Test Match Round Up - What Was On Offer At The Ageas Bowl...

The Ageas Bowl played host to an abundance of thrills during last week’s England v India Specsavers Test Match, a crucial clash which saw Joe Root’s side clinch the five-match series with a win on the fourth day at the home of Hampshire Cricket, sealing a 3-1 series win.

Off the field:

Asides from the fantastic spectacle that took place on the pitch between England and India, a host of additional activities took place around the ground for spectators’ entertainment including Bollywood dancing, expertly conducted by both University of Southampton’s Indian Dance Society on Days One and Three, and Unity Bollywood on Days Two and Four. Both dance teams performed to a hybrid mix of Bollywood tracks with contemporary pop music, whilst DJ Vin produced the music on various occasions for both dance teams and provided post-match DJ Sets on Days Two and Four.

To finish the first day of the Test, Davey Jones’ Locker – a popular local rock   band – gave the fans who stayed behind for the post-match entertainment a riveting hard rock experience, whilst Day Three saw The Vibes return to the home of Hampshire Cricket - after performing during the Vitality Blast season - providing an eclectic mix of jukebox hits from classic rock track “Livin’ on a Prayer” to 90s pop song “I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys.

The Ageas Bowl also partnered up with the Royal British Legion (RBL) for Day One of the Test by inviting 150 representatives of the RBL including current serving military personnel, veterans and RBL staff. The RBL representatives enjoyed a host of on-field activities including unveiling the giant Royal British Legion flag, and forming a Guard of Honour for the players to walk through whilst ‘Thank You 100’ branded T-Shirts were worn to promote the campaign which aims to spread awareness in commemorating those who fought and contributed in the First World War, as we lead into the centenary anniversary of the end of the Great War this November.

Family-friendly activations – an ever present at the The Ageas Bowl’s International matches - included a giant climbing wall, laser quest, and giant inflatables as well as Hampshire Cricket & Southern Vipers’ Roadshow Catching Challenge found on the East Berm, with free kids cricket coaching sessions taking place on the Nursery ground with Hampshire Cricket’s professional coaches.

The Ageas Bowl also worked in partnership with the NHS, who provided a giant life-sized game of ‘Operation’ and shared information regarding blood and organ transplants to raise awareness for the cause on Day Two.

Boundaries For Life (BFL) returned to the West End-based venue to supply free health checks to spectators for this year’s International. The health ‘MOT’ checks take place in order to save lives through early detection of major killers such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and oral cancer through measuring blood pressure, body mass index and cholesterol levels, all of which are key indicators relating to chronic diseases.

On the pitch:

Match highlights included India’s brilliant display of swing bowling on Day One, reducing England to 86-6 early on. If not for England’s lower-middle order’s fight back, led by 20-year old Sam Curran (78) and Moeen Ali (40), the hosts would have been skittled for much less than the 246 made.

India proceeded to see off the first day comfortably before Broad removed both Indian openers to start Day Two. The visitor’s skipper Kohli (46) rebalanced the innings with Pujara who led the Indian batting attack with an unbeaten 132. Pujara continued to occupy the crease, but with Moeen Ali back in the side, he proceeded to knock off the tail-end with a five-wicket haul in India’s first innings seeing the number one Test side in the world finish 273 all out, a lead of 27-runs.

England’s second innings fight-back did not start as planned, however captain Joe Root (48) steadied the ship, before Buttler (69) saw England to 271 all out, accompanied by yet another useful contribution with the bat from Sam Curran (46).

With India’s second innings underway early on Day Four, Anderson and Broad looked in ominous form, removing India’s top three, before Virat Kohli (58) and Ajinkya Rahane (51) started shifting the balance of the match in India’s favour with a 101-run partnership. Day Two hero and Player of the Match, Moeen Ali, removed both of the dangerously-set batsmen, taking four wickets in the final innings, seeing England bowl India out for 184, 60-runs short of the target total.