It has been an intense series and the past six weeks have tested the focus and fitness of everyone involved – and not just the players. Simon Finch, the Barmy Army trumpeter, has been so overworked that on Saturday he came down with a potentially series-ending injury, leading to the Oval being distressingly free of the Great Escape theme for much of the day. “After 20 days of parping, plus blasting it out at Barmy Army evening parties, my bottom lip developed a slight callus on the middle where the mouthpiece is on my lips,” he said. “So I thought I’d better rest it up while we were batting – we don’t really need my help when we’re batting because the crowd do it on their own – and save it for the big push on Sunday.” Happily he declared himself “nicely Blistezed up and ready for action” as England took to the field at the start of the fourth day and prepared to push himself – and perhaps a few of the people sitting around him – through the pain barrier to encourage England in their pursuit of wickets.
