Movement and bounce in the pitch but.....
At least Jani is getting some praise from the commentators, one of whom compared his on-drive to that of Virat Kohli.

Three players on the move who apparently have contracts with other counties lined up:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/cvgvp30r7p2o

I won't copy the whole of Nick Friend's article about Chris Woakes in The Cricketer today - just the final sentence:
"If there's any justice, this isn't quite the end."

I think it was a great Test series; but in the context of players complaining about their workload, it seems strange that none of them have said that the Tests are too close together (as they head off to collect extra cash from The Hundred).

As for Scarborough, I was last there a while ago - 1965, to be precise.
I saw what was possibly the strongest cricket eleven ever to take the field. It's a big claim but take a look at the Rest of the World XI that played at Scarborough against M J K Smith's England XI:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/other-first-class-matches-1965-577458/england-xi-vs-rest-of-the-world-xi-221282/full-scorecard

Yes, I made a last minute decision to attend the Lord's final and had no trouble paying for a ticket on the gate, which you never would have been able to do in the past.

I thought that Brendon McCullum gave a good and very honest post-match interview on Sky; but the only time he really didn't give a proper answer was when he was asked if it would have been better if Jacob Bethell had played a few more games rather than hanging around the squad. It's a no-brainer but he couldn't bring himself to come out and say so. The Sky commentators afterwards agreed that, talented though he is, Jacob looked out of his depth in this match, which might have been different if he had come into the game with runs behind him.

I just hope that Chris Woakes hasn't exacerbated his injury by going out there vtoday and running between the wickets which obviously caused him great pain.

I had a dream about Chris Woakes last night (yes, I know, very sad!). In the dream, England lost their ninth wicket in this Test match when they only needed two to win, the Indian team started to celebrate and then they saw Chris Woakes coming down the pavilion steps, ready to bat with his arm in a sling. That might just happen tomorrow.
Who won in my dream? I woke up and didn't find out!

....and George Dobell adds:
"At the age of 36 and out of his central contract in a couple of months, there is clearly a danger this incident will spell the end of Woakes' international career. Various captains and coaches came to rely on him for his commitment to the team, his selflessness and his low-maintenance positivity. If this is the end, it will have been a fine career."

Not looking good for Chris Woakes. Latest reports say:
"The injury looks more serious than expected, and the right-arm seamer is most likely to miss the Ashes as well.
The report stated that the doctors confirmed a serious injury to the shoulder and might require surgery. A surgery would mean that Woakes will miss the next five months of action."

"Do they want to win or give people a go? " - I would say that second team cricket has always been trying to achieve a balance between the two. Players need to learn how to win; but it's also a case of giving players the opportunity to show that they are ready for first team cricket.
As captain, I presume that Lintott made the decision to bat down the order. He had bowled 20 overs in the Kent innings and maybe fancied a rest. I remember, years ago, Don Kenyon, when he was captain of Worcestershire, not coming out to open at the end of a long day in the field. When he was asked if he was injured, he said he was suffering from a case of captain's prerogative.

Well done to OH-D for seeing Ed Barnard to his 100 before getting out.

I see that Richard Thompson, the ECB Chair, has said that the sale of The Hundred teams "has enabled us to hopefully create a competition that becomes the IPL of the Northern hemisphere."
In which hemisphere does he think that India exists?

Exiled Bear wrote:

Really sad to see Woakes head off the field with what looks like a dislocated shoulder just now. Really hope that isn’t the end of his test career.

It's been confirmed that he will play no further part in the Test.

A disappointing result:
https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/?tab=m_scorecard#maaf759a7-331f-4368-bd2b-7ddb250c3311

This is a bit of an admission from the ECB:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jul/31/ecb-admits-no-evidence-the-hundred-attracted-new-fans-cricket
When The Hundred was launched, much was made of it being a way into other forms of cricket.

Let's hope that Ed doesn't let OH-D down by getting out in the morning.

Congratulations to Ethan Bamber on a maiden hundred.

The latest edition of The Cricketer suggests that when Chris Rushworth's contract ends in September, he won't be offered another. It also suggests that OH-D "may be phased out." I hope that, if OH-D does go, he will be given the kind of send-off appropriate for one who has done so much for the Club - "phased out" doesn't seem right.