Wild, Weird, and WTF: Why England's 1st innings was straight-up madness!

England’s first innings at Edgbaston wasn’t a game of two halves—it was a tale of three. A brutal top-order collapse, a record-shattering rescue mission, and then another dramatic freefall. And somehow, all of it added up to 407 runs… with six ducks in the mix.

Yes, you read that right: six ducks, two scores over 150, and a scorecard that looked like pure chaos. Collapse. Carnage. Collapse Again.

The innings began in disaster mode. England were 84/5, the top order wiped out in no time. Then came Jamie Smith and Harry Brook. Together, they stitched a 303-run stand in quick time—England’s 2nd highest sixth-wicket partnership ever. Brook hammered 158; Smith ran out of partners, staying unbeaten on 184.

At 387/5, England looked set to post 500+. But then, just as suddenly, came another nosedive. The final five wickets fell for 20 runs. In short:

Start – Shambles
Middle – Madness
End – Collapse 2.0

The Six-Duck Club

And then there were the ducks. Six of them. This tied the record for the most ducks in a Test innings, joining India’s infamous Cape Town collapse of 2024, when they crashed from 153/4 to 153 all out.

Irony alert? In that game, Mohammed Siraj took a six-wicket haul. Guess who did it again here? Siraj, with another six-for.

Will History Repeat at Edgbaston?

India went on to win that Cape Town Test after Siraj’s spell. Can they do it again and finally break the Edgbaston curse—a ground where they haven’t won a Test match? The signs are all there.

Why This Innings Was One for the Books

• Lowest-ever all-out total with two 150+ scores
• 303-run stand sandwiched between collapses
• Joint-most ducks (6) in Test history

It was bizarre cricket—wild, unpredictable, and unforgettable.

Also Watch: Poor show or clashing egos? Real reason why Marquez quit Indian football