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Democrats hail Virginia’s redistricting plan and warn Republicans’ plan to redraw Florida could backfire – live | US politics

Published

2 months ago

April 22, 2026

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Jeffries: ‘We will not let Trump rig the midterm elections’

Chris Stein

Top House Democrats were in a triumphant mood at a press conference held after Virginia voters last night approved new maps that could help Democrats win all but one of the state’s seats in the House of Representatives.

“We will not let Donald Trump rig the midterm elections by gerrymandering maps all across the country without a forceful Democratic response. That is what you saw in Virginia,” the Democratic House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, said.

The chair of the House Democrats’ campaign arm, Suzan DelBene, said: “We have held back a Republican power grab and leveled the playing field in the fight for the majority in the people’s house. Last night’s results are what happens when voters decide, and it’s as simple as that.”

Key events

Chris Stein

Triumphant though they may be, there’s still the question of what House Democrats’s recent embrace of retaliatory gerrymandering to offset Republican efforts elsewhere means for the party’s previous support for legislation to abolish partisan gerrymandering.

“We’ve continued to stand behind our prior efforts to establish one national standard that would prohibit mid decade partisan gerrymandering all across the country,” the House Democratic majority leader Hakeem Jeffries replied when a reporter asked him about the party’s inconsistency on the issue. “But what we’re not going to do is unilaterally disarm.”

In recent congresses, Democrats have introduced the For the People Act, a comprehensive reform legislation addressing democracy issues that would require states to create independent conditions to draw maps.

Democrats passed the legislation through the House in 2021, during Joe Biden’s presidency, but it lacked the votes to advance through the Senate.

Jeffries: ‘We will not let Trump rig the midterm elections’

Chris Stein

Bessent says that gas prices could be ‘lower’ than prior to Iran war after conflict ends

At a Senate appropriation subcommittee hearing today, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, told lawmakers that he anticipates gas prices to plummet as soon as the war in Iran ends.

Bessent added that fuel costs could be “perhaps lower” than before the conflict began. Currently, the average price for a gallon of gasoline in the US is more than $4, up from $2.98 in late February, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Scott Bessent testifies at a Senate appropriation subcommittee on 22 April 2026. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP

Per my earlier post, the supreme court did not issue any opinions in the key cases we were watching. It’s not immediately clear when the court will next hand down decisions.

Edward Helmore

A trio of political polls indicate public approval of Donald Trump’s management of the US economy, immigration and the Iran conflict is slipping, flashing warning lights for Trump-aligned Republican candidates with six months to go until the US midterm elections.

Polls by Reuters-Ipsos poll, Strength in Numbers-Verasight and AP-NORC had the president’s approval rating hovering in the mid-30s, at 36%, 35% and 33% respectively, which are near his lowest numbers.

The AP-NORC center for public affairs research poll published on Monday found that 7 in 10 Americans described the economy as poor and think the country is headed in the wrong direction.

The poll showed that Trump’s handling of the economy has fallen to 30% approval, down from 38% in March, while 72% said the country is headed in the wrong direction, a figure unchanged since February. Just 23% approve of how he is handling the cost of living, while 76% disapprove.

Marjorie Taylor Greene warns Virginia redistricting win will bring ‘devastating consequences’ ahead of midterms

Former GOP congresswoman and Trump loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene warned that Virginia’s redistricting victory –where voters approved new congressional maps intended to boost Democrats’ chances of retaking the US House – was an example of the “devastating consequences” to come for Republicans in the upcoming midterms.

The former representative said a “revolt on the right” and a “mass exodus of America First Trump voters” will be down to president launching the war with Iran, the hike in gas prices as a result of the conflict, and Trump’s reticence to release the complete Epstein files.

Also today, we can expect the Senate to vote on another war powers resolution, to curb the Trump administration’s war in Iran.

Led by Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, this will be upper chamber Democrats’ fifth attempt to pass a resolution.

Democrats have vowed to keep bringing the motions to the floor each week the war in Iran continues to put “Republicans on record”.

Supreme court poised to issue opinions

The supreme court will hand down opinions at 10am ET today. Here’s a reminder of the major cases we’re tracking closely.

Louisiana v Callais: A high-stakes voting rights case in which the court’s conservative majority appears poised to gut one of the most powerful provisions of the Voting Rights Act.
Trump v Cook: Donald Trump’s case for firing Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, as he continues to exert greater control over the US central bank.
Trump v Slaughter: A case which examines the legality of Trump’s firing of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) member, Rebecca Slaughter.

A reminder that my colleagues are covering the latest developments out of the Middle East at our dedicated live blog. Following Trump’s announcement that he will extend the ceasefire with Iran as negotiations on a peace deal remain elusive, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media. Despite the ceasefire, the US blockade of all Iranian ports in the vital waterway continues.

Donald Trump is in Washington today. He’ll spend most of the day in meetings, but he’ll welcome the Social Security Administration commissioner, Frank Bisignano to the White House at 10am ET. Currently that’s closed to the press but we’ll let you know if anything changes.

Treasury secretary Scott Bessent among those due to testify at hearings today

There are a number of congressional hearings coming up later, with treasury secretary Scott Bessent testifying before Senate Appropriations at 10am ET.

Energy secretary Chris Wright will follow at 2.30pm ET, with both men expected to be questioned by Democratic lawmakers on how Donald Trump’s war in Iran has sent gas prices soaring.

Other appearances today include commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, health and human services secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, interior secretary Doug Burgum and agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 15, 2026. Photograph: Evan Vucci/Reuters

California’s race for governor will get its first marquee moment since one-time frontrunner Eric Swalwell abruptly exited the contest, with six candidates set to debate on Wednesday.

Four Democrats and two Republicans will take the stage together starting at 7pm PDT. The top two will advance on 2 June to the runoff in November, even if they are from the same party.

Nexstar Media Group will broadcast the debate in six of the state’s largest markets, giving this debate a wider audience than the first televised debate, which aired on two Fox stations in February.

In the poll that determined debate eligibility, Republican and former Fox News host Steve Hilton led the entire field with 17%. Fellow Republican and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco tied for second with 14%. Meanwhile, 23% of those polled were undecided.

David Smith

He can’t live with him and can’t live without him. But, finally, the conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson seems to have made up his mind about Donald Trump. Their up-and-down marriage of political convenience is heading for the divorce court.

On Tuesday Carlson admitted that he will be “tormented” for a long time by his support for Trump in the 2024 US presidential election “and I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people”. What he did not say is whether this presages his own run for president in 2028.

The breaking point was the war in Iran, a betrayal of Trump’s promise to end US foreign entanglements, and the perceived influence of Israel, which has become a Carlson obsession.

It was the latest – and perhaps final – twist in a long and tortured relationship. Back in 1999, when Trump was potentially running for president on a Reform party ticket, Carlson said he was “the single most repulsive person on the planet”. In 2016, he reportedly told an acquaintance that the Republican frontrunner was “not evil” but “mentally ill”.

Maya Yang

Nearly half of children in the United States are breathing dangerous levels of air pollution, according to a new report, as experts warned Donald Trump’s expansive rollback of protections will make the situation worse.

The 27th annual air quality report from the American Lung Association (ALA) released on Wednesday evaluates pollution across the country by grading levels of ground-level ozone – also known as smog – as well as year-round and short-term spikes in particle pollution, commonly referred to as soot. The report analyzed quality-assured data collected between 2022 and 2024.

It found that 33.5 million children in the US – 46% of those under 18 – live in areas that received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution.

The report also found that 7 million children, or 10% of all children in the US, live in communities that failed all three measures.

Speaking to the Guardian, Will Barrett, assistant vice-president of the ALA’s Nationwide Clean Air Policy, said: “Children’s lungs are still developing. For their body size, they’re breathing more air. And also, kids play outdoors, they’re more active, they’re breathing in more outdoor air … So, air pollution exposure in children can contribute to long-term developmental harm to their lungs, new cases of asthma, increased risks of respiratory illness and other health considerations later in life.”

Chris Stein

Polls showed a close race in the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s vote, with signs that right-leaning voters in Virginia’s rural areas were incensed by new maps that would see many of them represented by lawmakers who live in the state’s northern suburbs outside Washington DC.

The surveys also showed that voters were divided on Spanberger’s performance as governor, with Republicans accusing her of lying about her moderate credentials on the campaign trail then quickly pivoting left as governor, including by supporting the referendum.

The race saw heavy spending by Democratic-linked groups and others, who poured more than $64m into the main committee backing the referendum. Groups opposing redistricting brought in around $30m.

Barack Obama recorded television ads in favor of the yes vote, while those opposed aired their own ads focused on past comments he had made criticizing gerrymandering. Glenn Youngkin, the Republican who preceded Spanberger as governor, campaigned heavily for the no vote.

Obama celebrated the result on Tuesday evening.

“Congratulations, Virginia!” the former US president posted on social media. “Republicans are trying to tilt the midterm elections in their favor, but they haven’t done it yet. Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back.”

Signs are seen outside Fairfax Government Center during the Virginia redistricting referendum, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Fairfax, Va. Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

Top House Democrat tells Florida’s Ron DeSantis his redistricting plans could backfire on Republicans

Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.

The vote to approve new congressional maps in Virgina puts pressure on Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who has called a special session next month to consider tit-for-tat changes to its own map. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries warned any such effort could backfire on Republicans.

Voters in Virginia on Tuesday approved new congressional maps intended to boost Democrats’ chances of retaking the House of Representatives, in the latest blow to Donald Trump’s effort to use mid-decade redistricting to preserve his control of Congress.

Florida could now consider changes to its own congressional maps with the aim of picking up as many as three more GOP seats – depending on how the legislature draws the boundaries.

But Jeffries, the House minority leader, said Tuesday’s result in Virginia should serve as a warning to DeSantis. He wrote in a statement:

If Florida Republicans proceed with this illegal scheme, they will only create more prime-pick up opportunities for Democrats.

We are prepared to take them all on, and we are prepared to win.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, April 16, 2026. Photograph: José Luis Magaña/AP

There is concern how a redrawn Florida map could play out, Politico reports. Democrats recently managed to flip a seat in the Florida state house in the district that is home to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago.

The tit-for-tat redistricting battle began last year after Trump pressed Texas’s Republican-controlled legislature to redraw that state’s congressional maps in a bid to oust as many as five Democratic House lawmakers in the November midterm elections.

California voters retaliated by approving new maps that could flip five Republican-held seats, and in Virginia, Abigail Spanberger, the newly elected Democratic governor, backed an effort to redraw her state’s maps following her January inauguration. Tuesday’s referendum could help Democrats win four additional House seats in November’s midterm elections.

Under the new maps, Democrats are now favored to win in 10 of Virginia’s 11 districts. In the current delegation, Democrats hold six seats and Republicans five.

Read the full story here:

In other developments:

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US Open 2026: golf updates on day two – live | US Open

Published

48 minutes ago

June 19, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Key events

Matt Fitzpatrick has to hole a 27-footer to save par at 3. It keeps him at -3 and in a tie for third. Great work. But not so good for playing partner DeChambeau, who misses the fairway, comes up short with his approach and looks utterly baffled as his par putt from 30 feet drifts five feet past. He completes an error-strewn hole by missing that one so it’s an ugly double bogey and Bryson tumbles down to +2.

The average score in round one was 73.280 which isn’t too exteme for a US Open. Here’s how it compares to the last five years.

Round 1 Scoring Average

2025 Oakmont Country Club 74.64
2024 Pinehurst No.2 73.20
2023 Los Angeles Country Club 71.40
2022 The Country Club at Brookline 72.29
2021 Torrey Pines South Course 74.01

Gary Woodland’s story has been well documented but is worth repeating. Earlier this year he went public with his mental struggle with PTSD, a byproduct of brain surgery to remove a lesion in September 2023. It’s a constant battle for the popular American so it was wonderful to see him win the Houston Open in March – his first victory on the PGA Tour in nearly seven years. The US Open has always been special for him as he won the event at one of golf’s great cathedrals, Pebble Beach, in 2019.

And could Woodland be on track for a second US Open win? He’s made a fantastic start, following up an opening 67 with a birdie at the 1st today after putting his approach to inside three feet. He has work to do at the 2nd though after finding sand and splashing out to 10 feet. His putt just misses left after drifting across the hole and he returns to -3 and in a tie for third. Here’s the latest leaderboard:

-6: Clark (2)
-4: D Johnson (2)
-3: M Fitzpatrick (2), Woodland (2), Cowan (5)

Viktor Hovland and Niklas Norgaard are both wearing vertical striped black and white trousers that, let’s be honest, scream butcher’s apron rather than high fashion. “A pound of sausages and half a pound of mince,” says Ewen Murray in the Sky commentary box as Hovland putts from off the green at 2. The Norwegian’s first effort pulls up short but he saves his bacon by holing a six-footer for par.

No rest for our leaders. Wyndham Clark (leader), Dustin Johnson (solo second) and Gary Woodland (tied third) are all playing in the same group again. That three-ball of former US Open champs shot a combined 13-under in round one which, quite frankly, is astonishing at a Shinnecock playing as tough as ever. They’re starting at Hole 1 today.

Matt Fitzpatrick (tied third) has also got his second lap underway and just missed a 19-foot birdie putt at the 1st. The 2021 Brookline winner is one group ahead of the Clark-DJ-Woodland three-ball and the Englishman has Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland for company. Two-time US Open champion DeChambeau (2020 and 2024) shot an even par 70 in round one but Hovland had a miserable first circuit of Shinnecock, racking up six bogeys and not a single birdie in a 6-over 76. A shame that as Hovland came in on the back of a third place in Canada last week – his best finish of the season.

I’m enjoying the name of one of the players in tied fifth. Spencer Tibbits is a former Oregon State standout but sounds more like he hangs about with Neville Thumbcatch in the the late 60s. Tibbits actually qualified for the US Open at Pebble Beach as an amateur in 2019. Anyway, he’s making an ‘Attack’ on the leaderboard.

Peter Wyngarde’s cover of the obscure track from The Attack

What about the weather today? I’ll give you how it’s described in USA Today. Kind of cutesy.

Friday, June 19: Stiff winds with clouds giving way to sun; gusty winds will continue to pose problems for golfers.

Saturday, June 20: Stiff winds with plenty of sunshine; gusty winds will continue to pose problems for golfers.

Sunday, June 21: Times of clouds and sunshine; nice for Father’s Day activities.

Do these activities include telling your kids to leave you alone as you’re watching the golf?

Overnight leader Wyndham Clark pars the final two holes via a pair of short putts and posts the clubhouse lead of 6-under 64. Well played that man! But look at the bunch behind him – a trio of fellow former US Open winners. Dustin Johnson, the champion at Oakmont in 2016, has picked up shots at 7 and 9 this morning to shoot 66 and cut Clark’s overnight lead in half. Meanwhile, the 2023 Brookline winner, Matt Fitzpatrick, and 2019 Pebble Beach hero Gary Woodland both finished birdie-par at 8 and 9 when returning to the course and they’re just three back.

And, lo and behold, there’s a fifth former US Open champion who is in the bunch at -2. Jon Rahm still has three to play so still has the chance to improve his score. In the meantime, some players have already started round two. That includes amateur Ryder Cowan, who has started par-par to remain at -2.

Here’s what I guess we’re calling the second-round leaderboard. I’ve put in some random syllable (^) to show that Rahm is still playing his first round. If that’s not the right convention, sue me.

-6: Clark (-)
-4: D Johnson (-)
-3: M Fitzpatrick (-), Woodland (-)
-2: Cowan (2), Stevens (-), Rahm (15*^), McGreevy

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Plans to end gazumping with binding agreements in house sale reforms

Published

2 hours ago

June 19, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

In Scotland, formally accepted offers are already legally binding, and sellers must provide home surveys to prospective buyers. Once the buyer’s and seller’s solicitors have exchanged letters, known as missives, if a party withdraws from the sale they are liable for financial losses to the other party.

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England v New Zealand: second men’s Test, day three – live | England v New Zealand 2026

Published

3 hours ago

June 19, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Key events

68th over: England 241-9 (Fisher 5, Baker 0) Sonny Baker is England’s last man. I haven’t seen too much of him with the bat but I don’t think New Zealand’s 150 odd lead is in too much jeopardy. Fisher clubs a couple off Jamieson and then takes a single to give Baker his first taste of Test match batting. Baker fences at two balls in a row and is beaten.

67th over: England 238-9 (Fisher 2, Baker 0) “Latham is captaining the Kiwis really well” writes Colum Fordham. “Clever field placings (short mid wicket to get Cox out) ably supported by his fielders and bowlers. England fielded poorly and batted recklessly yesterday. At this rate, New Zealand are going to get a more than decent lead. I hope Stokes gains redemption and comes back for what promises to be the decider at Trent Bridge.”

That would be good, wouldn’t it?

WICKET! Josh Tongue c Smith b Henry 1 (England 238-9)

Matt Henry has five! Tongue plinks a drive to mid on where Nathan Smith juggles a catch trotting backwards, it pops out and he snaffles it at the second grab!

66th over: England 237-8 (Fisher 1, Tongue 1) Jamieson slams down another maiden. You’d hate to face it. You especially.

Tanya Aldred is on Ben Stokes watch at Chester-le-Street:

65th over: England 237-8 (Fisher 1, Tongue 1) Josh Tongue joins Fisher and gets off the mark first ball with a neat clip off his toes. England still trail by 154 runs, which could well be terminal.

WICKET! Jofra Archer c Blundell b Henry 8 (England 236-8)

Archer is caught behind from a loose poke outside off and England are nearly all done for here. Matt Henry wheels away in celebration of his fourth wicket, sharp catch by Tom Blundell behind the sticks.

New Zealand’s Tom Blundell takes the catch to dismiss Jofra Archer. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

64th over: England 236-7 (Archer 8, Fisher 1) An unmistakeable waft of Ambre Solaire hits my nostrils. Delightful. Matthew Fisher has something else up and around his nose, a series of short balls from Kyle Jamieson. He does well to duck and sway, one ball thuds into his right flank as he doesn’t get out of the way quick enough but he survives the over, a maiden.

63rd over: England 236-7 (Archer 8, Fisher 1) Matthew Fisher is the new batter, England still trail by 155 runs. Close! Fisher pokes at his first ball and the edge falls this short of first slip. He’s off the mark next ball with a drop into the off side. Eeeeesht! Archer is very nearly pinned LBW by Henry but an inside edge saves him. Henry has his dander up and looks dangerous every ball.

WICKET! Jordan Cox c Latham b Henry 27 (England 235-7)

Gah! Cox is livid with himself after he whips a straight ball in the air and gifts his wicket away! Latham takes a sharp but simple catch at short midwicket and Cox has to depart. He spits his gum and middles it with his blade as he stomps from the middle. He middled the shot he got out to too… but straight to the man.

Jordan Cox walks. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters

62nd over: England 235-6 (Cox 27, Archer 8) Jamieson was a bit off the boil yesterday and his fortunes don’t look too much brighter in the early stages of day three. Archer drives solidly and holds the pose as the ball beats the fielder and goes for four and then follows up with a castanet crack of a cut shot for four more. Short and wide from Jamieson, nicht gut.

61st over: England 227-6 (Cox 27, Archer 0) Shot! Cox flicks his wrists on a half volley from Matt Henry and the ball traces away for four across the baking square. Lovely timing on that.

60th over: England 223-6 (Cox 23, Archer 0) It will be intriguing to see how Cox plays this morning, I have a feeling we might see some dashing strokeplay if he can hang around for a few overs and get settled. Jamieson is back of a length, Cox lets one pass by and then defends with a straight bat to mid off. The Oval is thrumming with excitement and plenty of folk can be spied applying a thick layer of sun cream, there isn’t a lot of shade here at the moment. A cheer greets Cox and England’s first run of the day, a guide to point for single off the final delivery.

Righto, here come the players, Kyle Jamieson is going to start with the ball. Jordan Cox on strike. The game on the line. Let’s play.

Just read this beautiful piece from my pal Jon Hotten who watched Rew and Cox make their way for the first time in Test cricket from a lofty perch (lah-di-dah) here at the Oval:

Yesterday at the Oval, James Rew walked out to bat as England’s number six. The score was 170-4, and, disconcertingly, he had to pass Joe Root, who was stomping off having reviewed a marginal leg before decision and not much enjoyed the result. Has there ever, in the history of the game, been such a disparity between outgoing batter and the incoming one? Root had just fallen to the 24,327th delivery he received in Test cricket. Rew, as if he needed reminding, was yet to face a single ball. What would he give, at that moment, for just one of Root’s 13,998 runs?

Tom Blundell remained up to the stumps. Matt Henry switched to around the wicket. It must have been an out-of-body experience for James Rew, that first delivery. No matter how you prepare, how long you have visualised the moment, it can’t have been like this, not 170-4 on a muggy afternoon at the Oval, the captain out, the early serenity of the afternoon’s play broken open, this lifetime’s dream now a visceral reality.”

Today is A Day for Thorpey at the Oval. You can find out all about it here.

What a player. Much missed.

Thorpe’s in” or “Thorpe’s still in” were words that always provided some solace in the back seats. Thorpe was a headbanded and hard-bitten nugget of hope. A zinc-lipped beacon. A “Kookaburra Bubble” stickered mast on which to cling as England found themselves taking on wave after wave of all-time great bowlers. Be it night or day, seam or spin, lost cause, dead rubber or soul stirring victory – Graham Thorpe was batting.

Against a rolling backdrop of Cornhill Insurance, npower girls, spindly gasometers, snow-capped mountains and Tetley Beer hoardings – Graham Thorpe was batting. Against Australia, West Indies, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park and the aliens of Independence Day – Graham Thorpe was batting. During Labour landslides, Knebworth singalongs, through BSE, foot and mouth and Millennium Bugs. Somehow, Graham Thorpe was batting the entirety of the decade.”

The players are on the outfield warming up here at the Oval, not that they really need to, it is ‘Scorchio!’

A couple of Kiwi squad members do some sprint training about 80 metres away from my seat in the outdoor press box. Good on them, I’m going to find some coffee.

Could the Ben Stokes saga be nearing a sensible conclusion?

Andy Bull wrote about Sonny Baker’s second day as a Test cricketer:

But the next morning was a lesson, if he needed it, that Test cricket turns on you pretty quick. Root had decided Baker should open the bowling. His first ball flew high and wide for four byes down the leg side, his second shot away off the outside edge of Glenn Phillips’s bat for four more.

His second over started with a ball that was thumped through point by Kyle Jamieson, who bats, nowadays, like Paul Bunyan setting about a forest of Redwoods. The next was another boundary, slashed over the top of the wicketkeeper. And then Baker got him to pull one high out towards deep midwicket.

Baker threw his hands up in celebration at the catch, then dropped them again as he watched Ben Duckett fumble it. Just to rub it in, Jamieson took the single while this was happening, and Phillips carted Baker’s next delivery away square. At this point he had conceded five boundaries in 10 deliveries. The game was running away from him as if it was on a flywheel.”

Catch up on the day two action with Ali Martin’s report:

Preamble

James Wallace

Hello and welcome to ‘moving day’ at the Oval. The sky is show off blue in South London and the sun is already beating down, if ever there was a day for batting, batting and batting some more then this is patently it.

England need runs. A flat and at times downright confused morning in the field yesterday saw Glenn Phillips score his maiden Test century and New Zealand post a decent first innings score of 391-6. Joe Root’s men will resume on 222-6 this morning with the whole kit and caboodle back in the sheds… apart from Jordan Cox on Test match debut.

Cox was nervy last night but managed to get through to the close and earn the opportunity to bat in heaven sent conditions this morning. His fellow debutant James Rew will be wishing he had done the same instead of instinctively hooking to an O’Rourke short ball and departing amongst the long shadows.

Cox has 22 to his name and Jofra Archer for company, England trail by 169 and need one of their debutants to dig them out of a hole.

Play begins at 11am, join us.

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