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  • Rain Forces a Tie, England Wins the Series

    Rain Forces a Tie, England Wins the Series

    Uzair Rizvi,  BeyondHeadlines

    In a dramatic turn of the events, the fourth ODI at Lord’s was tied as per D/L method.

    Rains seem to be following India wherever they go; in fact, India should be made to play in drought-affected areas of country.Atleast they would serve as a cause.

    Confusion took over as to outcome at Lord’s for several minutes after a third interruption for rain terminally ended the game. The hosts were 270/8 in 48.5 overs in reply to India’s total of 280/ 5 in 50 overs.

    England started their chase cautiously but pacer R.P.Singh removed both the openers Cook (12) and Kieswetter (12).
    The host lost their third wicket when Praveen Kumar bowled Trott for 23 when he chopped onto his stumps in an attempted pull shot.

    Reeling at 61/3 in 13 overs, Engand seemed to have settled in with Bopara and Bell building a handy partnership. They pushed the ball into the gaps and rotated the strike constantly. They brought up their respective half-centuries and put on 98 runs for the fourth wicket to lead England’s chase.

    Jadeja got the important wicket of Bell when he tried to chip over covers only to mistime his shot and was caught at long off by Tiwary for 54.

    England lost half their side when hard-hitting all-rounder Stokes (7) got a leading edge towards bowler Ashwin.

    Then came an important period for England as both their lower-order batsmen Bresnan and Swann were involved with a 50-run partnership each with Bopara.
    Bresnan was knocked over by R.P.Singh for 27.

    England were 233/6 in 44 overs when rain came down but it halted the play for just five minutes. Forcing the game to restart the rain got heavier and finally players left the field after 45th over and England were ahead by two runs in the D/L par score.

    After the second interruption, players came back on the field England took the batting power play. With dark clouds looming over the rain came again but the game carried on. Needing 11 from 9 balls, England lost back to back wickets off Swann (31) and Bopara (96) in Munaf Patel’s over and rain got heavier and everyone left the field with England tied on the D/L par score.

    The match was finally called-off.
    R.P.Singh scalped three wickets while Munaf, Praveen, Jadeja and Ashwin got wicket apiece.

    Previously losing the toss and batting first, Indian openers Patel and Rahane got off to an edgy start, with the first four oh the innings coming only in the seventh over.

    Broad checked in the 13th over, got rid off Rahane (38), and in next over got out Patel (27), leaving the visitors 70/2 after 15 overs.

    Dravid and Kohli gauged the situation well and started milking the England bowlers for ones and twos, bringing up hundred in the 22nd over.

    Cook brought in Swann and paid rich dividends as he picked up the wicket of Dravid (19) and Kohli (16) in the same over.

    A period of ten quiet overs followed, in which Dhoni and Raina tried to ease off the pressure with slow batting. From the 36th over Raina broke the shackles  and after then both the batsmen turned into a display of hard hitting especially in batting power play that produced 57 runs and brought 100 runs partnership.

    Raina fell in the final over of the innings for 84 from 77 balls, Dhoni remained not out on 78, by then Indian posted a healthy total of 280/5 in 50 overs. They produced 109 runs in last 10 overs ripping the English bowlers apart.
    Broad and Swann picked up two wickets each, Finn got one.

    Dhoni”I will not crib about the tie, we played well. The ball got wet towards the end.Raina did well. We are yet to win anything; hopefully we will sign it off on a high.”
    Cook “It was touch and go towards the end. I think tie was a fair result. Bopara was very good, it’s important that he is getting runs for us.”

    Bopara and Raina were the joint Men of the Match for their important contributions in the game.

    So, with another game tied, England have won the ODI series with 2-0 up and only one match to go at Cardiff on 16th September. But whether they remain on course for an unprecedented whitewash of India across all there formats this summer is perhaps the main point.

  • England Beat India in a Crunch Game

    England Beat India in a Crunch Game

    Uzair Rizvi,  BeyondHeadlines

    England defeated India by three wickets under the D/L method in the third ODI at the Brit Oval, London.

    India just cannot seem to win any game on this tour, the losing saga continues, as it is becoming a disastrous summer in England for India.

    England got off to another rollicking start with 63 runs in 10 overs.Cook seemed to be steady while Kieswetter was taking the charge on the bowlers.
    Cook fell to a straight delivery from Munaf Patel, trapped in front of his stumps for 23.

    Courtesy: Getty images

    Trott came in next and struggled to get going. Kieswetter on the other hand kept up the flow of runs reaching his half-century in just 46 balls.

    Jadeja and Ashwin landed India a double breakthrough as Kieswetter (51) was bowled by Jadeja and immediately Trott (11) followed him after being undone by a beautiful wrong ‘un from Ashwin.

    It started to drizzle forcing the game to take a halt and England were 5 runs ahead of D/L par score.
    Fortunately, for India rain stopped and the play resumed with the revised target of 218 from 43 overs for England.

    Bell and Stokes gathered some quick runs with fast running and an odd boundary.
    Superb reflexes from Dhoni got Bell (23) as he inflicted a run-out.

    Stokes (20) tried to sweep the ball but missed the full pitcher from Ashwin.

    The balance shifted in favor of India as it was left upon the last recognized batting pair of Bopara and Bresnan to see off the things. And they better did it, with a partnership of 60 runs coming at an important phase for England.

    Jadedja came back to get out Bresnan (28).

    England needed 17 from 18 balls, and they opted for batting power play, which was reduced to three overs because of revised score. They scored 8 runs in the over with singles and doubles.

    They now required 9 from 12 and Ashwin with a superb off-spin got Bopara (40) making it tense for England at the last moment.

    Swann dispatched Munaf for four in the second last over leaving the scores level and nudged the next delivery to mid-off to snatch a quick single after fumble from R.P.Singh.

    Ashwin grabbed 3 wickets, while Jadeja got 2 and Patel though expensive picked up one wicket.

    Earlier England won the toss and choose to bowl first, as the grassy Oval track greeted India dangerously. James Anderson featuring in his 150th International ODI picked up vital three wickets and affected a run-out.

    Anderson struck as early in his first over to remove Rahane for duck. A few over’s later he ran-out Dravid for 2 .Soon 9/2 became 13/3 as Anderson hit the timber with Parthiv Patel (3) playing across the line and missing the ball.

    An extended spell of him saw him picking up the wicket of Kohli (7) who edged one back to the keeper.

    Raina (21) got the start before an atrocious shot lead him back to the pavilion.

    India needed rescuing and they found two cool heads in Dhoni and Jadeja (making a comeback), who played sensible cricket. The net run-rate was still under four and then both the batsmen decided to break the shatters and go for some boundaries after seeing off England’s prime offy Graeme Swann.

    The pair added a century stand of 112 runs as both the batsmen completed their half-centuries.
    With the induction of batting power play, Dhoni (69) lost his wicket at the crucial juncture.

    Ashwin quick-fired 36 in just 19 deliveries gave India a fighting total.
    Jadeja top scored with 78 before perishing in the last over of the innings.

    Anderson was the chief-in-tormentor for India for striking some early blows as he picked up 3 wickets.Broad,Bresnan and Dernbach all picked up one wicket.
    Swann though did not scalp any victim but was very economical with the figures of giving just 31 runs in his quota of 10 overs.

    Dhoni said that the revised target did not work in favor of India and the break tilted the things towards the English while Cook was pleased with the way England played overall and handled the pressure. He also praised Bopara for his important knock.

    Ravindra Jadeja was adjudged Man-Of-The Match for his overall performance with the bat and ball.

    The Win means that England will not loose the series, as they are 2-0 up in the five ODI match series with the first match being called off due to rain.
    It would be interesting to see where India will go on from here, a final comeback or England will inflict a Tour whitewash on India.

    The Fourth ODI is at Lord’s on 11 September.

     

  • First ODI Abandoned Due to Rain

    First ODI Abandoned Due to Rain

    Uzair Rizvi,  BeyondHeadlines

    Persistent rain at Chester-le-Street ruined the first ODI between England and India with the match being called-off when England was 27/2 while chasing a target of 274.

    The umpires called-off the game when the heavens opened up again after England were set a revised target of 164 runs in 20 overs.

    Earlier, India made a solid start after MS Dhoni lost the toss and were put into bat by England. Parthiv Patel and Rahane added 80 runs for the first wicket.

    Rahane, who impressed in the T-20, scored fluently and proved his worth.  He made 40 runs and entertained the crowd with his wrist playing while Patel on the other hand attacked the short stuff’s.

    Dravid failed to trouble the scorers and got out in a controversial manner for 2 runs. He was adjudged caught-behind by the third umpire while the on-field umpire failed to spot the nick.

    The hot spot could not detect an edge but the third umpire went with the sound technology.

    England failed to build on double-breakthrough, as Kohli joined Parthiv in a 103-runs partnership that formed the backbone of the innings. Kohli then departed for 55.

    Parthiv Patel kept scoring the runs but missed an opportunity score his maiden ODI ton when he edged a wide delivery allowing James Anderson to celebrate his 200th ODI wicket.

    Lower down the order Raina (38) blasted a couple of sixes while Dhoni added (33) runs but English bowlers stemmed the flow of runs towards the end of innings.

    Bresnan and Broad picked up two wickets each while Anderson, Dernbach and Samit Patel got wicket a-piece.

    Chasing the target, England suffered early setbacks when Praveen Kumar removed both the openers Cook(4) and Kieswetter(6) making it an arduous task for the English batsmen who made 27/2 in 7.2 overs before rain chose to have the final say.

    It was a spirited performance from India who are searching for their first win against England on this tour. But Rain-God had certain other plans.

    India suffered two-injury setbacks when Sachin Tendulkar pulled out before the game due to injured toe and Rohit Sharma fractured his right index finger while facing his first delivery from Broad.

    Injury crisis are haunting the hosts as they may lose these two batsmen from the rest of the tour. Though, there is no official word from the Indian dressing room.

    Both sides now move to Southampton for the second ODI at the Rose Bowl on 6th September.

  • England Beat India by 4 Wickets in the T-20 match

    England Beat India by 4 Wickets in the T-20 match

    Uzair Rizvi,  BeyondHeadlines

    Stuart Broad tasted his first win as England’s T-20 captain, as the hosts beat India by six wickets.

    Nothing seems to be going India’s way in International Cricket. After losing the test series 4-0, Indian’s came out in the Colored kits to take on the Twety20 Champions England in Manchester with some new faces.

    Courtesy: AP

    Winning the toss and deciding to bat first Parthiv Patel (10) and Rahane made a good start before Patel holed out at Mid-on.T-20 debutant Rahul Dravid(31) made an edgy start but was back in rhythm with mystique shots and added a 60 runs stand with Rahane(61) who was looking beautiful with his drives, cuts and the pulls over mid-wicket region.

    India lost a bit in the way losing quick wickets in form of Kohli(4) and Sharma(1) but Raina(33) steadied the ship and took them par 150 while the rest Indian batsmen faltered and miscued their shots , with the lower order and tail contributing to almost nil.

    From 158/6 India bundled up at 165.

    James Derbach bagged up four wickets and was very impressive with his change in variations, especially with his slower ones.

    Set a target of 166 , India got off to a perfect start when Praveen Kumar removed debutant Hales for duck in the very first over.

    Kieswetter and Kevin Pietersen negotiated the early swing and Pietersen took on the loose delieveries.They added 58 runs before Patel dismissed Kieswetter(18) and Kohli dismissed Pietersen(33).

    At 61/3 in 7 overs.Morgan and Bopara then added a valuable 73 runs for the fourth wicket.
    Left-hander Morgan was instrumental as the flamboyant Irish played handsome strokes for his quick 49 runs striking seven fours and a six. He fell and the hosts needed 35 from 29 balls.

    Samit Patel(25*) and Bopara(31*) kept the required rate under 7 runs and over.Munaf Patel bowled a magnificent second last over conceding only 3 runs leaving England to score 10 runs off the last over.

    Vinay Kumar gave 13 runs in his first three deliveries including a wide, as Samit Patel struck three boundaries and a lofted drive over covers for four to score the winning runs for England.

    Munaf Patel was the pick of the bowlers for India with the figures of 2/27 in his four overs.
    Dernbach was declared Man-Of-The-Match for his career best 4/22 in 3.3 overs.

    This win will add more pressure on India after winning their practice games they suffered again.

    England are the current T-20 Champions and Test Champions, an ODI series win will see this side topple India to take the 1st place in ODI also.

    The first ODI is on 3rd September in Chester-le-Street,Durham.It is a day match.

  • England Inflict a Whitewash, Downs India by 4-0

    England Inflict a Whitewash, Downs India by 4-0

     Uzair Rizvi,  BeyondHeadlines


    England have completed a 4-0 whitewash as they defeated India by an innings and 8 runs in the fourth test at The Oval, London. This is the second consecutive inning defeat for the Indians.

    The English side overtook the No.1 spot from the Indians and then inflicted a final blow to lower them to on third 3rd sport in the Test rankings. This is also India’s first Test Series whitewash in 20 years. The last was against Australia in 1992.

    Swann’s six wickets led the charge in the famous debacle of the visitors, as they collapsed in the post-lunch session.

    Resuming the day at the overnight score of 129/3, Tendulkar and Mishra began the proceedings cautiously.Sachin batted well to get to his half-century and was lucky to survive as both the players saw off the morning session.

    Mishra, the night watchman batted comfortably and got to his half-century. Resuming 216/3 at lunch, the pair was looking impressive, further added 46 runs before Graeme Swann superbly cleaned up Mishra (84), and soon Sachin Tendulkar (91), closing to his 100th ton was unluckily adjudged LBW by Umpire Rob Tucker off Tim Bresnan.

    Courtesy: AP

    At 262/5 Swann’s was the chief-in-tormentor as India’s innings unfolded quickly, Raina took his second duck from the match. He then got Gambhir for 3.

    Broad removed Dhoni and R.P.Singh for the scores of 3 and 0 respectively.

    Swann rattled Sreesanth wickets as England won the game.

    Swann took 6 wickets, Broad picked up 2 and Anderson and Bresnan each picked up 1 wicket.

    Earlier England won the toss and imposed a massive total of 591/7(declare) with major contributions from Ian Bell (235) and Kevin Pietersen (175).

    In reply, India team was bowled out for 300 runs in the first innings allowing the England Skipper Andrew Strauss to enforce a Follow-On where the visitors again skidded below the English score.

    Rahul Dravid was the lone batsman to make it count as he scored an unbeaten 146 in the first innings.

    Ian Bell was named Man of the Match for his marathon innings of 235.

    There were two Man-of-the Series awards, one presented to Rahul Dravid for his 461 runs including 3 hundreds and the other was given to Stuart Broad for taking 25 wickets at a magnificent average of 13.84

    It was a series that will be remembered for India’s poor batting where they just managed to put up a score of 300 just once in 8 consecutive innings.
    England took the uttermost opportunity and the visitors kneeled before them. The bowling was out of favor.

    Sachin Tendulkar’s last Test assignment in England was the most disappointing as he averaged just 34 in the four test.

    Well this would unfold a new chapter in history as “England starts their reign and Indian Test Cricket dies.”

    No more of white kits as India play three warm-up games and a lone T20 before they kick off for a riveting ODI series.

  • India Looking To Salvage Some Pride, While England Goes For A Fatal Blow

    Uzair Rizvi,  BeyondHeadlines

    England stormed to a 3-0 lead over India, raising many question concerning the fallout of the tourists.

    And the two teams battle for the last time in white kits this season in the fourth test at The Oval on Thursday.

    The hosts have dominated the series until now until now, winning the three games convincingly. They humiliated the visitors and delivered them a fatal blow.

    Courtesy: AP

    India lost the first test at Lord’s by 196 runs followed by a heavy defeat of 319 runs at Nottingham. They continued to suffer even more at Birmingham, losing it by an innings and 242 runs.

    Therefore, going into this final test India have pride and no.2 ranking at stake. The much-vaunted batting line-up with the likes of Sehwag,Gambhir,Laxman and Tendulkar have all failed to even post a score beyond 300 and the batsmen will have to shun off their disappointing run and score heavily.

    The Oval pitch is arguably the best ground in England suited to batting, so Indians will be relying heavily on their batsmen to make amends.

    A lot is expected from Gambhir and Sehwag,they have failed miserably and will be keen to take on the English bowlers.Sehwag who is riding on a king-pair will look to stay for a long time for a blitzing knock.

    Only Rahul Dravid has been the most successful batsman on this tour with back-to-back centuries and a couple of good scores. He looks in great touch and will hope to cash in more.

    Laxman has batted well but failed to make a significant impression until now.

    Sachin Tendulkar has been disappointing, only scored a half-century in last six innings. He’s probably playing his last test on English soil, so it would be a great opportunity for him to sign it off with his 100th International Century.

    Suresh Raina again failed to prove his worth and it is possible that he might be dropped for this final game and Virat Kohli seems to be a suitable substitute.

    Dhoni returned to the form with the bat is a positive sign for the team, scoring consecutive half-centuries.

    The bowling have never been the strength for India and they have failed to do anything with the ball unlike the English bowlers.

    Praveen Kumar took a nasty blow on the thumb at Edgbaston so his fitness is unsure, if he sits out then left-arm pacer R.P.Singh gets the nod.

    Sreesanth and Sharma both failed to support Praveen.Amit Mishra did go for runs but managed to pick wickets so he is likely to be retained.

    On the other hand, England would go for a kill, they are a team running high on confidence and like a machine each player knows exactly what is required in their individual roles.

    Injuries to Trott and Tremlett affected them least and they continued to prowl on the Indians. This England team is never satisfied and they will see this final test as a chance to lay down another marker with a show of hunger and desire.

    Skipper Strauss will avoid this ‘Dead Rubber Syndrome’ and will be desperate to crush them mentally before the ODI series.

    Everything has been perfect about their game. Their batting, bowling, fielding it’s all exquisite. Strauss is back in form as well as their run machine Alistair Cook, scored a sublime double century at Edgbaston will look to torment the Indians again.

    With the support of Bell,Pietersen,Morgan the middle order is rock solid.Bopara is under pressure to perform but is overlooked when the team is on a high.

    Prior and Bresnan provides more nourishment to the batting with likes of Broad and Swann.Huh! They all are all-rounder’s and can bat pretty well.

    Their bowling have simply outclass with likes of Broad and Anderson. Well Anderson is a doubt for this final test and England have already called up Steven Finn and Graham Onions as a back up, but his fate will be decided on the final day.

    Swann have played his part and chipped in with 1-2 wickets and that is quite understandable when your pacers are on fire.

    The conditions at Oval are pretty batting friendly with some chances of rain on the first day but the forecast is clear for the remaining days.

    England have the opportunity to inflict their first clean sweep against India.

    India, though have not been whitewashed in a test series in nearly 20 years-1992 in Australia, they will be keen to avoid this blow.

    Considering the current form of the English Team, it seems unlikely that the visitors can stage an upset but for India pride is at stake and they would want to prove a point.

    Likely Teams-

    India- MS Dhoni(wk/cpt), G.Gambhir, V.Sehwag, R.Dravid, S.Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, V.Kohli,P.Kumar, A.Mishra, R.P.Singh, I.Sharma

    England- A.Strauss(cpt),  A.Cook, I.Bell, K.Pietersen, E.Morgan, R.Bopara, M.Prior, T.Bresnan, G.Swann,  S.Broad, S.Finn

     

     

  • Cameron Vows to Mend Britain’s “Broken Society”

    Cameron Vows to Mend Britain’s “Broken Society”

    LONDON, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) — British Prime Minister David Cameron Monday promised to mend Britain’s “broken society” during his first set-piece speech since the riots which struck London and other English cities last week.

    Cameron vowed an “all-out war on gang culture” in the face of “a wake-up call” for the country after “social problems that have been festering for decades exploded in our face.”

    (Courtesy: Xinhua/Reuters)

    He also confirmed that his government would review the relating policies over the next few weeks in a bid to tackle the causes of the violence.

    Speaking in his parliamentary constituency of Witney, in Oxfordshire, Cameron admitted that the riots were caused by many social and cultural problems, not least the anti-social and irresponsible behavior of rioters.

    He placed the blame on “children without fathers; schools without discipline; reward without effort; crime without punishment; rights without responsibilities; communities without control.”

    Cameron also criticized the policies of past governments which had pulled back from tough policing and extended the already extensive welfare system.

    “Some of the worst aspects of human nature have been tolerated, indulged –sometimes even incentivized–by a state and its agencies that in parts have become literally demoralized,” the Prime Minister said.

    In the speech, Cameron put pro-family policies at the heart of future government domestic policies, saying “if we want to have any hope of mending our broken society, family and parenting is where we’ve got to start.”

    Arrests were continued in the wake of the riots with police saying there have now been nearly 3,000 arrests. Courts have been working around the clock to cope with the cases. About 1,300 people have been charged, of which 1,000 have stood in court.

    In Birmingham, where serious violence broke out last Monday and Tuesday, a peace rally was held Sunday. The rally was in memory of three Asian men who were killed when a car was driven across their bodies as they stood on the pavement protecting their community. Police have arrested and charged two men with murder in relation to the incident.

     

  • Dhoni’s Team Crushed; Impressive England Take the Top Honour

    Dhoni’s Team Crushed; Impressive England Take the Top Honour

    Uzair Rizvi,  BeyondHeadlines

     A 21-month long reign comes to an end on the verge of Independence eve for team India. Well what could be the worst gift for any Indian than to see his team surrendering the 1st spot to the English, who surrendered the country back to the Indians 64 years ago.

    As England crushed team India in the third test at Edgbaston by an innings and 242 runs to take an unassailable lead 3-0 in the four match series.

    In yet another clinical performance by the English seamers, Indian batsmen just continued with their horror run and perished without any fight allowing the host to win another test series at home.

    Courtesy: AP

    England’s pace battery James Anderson took 4-85 as India were dismissed for 244 in the second innings.

    Team India again failed to post beyond the mark of 300 for the sixth consecutive time. Poor batting has been the root cause for their destruction in this tour and it once again proved a menace for the visitors.

    Resuming from the overnight score of 35-1 after having lost Sehwag for his second consecutive duck the previous day.Gambhir (14) poked a wide delivery for an outside edge to the slip cordon.

    Dravid (18) and Laxman (2) perished soon without troubling the scorers.
    Dravid was unlucky to be given out as he walked off after being given out caught behind. The batsman consulted Tendulkar and before deciding not to go for a review. Whereas the replays clearly showed that the ball did not touch the bat, the sound was of the bat touching his shoelace.

    Graeme Swann, who had a quiet series, dismissed Raina (10) with a slider that caught him plumb in front of the wicket.

    Master Blaster Tendulkar (40) looked at his best with some marvelous drives, but was dismissed in the cruelest manner when he was run-out backing up at the non-striker’s end.

    The post-lunch session gave some cheers to the Indians as skipper Dhoni and Praveen Kumar took the fight to the England bowlers, especially Kumar who smashed every delivery and scored an 18-ball 40.

    Amit Mishra made a fighting 22 before faltering to Swann, soon the tail followed him leaving Dhoni stuck at one end with 74 not out.

    Broad, Swann picked up two wickets each as Bresnan claimed the last and his only wicket in the innings to led his team to an emphatic victory.

    Earlier, England piled up a mammoth 710/7(declared) against the India’s first innings score of 224, where Bresnan and Broad shared four wickets apiece.

    England Opening batsman Alistair Cook was named man of the match for his career best score of 294 runs.

    It was the 15th worst innings defeat in test history and Dhoni’s first series loss as captain.

    Dhoni congratulated England for their achievement and looked worried about their fielding. Adding to it he said that “being no.1 is not important, it’s about being consistent.”
    Strauss expressed his joy on attaining this status.”We have worked very hard and the guys have put a lot of hard graft to get on top.”

    It is the first time England have occupied the pole position after the creation of test rankings table in 2003.

    Now, both the teams head back to London, where the final test starts on Friday at the Oval.
     

  • India vs England 2nd Test Preview

    India vs England 2nd Test Preview

    Uzair Rizvi,  BeyondHeadlines

    “Practice puts your brain in your muscles.”Four years ago, Rain saved India the blushes at Lord’s. However, this time it was not meant to be as lack of match practice and injuries led to their downfall in the first test.

    There were moments in the match when India seemed to have taken a firm grip but in the end, everything slipped away.

    The second test takes place at Trent Bridge in Nottingham; traditionally know for favoring seam and swing. The track offers a lot to the bowlers. Making England seamers as the favorite with possibly no Zaheer Khan to lead the spear-attack of Indian bowling.

    Courtesy: AP

    India will be hoping that Gambhir has fully recovered from his sore-elbow and partnering him at the opening will be Abhinav Mukund who continues to finds himself in the team due to the absence of injured Sehwag.

    Dravid and Laxman are the backbone of the middle order as they continue to pile up important runs. But except for Dravid no one could reach the triple figure in the game.

    Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th International Ton is eagerly awaited by cricketing aficionados. He failed to achieve it at Lord’s but it is just a whisker away. However, the team would ask for a victorious century.

    Suresh Raina has blossomed. He has matured well in every innings and looks in perfect form.

    India’s biggest concern is the uncertainty of the pace battery Zaheer Khan, who bowled only 13.3 overs in the first test because of his muscle pull.

    In this case, either Sreesanth or Munaf Patel will make it to the team with Indians preferring to go with three pacers on Trent Bridge wicket.

    Praveen Kumar was the pick of the bowlers; he was perfect with his line and swing that rewarded him his 1st five-wicket haul.

    Ishant Sharma wobbled in the first innings but came back pretty well in the second innings to trouble the English batsmen.

    Harbhajan’s poor form has been a cause of worry for the Indians and he might be dropped for the second test.Amit Mishra is the replacement who is a smart mover and offers a lot more variety with his googly and the quicker ones’.

    England, on the other hand are on top of their game. They are a well-prepared dangerous side who have grown really well and are almost un-conquerable on their home soil.

    Strauss and Cook’s opening stand has been a bit shaky as both who have big potential to play long innings are a way out of touch.

    Eoin Morgan has not been a revelation in tests but he may be given another chance.Ian Bell,Trott,Prior and the double century maker Kevin Pietersen all had an excellent game. They all contributed with the bat and their pecking form remains the main fear for the opposition. They can be expected to score plenty of runs throughout the summer.

    England’s bowler won it for them. They  tormented the Indian batting with swing , seam , perfect line.

    Broad and Anderson took seven wickets apiece ripping through the Indian defense system in the second innings.

    Chris Tremlett’s contribution cannot be undone.He bowled in the perfect channel and took the important wickets of Dhoni and Laxman.

    Graeme Swann could not deprive much from the pitch and took just two wickets. Nevertheless, he kept the pressure from one end and the pacers took the advantage from the other end.

    The team looks balanced and it is likely that England will play the same team. Though Tremlett’s pulled his hamstring in the training but it does not look pretty bad.

    Tim Bresnan has been kept as a standby in case of Tremlett failing the fitness test.

    Interestingly, Nottingham is the same venue from where Indian started their route of dominance in World Cricket. Sachin top-scored with 91 and Zaheer was the tormentor in chief as he scalped nine wickets to lead India to a famous win.

    Team India would like to repeat the history at Nottingham and would like to kick it from here where as England will look to make it 2-0 and grab the top spot in the test rankings to prove their dominating cricket from last couple of year.Expect a close cruncher.

    Likely Team:

    England- A.Strauss(cpt) , Matt Prior(wkt), A.Cook, K.Pietersen, J.Trott, I.Bell, E.Morgan, S.Broad, G.Swann, J.Anderson, C.Tremlett.

    India- MS.Dhoni(wkt/cpt), A.Mukund, G.Gambhir, S.Tendulkar, R.Dravid, VVS Laxman, S.Raina, Amit Mishra, P.Kumar, I.Sharma, S.Sreesanth.

     

  • England Wins the First Test at Lord’s

    England Wins the First Test at Lord’s

    Uzair Rizvi,  BeyondHeadlines

    A gripping final day of the first test saw England emerge victorious by 196 runs. It was a match that saw the balance of play swing in favor of both sides at different stages.

    Chasing a record target of 458 runs, Indian team folded up for 261 in the final session of the fifth day with 28 overs still left.

    Courtesy- getty images

    Anderson led the charge with his brilliant bowling took 5/65 and his fellow mate Broad chipped in with 3 wickets to collapse the Indian batting which only revolved around Laxman’s 56 and a fighting 78 from Suresh Raina.

    The equation for the Indian’s was simple. They needed to bat 98 overs on the last day to save the game because chasing the target of 458 was never going to be a probable aim with already losing Mukund on the fourth day.

    The English pacers were relentless in testing Dravid and Laxman .They bowled good line to trouble these two batsmen.

    Gambhir who could not open the innings because of bruised elbow hung on for 56 balls before Swann trapped him.

    Sachin was over-defensive in his approach (12 runs from 64 balls),having survived a close LBW appeal against Broad , he was also dropped by Strauss in Anderson’s over but was out in the same over as he got trapped plumb in front of the wicket, this time Umpire Billy Bowden raised his finger.

    Probably playing for the last time at Lord’s, the little master failed to score his maiden century at this venue.

    Raina battled against the bowlers and put up a 50 partnership with Dhoni, as the skipper edged a Tremlett’s delivery to wicket keeper Prior.

    The tail hung on for a while with Raina, who scored some fluent strokes before getting out and soon the rest perished.

    Kevin Pietersen was declared the man of the match for his double century in the first innings.

    Strauss praised his bowlers for their epic performance and acknowledged their hard work.

    While Dhoni clearly stated that Zaheer’s absence at an early stage was a big setback. This prompted Dhoni to take off his gloves and bowl some gentle medium pace.

    This match was the 2000th Test and was witnessed by the great cricket enthusiast’s. The test recorded almost full house on each day with a record 28,500 spectators on the final day.

    England takes a 1-0 lead in the four match series and can take the top rankings from India if they win the series by two tests or more.

    The second test begins at Trent Bridge on 29th July.