England v India, First Test, Mumbai
(Stumps, Day 1) England 229-5
Chris O'Keefe
England will need a lot of steel from their lower order batting to post a competitive total against India in Chennai as the hosts battled back in the evening session with four key wickets including centurion Andrew Strauss.
Strauss played a significant part in England reaching 164-1 at tea after two strong partnerships with Alastair Cook (52) and Ian Bell (17) seemed to have put England in command. However, good bowling from Zaheer Khan after tea saw Bell and Pietersen fall quickly. Collingwood also fell cheaply albeit harshly and then with stumps in sight, Strauss chipped a top-spinner back to bowler Amit Mishra to further dent England's chances.
Strauss, without a knock in two months, played fluently throughout his innings and later admitted it was one of his better batting displays for England. The Middlesex player seemed to choose his shots carefully, gone it seemed were his loose shots of the last couple of years. His demise, owed much to a well bowled top-spinner from Mishra, as Strauss played for the spin almost playing a leading edge, nudged an easy catch back to the bowler.
Earlier Strauss shared a partnership of 118 with Cook, only for the Essex left-hander to sky an attempted sweep of Harbhajan into the grateful hands of Zaheer Khan. However, Zaheer was not given the ball himself during the afternoon session, as MS Dhoni entrusted much of the bowling to spin. It seemed a poor choice given the ball was reverse swinging.
Zaheer's dismissal of Ian Bell was a class example of swing bowling and setting the batsmen up. His first ball after tea to Bell slanted away from the batsmen. His second caught Bell on the crease in front of his stumps, plum lbw! He then set about England captain Kevin Pietersen, who seemed to create his own problems.
With the part-time bowling of Yuvraj Singh at the other end, no one expected Pietersen to struggle. However, Pietersen looked out of touch, to such an extent that his dismissal to a Zaheer short ball was on the cards. Suddenly, England's hold on proceedings was slipping only to be undermined further by a dreadful decision from umpire Billy Bowden. India's players appealed for a catch against Paul Collingwood off Harbhajan's bowling. Bowden gave Collingwood out only for replays to show that bat nowhere near the ball, which was no consolation.
England seemed to be playing for stumps when Strauss was dismissed leaving Andrew Flintoff at the crease with night-watchman James Anderson and only Matt Prior left before India get into the tail. Peter Moores will have wanted his side to make over 400 runs, indeed centurion Strauss still intimated that it was the target for tomorrow. That said, the immediate target will be 300-350 runs. England cannot rely on 2nd innings runs to help them out on a degrading pitch.
No pressure on Flintoff and the lower order, of course!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Friday, December 05, 2008
England are right to turn up - whatever the result
Chris O'Keefe
It is fair to say that the events of last week in Mumbai will be etched in the memories of people all over the world, possibly forever. Indeed the fact that such events were so, to wish for a better description, disturbingly memorable.
In the circumstances, no-one can disagree if a cricketer, or indeed any other athlete, says I don't want to go there. Robert Croft was one such player to refrain from a tour of India post-September 11, 2001. He was to act on his instincts, its a human instinct to be unsure of what is to come in such a predicament. However, it may be worth looking back to similar choices facing sportsmen in 1973.
During the height of the troubles in Northern Ireland, no Five Nations matches were played at Landsdowne Road in '72 as Wales and Scotland declined. However, when England ran out led by John Pullin they were given a standing ovation by the Irish support for a full five minutes. His England were beaten comprehensively. Pullin later remarked at a post-match dinner: "We may not be very good but at least we turn up." Cue yet more applause from his audience and one of the more memorable quotes in Rugby history.
As England should know themselves, just being there can be as important to rebuilding a nation. When England played Sri Lanka in Galle, they turned up to a ground with building work still going on around it and a pitch that may turn out to be rubbish. For all those sporting factors, that England played the hosts at a ground so wantonly destroyed by mother natures wrath in 2004. The game was a draw and England lost the series but the people of Galle regained some of their identity that week.
The Indian population is no doubt in a state of shock at the way events unfolded last week. If England can take to the field next week and give a contest it will, albeit in a small contribution, help the nation get back its confidence.
As it goes, from a sporting perspective, England will gain a lot ahead of the Ashes, even if they are thumped. Peter Moores and Kevin Pietersen will learn a lot about his side pitted against arguably the in form test playing nation and should England be beaten comfortably, it will reveal where they need reinforcement. There is something to be gained.
Given that England have, as one, agreed to tour despite reports claiming players wavering is a vote of confidence in a nation and a good gesture to the biggest democracy in the world as it searches for answers to other more pressing issues.
It is fair to say that the events of last week in Mumbai will be etched in the memories of people all over the world, possibly forever. Indeed the fact that such events were so, to wish for a better description, disturbingly memorable.
In the circumstances, no-one can disagree if a cricketer, or indeed any other athlete, says I don't want to go there. Robert Croft was one such player to refrain from a tour of India post-September 11, 2001. He was to act on his instincts, its a human instinct to be unsure of what is to come in such a predicament. However, it may be worth looking back to similar choices facing sportsmen in 1973.
During the height of the troubles in Northern Ireland, no Five Nations matches were played at Landsdowne Road in '72 as Wales and Scotland declined. However, when England ran out led by John Pullin they were given a standing ovation by the Irish support for a full five minutes. His England were beaten comprehensively. Pullin later remarked at a post-match dinner: "We may not be very good but at least we turn up." Cue yet more applause from his audience and one of the more memorable quotes in Rugby history.
As England should know themselves, just being there can be as important to rebuilding a nation. When England played Sri Lanka in Galle, they turned up to a ground with building work still going on around it and a pitch that may turn out to be rubbish. For all those sporting factors, that England played the hosts at a ground so wantonly destroyed by mother natures wrath in 2004. The game was a draw and England lost the series but the people of Galle regained some of their identity that week.
The Indian population is no doubt in a state of shock at the way events unfolded last week. If England can take to the field next week and give a contest it will, albeit in a small contribution, help the nation get back its confidence.
As it goes, from a sporting perspective, England will gain a lot ahead of the Ashes, even if they are thumped. Peter Moores and Kevin Pietersen will learn a lot about his side pitted against arguably the in form test playing nation and should England be beaten comfortably, it will reveal where they need reinforcement. There is something to be gained.
Given that England have, as one, agreed to tour despite reports claiming players wavering is a vote of confidence in a nation and a good gesture to the biggest democracy in the world as it searches for answers to other more pressing issues.
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