-second conversation straight away. They said yes.

And then a group of really important people got together, the Black Art Foundation, led by Rick Lewis, and then a group of people. And the logistical side of, you know, just so not we're going to have a state school tournament, and it just happens, doesn't just happen. You have to have a lot of people logistically putting all the tournament together, getting all the applications in,

To have over 1,100 teams in the first year, over 400 girls teams was well beyond what we all expect. I think we'd have settled for 200 boys and probably 50 girls in the first year. So it just shows you that there's a real appeal and a want in the state sector for cricket. The amount of dedication from the independent school sector as well to give up grounds. We've used club facilities across the country. The state schools that don't have facilities have been able to use clubs. club facilities which has pretty much been gifted for this tournament which has been great. We've had a finest out at Headingley at Wormsley and obviously this is incredible to think

that we've got four teams playing here at the home of cricket. We've even got the weather sorted. The tournament's gone far too rosy for the first year. It's been remarkable how everything has fallen into place but it's so important that cricket appeals to everyone. It's so important that the state sector is looked after and With 1100 teams this year, I like to grow things and hopefully over the next year or so, going into 2027, with it being an ashes year for both the men's and the women's,

we hope to get over 1,500 to 2,000 teams next year. So there's still a huge amount of growth in this. This is our inaugural year and it's gone incredibly well, but there's still a lot of work to do to make sure there's more schools that can enter. Why does this matter to you personally? I went to a school with a load of footballers, really. and the only reason that they came into the cricket team was because they knew that they could miss history

or chemistry on a Tuesday, Wednesday afternoon. But what that brought is, was a group of mates who actually weren't cricket fans back then who are now. So this is obviously we can produce the next Natseva Brunt or Harry Brook, fantastic. That would be great. But it's more about making sure that cricket is growing

in terms of a fan base. And if you play at school, there's a lot of research that tells you, that if you do something at an early age, you're going to remember that forever. And if we can get more people playing cricket at the age of 12, 13, 14, 15, we're going to gather a few more fans along the way and people that love the Gamer Creek, whatever the format it may be. This is obviously T20 Creek with a pink ball club clothing, absolutely fantastic.

And every single person that would have played in this tournament will know more about cricket. And if we can grab them into being test match cricket fans in the future as well, that's going to be great as well. But it's just, it's nice to know that I went to a school, which was a special. State School in Sheffield and we had a really vibrant economics teacher called Mr. Kent and he drove our cricket team. We had some sports teachers as well but this is what this tournament's been all about. It's not necessarily been all about the sports teachers.

It's been about cricket loving teachers that have gathered teams and probably pested a few of the students. They come and let's put a team in. Probably the other way around as well where students have gone to teach and said come and can we have a team in that tournament which is great and I hope that's going to obviously grow in the future but to see so many kids here at lords to see so many teams enter we've had a summer to dream of in terms of weather so lots of the games have happened we haven't had to have too many bowl-offs which is good for the game yeah and to see so many smiley faces

playing the game of cricket it doesn't get much better well somebody with a very special interest in the women's final is the former england all-rounder katherine siverrunt she uh she went to one of the schools involved in today's final Peniston Grammar and I've chatted to her about exactly what it all means. It's about providing opportunity where there isn't any. You know people are engaging, we're getting cricket into schools which has been going on for years but this is the first national hardball tournament so I'm really really excited about seeing the girls here play at Lod's probably going to pass me at this at tender age of how many times I played here not so long so yeah it's really

exciting and great to see. Playing at Lords, it's a really special thing. And actually the opportunity for these players to get through to finals day and do that, that's massive. Yeah, I mean, if they grew up enjoying cricket with their brothers or their dad or mothers or whatever, however it is that they followed cricket or didn't, and I'm following that, they'll soon learn the importance

of this place and this ground and how special it is. So I'm sure some of them will feel very honoured. Some of them will learn to know what that means. And I think that they even get the point. pleasure of being on an honours board in either the committee room or somewhere else. So that is an amazing feat. I worked my whole career to try and do that and I managed it. So, yeah, I think it's just all in all.

It's just a lovely, brilliant thing to have done. And I'm so glad that who made this happen. This is like the very, I mean, there's playing for teams, there's playing internationally, but some things sometimes mean more than that. I remember some of my best memories come from school or from playing for Yorkshire. not always about international dreams and trophies, so yeah, it's lovely. And is it too difficult, do you think, for state educated children to get the opportunity? No, I think it's just about presenting them the opportunity, like this tournament's available,

and it's available for you to enter and compete in. So as long as your teachers are in the know and they're willing and able to put this tournament on, then it can be done. It's not necessarily something that requires a lot of money or investment. So, you know, in that regard, it's very accessible. So yeah, there's no reason it can't happen. In the future, the hope is this tournament will grow and grow. And we'll see more state-educated children, not just playing in the competitions like this,

but more established tournaments and professional cricket. Yeah, absolutely. We all know the numbers behind private schools, don't we? Especially in the men's game, there's a lot of privately educated kids that come through that because of the facilities they have and the opportunities they're given. So this will certainly be a way to boost that forward and make it level part. And like I said, it will push those state and grammar schools through a little bit quicker. That was Catherine Siverr-Brunt speaking at the Knight Stokes Cup Finals Day at Lords.

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