Anderson resumes probing outside Azhar's off stump, the opener guides a single down towards the groundsman's shed at fine leg. Nightwatchman Yasir is growing in stature after that slightly panicky start.

TV pictures keep showing James Anderson's follow-through, but we don't think he's been warned for running on the wicket yet, as he was in the last Test.

Edward Pinches: Would rather take Paul Collingwood than Batty, in for Vince, still top class. Though perhaps don't bowl him, had a shocker in the T20.

Ollie Hayward: Cook, Hales, Root, Ali, Bairstow, Stokes, Buttler, Rashid, Woakes, Broad, Anderson. Three left-handers in top six and two spinners.

And two wicketkeepers...

Yasir and Azhar take advantage of the long side boundaries at The Oval to run a three as the nightwatchman steers the ball through mid-wicket.

Lots of severe punishments for poor over-rates being suggested on TMS - such as the offending team having fielders removed, having to field in their underwear or worst of all, being made to listen to a lecture on the state of modern cricket from G Boycott.

Phil Tufnell
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

I think Geoffrey's stuck in traffic. He might be listening to us.

Image source, Getty Images

An expectant buzz around The Oval - apparently it's a sell-out crowd today although there are a few empty seats, hopefully there haven't been too many delays as fans told us about yesterday. There's even rumours of Boycott having been held up in traffic, apparently he's blamed the cycling lanes. (Uncovered cycling lanes, of course).

A better over from Anderson - for the second over in succession, it's a maiden with a leg bye the only blemish.

Phil Tufnell
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

England have got to back up the bowlers on this hot day.

Pak 15-1published at 11:13 British Summer Time 12 August 2016

11:13 BST 12 August 2016

Suddenly, Stuart Broad pulls up in mid-flight - it looks like an insect may have flown into his eye. Ouch indeed! Azhar pushes the ball towards extra cover but is denied by a superb diving stop by James Vince at short extra. He may not have been much of a Bat(s)man this summer, but that was a leap worthy of Superman.

Image source, Rex Features

Phil Tufnell
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

There's a little bit of swing but no pace off the pitch. Azhar had all the time in the world to get on the back foot, wait and wait and wait, and then put it away.

James Anderson to open up from the Vauxhall End, and Azhar Ali waits to guide the first four of the morning through the covers with the minimum of effort - while fortune favours Azhar as he jams his bat down on one which squirms between third slip and gully for four.

A couple of county news snippets for you - Leicestershire's elite performance director (in my day, we just called them "coach") Andrew McDonald will return to his native Victoria this off-season to coach the Melbourne Renegades side in the Big Bash, while Essex have signed Yorkshire all-rounder Will Rhodeson loan for the rest of the season.

Four slips in - Alastair Cook, Joe Root, James Anderson and Alex Hales, with James Vince (who'd been third slip most of the summer) seemingly banished to the outfield. Anderson is doing some stretching as he prepares to bowl at the other end. Yasir has a big swing and only finds fresh air - a no-ball is the only blemish on the over.

Chris: Gareth Batty for England, what a joke! Wouldn't even be mentioned if he was playing for Worcester! Rather take the two number twos.

Keir McCumiskey: Let's not force two spinners in the side. We don't have good enough experts. Play to our strengths. Seam attack with variation.

Jon Hughes: Alec Stewart in suggesting a Surrey player shocker. Batty a county trundler and an unpleasant record of on-field behaviour.

First ball of the day, and it's all happening - nightwatchman Yasir Shah tries to play Stuart Broad into the leg side, gets a leading edge which pops up invitingly over the cover region but falls safely, he sets off for a run, is sent back and has to dive back into his crease to avoid being run out! So he was nearly out twice.

And that's just the first ball of the day. Hold on to your hats!

And as Laura Wright belts out the second verse of "Jerusalem" (which we didn't have yesterday because of a minute's silence), I hope you've got your beverage of choice to hand and are settling down for a day's cricket with TMS as your companion.

As has probably been said each morning at most of the 2,215 Tests played before this one... the first hour's going to be crucial here.

There was a lot of grumbling yesterday as Pakistan only sent down 12 overs an hour, and the paying public were left eight overs short yesterday...

England captain Alastair Cook on TMS: "There are things we can look at, where the majority of bowling in England is seam and not spin. The last thing we want to do is start having to give our 10% back to fans like Alex Hales did.

"As captain you get one strike, and the next time you do it you're out. In the Oval Test against Australia last year I got fined. It's a bit like a driving licence."

We won't keep harping on about it (well, not much) - but there's still a battle going on for the number one position in the Test rankings. Australia, England, India and Pakistan are all in contention.

But yesterday's washout in St Lucia - not a ball was bowled on day three of the third West Indies-India Test - makes a draw there more likely, which in turn helps Australia, England and Pakistan's cause.

A Brucie bonus for England was getting Pakistan in to bat for 11 minutes last night - and grabbing the wicket of opener Sami Aslam. The tourists will start on 3-1, still 325 runs behind England.