Cricket - England dominate against Pakistan.

[Blackleaf]

VS

It's Day 1 of the First Test match between England and Pakistan at Lord's in London. England have dominated today's play and the game has stopped for the night and will resume tomorrow morning.

1st Test overnight score

1st Innings
England - 309-3
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The Analyst: Day one report
By Simon Hughes


England (309-3) v Pakistan

A superb fightback by Paul Collingwood and Alastair Cook has given England a solid though not impregnable position at the close of play. England had squandered their good early start by 12.30, but Collingwood and Cook were not parted thereafter.

Twin centurions: Alastair Cook and Paul Collingwood rescued England

Some of the batting, especially from Cook, wasn't of the aesthetic variety but it was invaluable and you could not fault either players' concentration. They were helped by a rash of dropped catches by Pakistan and some innocuous bowling by what is admittedly a second string Pakistan attack.

It was a crucial day for England to perform given the lack of other sporting competition, and their indifferent showing against Sri lanka. And after one or two of the more established names flattered to deceive, it was two men with less than 20 Tests between them who dominated proceedings.

Abdul Razzaq traps England captain Andrew Strauss lbw for 30

Collingwood was the busier player - rotating the strike well and never letting the bowlers settle. Cook is a little more inclined to get stuck and displays a slight weakness outside off stump which brought about a couple of the chances. But he is a calm unflustered individual and England, with Michael Vaughan defintely absent for the next six months, should be grateful for that.

They need more of the same tomorrow.

Teams

England
*A J Strauss (Middlesex)
M E Trescothick (Somerset)
A N Cook (Essex)
K P Pietersen (Hampshire)
P D Collingwood (Durham)
I R Bell (Warwickshire)
†G O Jones (Kent)
L E Plunkett (Durham)
S J Harmison (Durham)
M S Panesar (Northamptonshire)
J Lewis (Gloucestershire).

Pakistan
*Inzamam-ul-Haq
Shoaib Malik
Imran Farhat
Younis Khan
Mohammad Yousuf
Shahid Afridi
Abdul Razzaq
†Kamran Akmal
Mohammad Sami
Danish Kaneria
Umar Gul.

Umpires: S A Bucknor (W Indies) & S Taufel (Australia).

Third umpire: PJ Hartley.

Match referee: R Madugalle (Sri Lanka).

Alastair Cook and Paul Collingwood both scored centuries on the first day of the first Test against Pakistan at Lord's, sharing an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 221 as England recovered from 118-3 to reach 309-3 at the close of play
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The day started well for England when seamer Matthew Hoggard was passed fit to play.

Hoggard cut his bowling hand last weekend but took a full part in pre-match practice
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England captain Andrew Strauss then won the toss and elected to bat...
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...and Strauss and opening partner Marcus Trescothick made a solid start to the innings, reaching 50 off just 51 balls
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Trescothick (16) was the first to go after he edged a rising delivery from Umar Gul, giving Kamran Akmal a regulation catch behind the stumps...
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...and Strauss was out in the next over, trapped lbw by Abdul Razzaq for 30
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England then rode their luck as Pakistan applied the pressure, Gul finding the edge of Cook's bat only to see Imran Farhat drop the catch as the young Essex batsman tried to steady the innings
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Kevin Pietersen looked in fine form as he hit four boundaries...
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...but after making 21 off 21 balls, he was dismissed lbw without offering a shot to give Razzaq his second wicket of the day
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Cook and Collingwood showed better application after lunch and Collingwood reached his fourth half-century in Tests off 65 balls...
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...Cook was lucky to survive another scare after offering a straightforward caught-and-bowled chance to Danish Kaneria before bringing up his 50 off 123 balls...
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...and the pair remained unbeaten at tea, Collingwood having compiled 77 and Cook 68, the 150 partnership coming off 238 balls
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The run rate slowed after tea and England were let off the hook on two more occasions when first Akmal put down a simple looking catch off the edge of Collingwood's bat and then Farhat dropped a similarly routine chance as Cook breathed a sigh of relief...
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...while Pakistan's appealing became increasingly optimistic
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Collingwood brought up his hundred off 157 balls.

It was the Durham all-rounder's second Test century and his first in England
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Cook endured some nervous moments in the nineties before reaching his second Test hundred off 259 balls to put England in a strong position at close of play...
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...leaving Pakistan to reflect on a series of costly dropped catches

guardian.co.uk

 

[Blackleaf]

The 2nd day's play is over and England are still on top.

Overnight score

1st innings

England 528-9 dec
Sri Lanka - 66-3

 

[lo2]

Well Congratulations England!

 

[Blackleaf]

End of the 3rd day.

Pakistan were just 68-4 at one stage but have recovered to 409-7 at the end of today's play.



Overnight score

1st innings

England 528-9 dec
Pakistan 409-7

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England's Scorecard

Trescothick.......c Akmal......b Gul..........16
Strauss................lbw........b Razzaq......30
Cook...............................b Sami.........105
Pietersen.............lbw........b Razzaq.......21
Collingwood........st Akmal....b Kaneria.....186
Bell..................................not out.......100
Jones.................lbw.........b Kaneria......18
Plunkett.............c Farhat....b Kaneria.......0
Hoggard..............lbw..........b Afridi........13
Harmison............................run out........2
Panesar..............................not out........0

Extras... 8b 0lb 15w 14nb ........................37
Total........528-9 declared

Fall of wickets - 1-60, 2-60, 3-88, 4-321, 5-441, 6-469, 7-473, 8-515, 9-525
***************************************************************

Pakistan's Scorecard

Butt...................c Strauss.......b Harmison.....10
Farhat...................................b Plunkett......33
Iqbal................c Collingwood.....b Harmison.....0
Yousuf...................................not out.........185
Sami.................c Jones..........b Hoggard........0
Inzaman-ul-Haq........................b Plunkett......69
Razzaq..............c Jones...........b Harmison......22
Akmal................c Jones...........b Pietersen....58
Afridi.....................................not out.........0

Extras.....Extras 7b 13lb 7w 5nb.......................32
Total......409-7

Fall of wickets - 1-28, 2-28, 3-65, 4-68, 5-241, 6-300, 7-399

*****************************************************************************

Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf and Inzamam-ul-Haq put together a defiant fifty-runs partnership in 76 balls on day three of the first Test at Lord's.

It proved to be a crucual stand after night-watchman Mohammad Sami edged behind off Matthew Hoggard in the second over to leave Pakistan 68-4.
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... it was Hoggard's first wicket of the match ...
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... while Mohammad Yousuf notched up his 26th Test fifty ...
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There was a moment of fortune for Inzamam during Liam Plunkett's first over of the day, when Marcus Trescothick just failed to take a catch at slip ...
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... the Pakistan captain capitalised on the reprieve to achieve his eighth fifty in a row against England
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Mohammad Yousuf reached his 17th Test hundred when he greeted Paul Collingwood's medium pace with a steer behind point. Here he is saluting the crowd for their applause ...
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... it was the 15th boundary of his knock
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The partnership was finally ended when Inzamam was bowled around his legs by Plunkett ...
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... who took his second wicket of the match
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Abdul Razzaq was then removed by Steve Harmison after tea ...
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... Razzaq was caught behind by Geraint Jones off Harmison for 22, having shared 59 with Mohammad Yousuf

dailymail.co.uk

 

[Blackleaf]

Fourth day of the First Test.

England are still well on top. We're now into the 2nd innings.

Overnight score

1st innings
England 528-9 declared
Pakistan 445


2nd innings
England 258-7


England are leading by 341 runs. Tomorrow is the final day, and Pakistan need a miracle.
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Strauss leads from front
15th July 2006

Captain's innings: a powerful cut from Andrew Strauss as the stand-in England captain hits his ninth Test century



Andrew Strauss re-established his credentials as a future England captain with a battling century to frustrate Pakistan's hopes of claiming control of the opening npower Test.

Strauss' 128 helped England establish a 341-run lead after reaching 258 for seven at the close of the fourth day and halted Pakistan's pursuit of quick wickets and a modest victory target.

His responsible innings, spanning five hours and including 13 boundaries, also signalled a shift in his own personal fortunes having led England to a humiliating 5-0 one-day series whitewash defeat against Sri Lanka during his few weeks in charge.

That run of results effectively cost him the captaincy for the remainder of the summer and the Ashes tour with the selectors instead opting for key all-rounder Andrew Flintoff to take on the responsibility as soon as he has recovers from ankle problems.

But Middlesex batsman Strauss firmly answered critics of his low-key style by leading from the front and preventing Pakistan taking control of the Test with his ninth century at this level and third at Lord's.

He also became only the third England captain - behind AC MacLaren in 1897-8 and Allan Lamb in 1989-90 - to hit a century in his first match in charge to ensure England will hold the balance of power going into the final day.

His efforts ensured Pakistan would need to exceed their highest previous successful fourth innings chase of 315 for nine recorded against Australia at Karachi in 1994-5 and also eclipse the best run chase at Lord's of 344 for one recorded by the West Indies in 1984.

The day began well for Strauss with Pakistan only adding 36 runs to their overnight score after resuming 119 runs adrift on 409 for seven after relying on his two key bowlers to wrap up the innings.

Matthew Hoggard claimed two quick wickets, including that of hard-hitting all-rounder Shahid Afridi caught at deep mid-off for 17, and Steve Harmison finished off the innings by ending Mohammad Yousuf's long innings.

Yousuf, unbeaten on 185 overnight, successfully progressed to the fourth double hundred of his career before edging behind after hitting 16 fours and a six during his innings lasting nearly eight hours.

That earned England a priceless 83-run first innings lead, but their efforts to build on that were undermined by the loss of regular wickets which threatened to establish Pakistan as favourites.

Marcus Trescothick played on to seamer Umar Gul before lunch and just three overs after the interval, Alastair Cook mis-timed an attempted pull from outside off-stump and looped the ball up to mid-on.

Cook's suspect shot selection was mirrored by both Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood as Pakistan's spinners began to exert greater influence in the build-up to tea.

Pietersen rushed down the wicket to Afridi, was beaten by the turn and stumped with some room to spare while Collingwood gave a leading edge to mid-off attempting to force Danish Kaneria through mid-wicket.

While the top order were bowing to the pressure exerted by Pakistan, at least Strauss retained his composure - at least until he sighted three figures.

Looking for a single which would seal his century after pushing Kaneria to the on-side, Strauss set off and then hesitated as he watched Inzamam-ul-Haq move towards the ball and left Bell stranded.

Despite a desperate lunge for the crease, Bell was run out easily after Inzamam's unexpectedly accurate throw broke the stumps directly and left the stand-in captain still one short of the landmark.

He achieved the milestone in the next over and defiantly resisted Pakistan's best efforts until just two overs before the close when he became one of two victims in three balls for Kaneria.

Looking to bat time to enable England to set Pakistan a testing target on the final day, Strauss teamed up with out-of-form Geraint Jones to forge a 47-run stand.

The healthy Lord's crowd may have wanted a more adventurous partnership, but with Pakistan's two spinners exerting increasing turn it was a crucial stand in the latter stages of the day.

It was broken by Kaneria ending Jones' 66-minute struggle for his 16 runs when he gave a fine edge behind to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and two balls later Strauss edged to slip.

But by the time England had suffered that double dismissal, Strauss efforts' had ensured Pakistan would need an historic display on the final day to tarnish his maiden Test as captain by securing victory.

dailymail.co.uk

 

[Blackleaf]

I forgot to report it, but the First Test against England and Pakistan finished a draw.

1st innings
England 528-9 dec
Pakistan 445

2nd innings
England 296-8 dec
Pakistan 214-4

England scored more runs but it finished a draw after Pakistan managed to avoid getting all out after the 5th and final day had ended.

 

[Blackleaf]

Today is the first day of the Second Test between England and Pakistan. Magnificent Steve Harmison takes 6 wickets.

Again, England have control.

The latest score -

1st innings
Pakistan 119
England 95-2


The joy of six for ferocious Harmison as he puts England on top
17:03pm 27th July 2006

Steve Harmison has a fantastic 6-19


Steve Harmison produced a stunning display of fast bowling to hit back at his critics and humble Pakistan in the second npower Test at Old Trafford.

The Durham strike bowler produced his best performance since his memorable seven for 12 against West Indies at Jamaica two years ago by claiming six for 19 to dismiss Pakistan for a lowly 119 on the opening day.

Exploiting a quick and bouncy wicket, Harmison ensured the tourists regretted their decision to bat first while left-arm spinner Monty Panesar claimed three for 21 and by tea on the opening day England had strengthened their advantage to reach 49 for one.

Singled out for criticism following England's failure to dismiss Pakistan on the final day of the opening Test at Lord's, Harmison was a revelation in prime conditions for a fast bowler.

Producing steep bounce and pace from the Stretford End, Harmison dominated Pakistan's strong batting line-up from the start and removed both openers inside the first six overs of the innings.

Imran Farhat, attempting to drive off the front foot, became the first of many of the Pakistan batsmen to contribute to his own downfall when he edged low to Kevin Pietersen in the gully.

Kamran Akmal followed in Harmison's next over after being promoted up the order to opener when he also edged behind, this time to Marcus Trescothick at first slip, trying to drive off the front foot.

For a further 84 minutes, it looked like Harmison's early strikes were the best England could hope for as Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf forged a useful 81-run stand which put Pakistan on course for a challenging first innings total.

But with lunch just one over away, Panesar made the crucial breakthrough by having Yousuf caught behind off an inside edge to spark Pakistan's incredible collapse.

The tourists lost eight wickets for 29 runs in 85 balls either side of lunch with Younis Khan following in the final over before lunch, caught at gully attempting an upper cut off a Harmison long hop.

Pakistan's hopes of consolidating after the interval were ended within minutes with Panesar striking with the fifth ball after lunch to have Faisal Iqbal caught behind.

The key wicket of their demise followed in the next over, however, with Harmison producing a brute of a delivery which rose sharply to Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, who could only fend the ball to Pietersen running in from gully.

Inzamam's dismissal for a duck ended a sequence of nine successive scores over 50 against England and although Shahid Afridi hit an aggressive 15 off 16 balls, Pakistan's hopes of reaching a competitive total ended with him.

The inning ended with the farcical run-out of last man Danish Kaneria and allowed England to start their reply by mid-afternoon hoping to bat Pakistan out of the Test.

They were given an early reprieve with stand-in captain Andrew Strauss being dropped by Imran Farhat at third slip off Mohammad Sami on five in the third over.

Opening partner Trescothick did fall before tea, edging Sami behind for five, but Strauss remained unbeaten on 29 while new batsman Alastair Cook had progressed to five.

dailymail.co.uk

 

[Blackleaf]

End of the first day's play of the Second Test.

1st innings
Pakistan 119
England 168-2

England are leading by 49 runs
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Steve Harmison took 6 for 19 and Monty Panesar 3 for 21 as Pakistan were dismissed cheaply off just 38.4 overs on day one of the second Test at Old Trafford.

Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss both fell in reply but an unbroken partnership of 73 between Alastair Cook (65) and Kevin Pietersen (38 ) ensured England enjoyed their best day's cricket of the summer so far
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Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat but they were soon under pressure as Harmison showed glimpses of his best form with some unplayable deliveries...
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DUCK! Imran Farhat was the first to go, mis-timing a drive to Kevin Pietersen at gully without scoring...
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...and with just nine runs on the board, Trescothick took a catch at first slip to dismiss Kamran Akmal
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Ouch. That's gotta hurt: Mohammad Yousuf then endured a testing first over from Sajid Mahmood...
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...before he and Younis Khan went some way to steadying Pakistan's innings, guiding them past the 50-mark
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But the introduction of Panesar gave England fresh impetus, the spinner having Yousuf caught behind by Geraint Jones for 38...
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...in the very next over, and with lunch looming, Harmison grabbed his third wicket, Paul Collingwood taking a catch at gully after Younis wafted outside the off stump
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Panesar continued to prosper and, in the first over after lunch, he forced Faisal Iqbal to cut a rising ball, and Jones took a fine catch off the top edge...
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...and another dismissal quickly followed, Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-haq sending a regulation catch to Pietersen at gully off a short ball from Harmison
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Shahid Afridi decided to go after Panesar and lofted him for a massive six over long on.

His next attempt to hoist a big boundary resulted in a thick edge and Pietersen gratefully took his third catch of the innings
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Harmison then completely deceived Mohammad Sami with a low full toss that struck him on the shin but he was given not out.

It was only a temporary reprieve however, and a few balls later Harmison claimed his first five-wicket haul in over a year, Andrew Strauss taking a catch at second slip
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OUT! Abdul Razzaq started his innings with an impressive pull off Harmison but the Durham seamer had the last word, clean bowling him for nine
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Pietersen squandered a chance to wrap up the innings, missing with a throw from gully as Umar Gul took a risky single.

But he was given a second chance when Danish Kaneria tried his luck, this time the throw was accurate and Jones dislodged the bails to end the innings
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Trescothick struggled to gain momentum as he and Strauss began England's reply, and having made just five, edged a Sami delivery that was taken behind the stumps by Akmal
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Strauss and Alastair Cook put on 65 for the second wicket as they looked to further strengthen England's position...
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...before Strauss was sent back to the pavilion eight runs short of his half-century, edging to Akmal off the bowling of Razzaq
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But Cook, assisted by Pietersen, went on to compile a fine fifty off 93 balls as England continued to hold the upper hand, closing the day with a lead of 49 with eight wickets still in hand

England

Marcus Trescothick
Andrew Strauss
Alastair Cook
Kevin Pietersen
Paul Collingwood
Ian Bell
Geraint Jones
Matthew Hoggard
Sajid Mahmood
Stephen Harmison
Monty Panesar


telegraph.co.uk

 

[Blackleaf]

England are destroying Pakistan.

Latest score on the 2nd day of the Second Test between England and Pakistan -

1st innings
Pakistan 119
England 461-9 declared

2nd innings
Pakistan 12-0

England are leading by 330 runs.
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Pakistan struck early on day two by snaring the key wicket of Kevin Pietersen, who was dismissed off just the third delivery of the day

The Hampshire batsman had not added to his overnight 38 when he slapped the medium pace of Umar Gul straight to Imran Farhat in the gully
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... and both the capacity crowd in Manchester, as well as the man himself, were bitterly disappointed by the turn of events
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However, Alastair Cook was unfazed by the early loss of Pietersen, and carried on seemlessly towards his third Test century in partnership with Paul Collingwood
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And the pair shared in an unbroken 100-run, fourth-wicket stand in the morning session, with Collingwood contributing an unbeaten 40 to the total, which contained two towering sixes off the bowling of leg-spinner Danish Kaneria
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While after the luncheon interval, Cook went on to register his third Test century, and his second in consecutive Test matches against Pakistan
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Collingwood then fell just two runs short of reaching his half-century when he pulled a Gul delivery straight into the grateful hands of Mohammad Sami at square leg
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And Cook became Gul's third victim of the day when he trapped the Essex man lbw with the second new ball
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Before England wicket-keeper Geraint Jones made it a good session for the tourists by falling leg-before having made only eight, Sami the deserving bowler for Pakistan
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Ian Bell then took over and, in the company England's lower order, pushed the home team's total up beyond the 400-runs mark
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While Matthew Hoggard and Younis Khan attempted to get the attention of the press box, where a reflection from the windows was causing a stoppage in play


England are:

Marcus Trescothick

Andrew Strauss (captain)

Alastair Cook

Kevin Pietersen

Paul Collingwood

Ian Bell

Geraint Jones (wicket-keeper)

Matthew Hoggard

Sajid Mahmood

Stephen Harmison

Monty Panesar


Pakistan are:

Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper)
Imran Farhat
Younis Khan            
Mohammad Yousuf          
Inzamam-Ul-Haq (captain)        
Faisal Iqbal          
Abdul Razzaq        
Shahid Afridi          
Mohammad Sami          
Umar Gul              
Danish Kaneria  

telegraph.co.uk

 

[Blackleaf]

England have beaten Pakistan and go 1-0 up in the Series.

Final score.

1st innings
Pakistan - 119
England 461-9 declared

2nd innings
Pakistan - 222

England win by an innings and 120 runs.

Harmison has 5-57 as England demolish Pakistanis.
-----------------

Monty and Harmy demolish Pakistan

Day Three (result): England (461-9 dec) beat Pakistan (119 & 222) by an innings and 120 runs

Monty Panesar (5-72) and Steve Harmison (5-57) bowled England to a crushing victory at Old Trafford as Pakistan were scuttled for 222 in their second innings.

No other England bowler took a wicket in the Test, with 'Monty' (8-93) and 'Harmy' (11-76) combined to claim 19 scalps. The only other wicket was a run out.
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Harmison gave England an early boost on the third morning when he was declared fit to bowl after an injury scare on Friday evening. The Durham fast bowler soon proved his value by having opener Kamran Akmal caught behind for four off a nasty rearing delivery.
----------------------

Imran Farhat and Younis Khan (pictured) then added 39 for the second wicket, taking the score to 60...
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...before crowd favourite Panesar got in on the act, enticing Farhat to play a rash drive which was caught by Ian Bell at forward short leg.

After that Mohammad Yousuf (15*) and Khan (34*) saw Pakistan through to 101-2 at lunch, still 241 runs away from making England bat again.
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England then struck with the very first ball after lunch when Mohammad Yousuf was neatly stumped by Geraint Jones, playing with a fractured finger, off Panesar.

It was a tight decision but the third umpire ruled in England's favour as Yousuf, who scored a double century at Lord's, departed for 15.
--------------

Delight then turned to delirium for England as Monty snared Inzamam-ul-Haq for just 13.

The third umpire was again called into action, this time confirming the Pakistan captain had edged the ball directly onto his boot and then up into the eager hands of Alastair Cook
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Younis Khan tried to stabilise the Pakistan innings with a stylish half century, scored off 91 balls...
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...before Panesar struck again, this time trapping Khan lbw for 62 after the batsman offered no stroke.

The Manchester rains came down soon after, forcing the players off with Pakistan 167-5, still 175 runs behind, with Panesar returning figures of 19.1-2-48-4
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It was business as usual after the break with Panesar resuming where he left off, having Faisal Iqbal caught by Marcus Trescothick for 29 to complete his second five-wicket haul in Tests
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Harmison then completed the rout, collecting the last three wickets as Shahid Afridi (17), Mohammad Sami (0) and Abdul Razzaq (13) all fell to his extra pace and bounce.

Harmison finished with 5-57, his second five-wicket haul of the match, becoming the first bowler to 10 wickets in a Test at Old Trafford since Jim Laker's amazing feats 50 years ago.

telegraph.co.uk

 

[Blackleaf]

Cricket-Modest Monty a real turn-up for England

Shy Monty Panesar is becoming a favourite with every England fan.

07-30-2006 , 04:49© 2006 AFP

England spinner Monty Panesar was an entrancing figure while taking a Test-best five for 72 as England completed a crushing innings and 120-run victory in the second Test against Pakistan.


MANCHESTER, England (AFP) - Anyone meeting Monty Panesar off the field would probably think they had been introduced to a polite, almost shy, young man.

And while all that is true, if you give him a cricket ball he becomes a man transformed, an animated artist of a spin bowler England have so rarely enjoyed.

The Northamptonshire left-armer was an entrancing figure while taking a Test-best five for 72 as England completed a crushing innings and 120 run victory in the second Test against Pakistan with more than two days to spare to go 1-0 up in the four-match series here at Old Trafford.

Watching Panesar bowl with the kind of genuine turn not seen from an England left-arm spinner since the days of Phil Edmonds in the late 1970s and 1980s, it was hard to believe that he had been at risk of missing this match.

But after he had 'failed' to bowl Pakistan out on the final day of the drawn first Test at Lord's, England added uncapped off-spinner Jamie Dalrymple to their squad.

Dalrymple is very much a cricketer of the type England coach Duncan Fletcher is often heard praising, a 'two out of three' man, whose batting and fielding are reckoned to be better than those of Panesar's.

Admittedly Panesar did not help his cause early in his international career with some wretchedly inept misfields.

Meanwhile England have steadfastly kept him at No 11 where he has shown some ability in seeing a couple of team-mates to centuries and, earlier this season, sweeping Sri Lanka star Muttiah Muralitharan for six at Trent Bridge.

But although his wicket-taking celebrations have the jerkiness of a puppet whose strings have just been cut, there is no denying the effective elegance of his action.

Fast bowler Stephen Harmison may have taken the man-of-the-match award at Old Trafford for his overall return of 11 for 76 but, on the final day, it was Panesar who removed Pakistan's three leading batsmen - Mohammad Yousuf, captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and Younis Khan - all renowned as fine players of spin.

Fletcher has remained grudging in his praise of Panesar, his comments more suggestive of doubts about the player's worth rather than a desire to keep the already level-headed 24-year-old's feet on the ground.

But the English cricketing public have no such worries. Quite simply they have taken Mudhsuden "Monty" Singh Panesar, to give the bowler from Luton his full name, to their collective hearts.

Their affection was obvious at Old Trafford where every time Panesar, the first Sikh to play Test cricket for England, returned to his fielding position, he was greeted by chants of "Monty, give us a wave, Monty, Monty give us a wave,". Eventually, he did just that to raucous cheers.

Panesar, who thanks to his beard and Sikh head covering stands out from his team-mates even before he has done anything, insisted there was no great secret to his success.

"I just tried to stay patient and not get too carried away with the way the ball was turning and bouncing," he told reporters after Saturday's close.

"I tried to keep it simple rather than go for magic balls against Pakistan, since they are very good players of spin."

Panesar's match haul of eight for 73 seemed appropriate in a match coinciding with the 50th anniversary of England off-spinner Jim Laker's Test world record 19 for 90 at Old Trafford, against Australia.

That match saw Laker and fellow spinner Tony Lock take all 20 wickets between them. Here Harmison and Panesar shared 19 with the other down to a run-out, not one of their fellow bowlers.

Ashley Giles, very much a man after Fletcher's own heart, is battling to overcome a hip injury and regain the left-arm spinner's position for the Ashes tour of Australia later this year.

But England captain Andrew Strauss, leading the side in the absence of the injured Andrew Flintoff, was in no doubt about the quality of Panesar's performance.

"Monty did a great job. There was turn and bounce there but the way he approached his bowling was first-rate.

"He's a pretty happy man up in the dressing-room and rightly so."

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Durham .................95.5
Yorkshire ...............93.0
Middlesex ...............82.0
Nottinghamshire .......75.0


Division 2
Surrey 163.0
Worcestershire 146.0
Essex 142.0
Derbyshire 133.5
Glamorgan 112.5
Gloucestershire 109.5
Leicestershire 94.5
Northamptonshire 90.0
Somerset 89.5




Latest cricket photos -

Sri lankan cricket captain Mahela Jayawardene celebrates his triple century during the third day of the first Test match between Sri Lanka and South Africa at The Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo. South Africa promised a titanic battle to save the first cricket Test here after being pounded by Sri Lanka's record-smashing batsmen.
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Englnad bowler Monty Panesar(L) celebrates as Pakistan's Imran Farhat(R) is caught by Ian Bell for 34 runs on the third day of their second cricket test match at Old Trafford, in Manchester. Panesar and Stephen Harmison again proved a lethal combination for Pakistan as England won the second Test by an innings and 120 runs.
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CRICKET WORLD CUP 2007, WEST INDIES - Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell at at the unveiling of Cricket World Cup's logo and mascot in New Delhi. Organisers of the 2007 World Cup cricket tournament in the West Indies played down Indian fan concerns about travel and accommodation saying they were confident the event would be a big hit.



cricmania.com

 

[lo2]

Who is winning?

 

[Blackleaf]

It's the start of the Third Test between England and Pakistan. Once again, England are going strongly. At the end of the first say's play, England are 347-6.

First day of the Third Test.

Latest score

1st innings

England 347-6
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Kevin Pietersen spearheaded England's first innings attack but was fortunate to be at the crease at tea after several contentious umpiring decisions.

Pietersen had three narrow escapes early in his innings survived to reach his first half-century of the series and by the second break he had progressed to an unbeaten 82 and guided England to 224 for four
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Pakistan took three England wickets in the first session after losing the toss and being made to bowl but they could have had five had the umpires given two clear edges, one each from Pietersen and Alastair Cook
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The tourists had made three changes following their Old Trafford defeat. Imran Farhat, out with a broken finger, was replaced by Salman Butt, all-rounders Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq were dropped and replaced by Taufeeq Umar and Shahid Nazir
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The changes appeared to have paid dividends when England lost both openers in quick succession. Runs flowed in the first hour as England took drinks at 64 without loss. But captain Andrew Strauss and Marcus Trescothick succumbed shortly afterwards. Trescothick (28 ) was first to go as he jabbed back down the pitch to Mohammad Sami, who clung on at the second attempt
---------------------------------

Then, in the next over, Strauss (36) was undone by Nazir and edged to Younis Khan at second slip.

Pakistan then had two strong appeals before lunch. Pietersen had reached just two when Nazir appealed for a catch behind, which umpire Darrell Hair rejected. Television replays indicated a clear inside edge on to the batsman's leg
-----------------------------------

Cook was equally fortunate three overs later when he had scored eight, Sami turned down despite getting a thick inside edge behind to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal
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Essex batsman Cook, who has scored centuries in the previous Tests in the series, progressed to 23 in a 43-run stand with Pietersen but fell in the final over before lunch, offering Gul a low return catch
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Pietersen also had his share of luck after the interval when he survived a strong lbw appeal from leg-spinner Danish Kaneria on 20 and just nine runs later he edged Nazir behind again, only for Hair to signal a no-ball.

Those narrow escapes enabled Pietersen to forge a crucial 82-run stand with Paul Collingwood. He reached his 50 with his eighth four of his 79-ball innings and although he lost Collingwood, who holed out to the deep trying to pull for 31...
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...he maintained his progress and put himself in sight of his third century of the summer...
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...which he acheived shortly after tea


*A J Strauss (Middlesex) [Captain)
M E Trescothick (Somerset)
A N Cook (Essex)
K P Pietersen (Hampshire)
P D Collingwood (Durham)
I R Bell (Warwickshire)
†C M W Read (Nottinghamshire) [Wicket-keeper, in place of Jones]
M J Hoggard (Yorkshire)
J Lewis (Gloucestershire)
S J Harmison (Durham)
M S Panesar (Northamptonshire)
S I Mahmood (Lancashire).
--------------------------------------------------

 

[Blackleaf]

Pakistan edge into the lead against England on this third day of the Third Test.

The score at the end of today's play

1st innings
England 515
Pakistan 538

2nd innings
England 3-0

Pakistan lead by 20 runs


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Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan shared a record stand of 363 for Pakistan against England, to give the tourists a narrow first innings lead at Headingley
----------------------

Mohammad Yousuf lasted five-and-three-quarter hours for his 192...
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...before finally gloving a Steve Harmison delivery down leg-side into the grateful arms of Chris Read.

Younis Khan followed him back to the pavilion shortly after, run out with a bit of help from his captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, prompting a Pakistan middle-order collapse
-------------------------

Inzamam (27) tumbled into his own stumps after misjudging a Monty Panesar ball, and it was the spinner who mopped up the tail end. Danish Kaneria (29) was the last man to fall, edging Panesar to first slip.

Andrew Strauss and Marcus Trescothick safely navigated two overs before stumps, leaving the game finally balanced with two days remaining
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Ian Bell notched up his third hundred in as many games to put England in the driving seat at Headingley.

Kevin Pietersen recovered from cramps in his arm to resume on 104 at the start of the day, going on to make 135 in adding 74 more with Bell.

However, an unbroken stand from Younis Khan (64) and Mohammad Yousuf (91) frustrated the England attack as Pakistan fought back.

That pair shared 60 runs in a dozen overs after tea, after Matthew Hoggard prised out Taufeeq Umar and Bell's fellow centurion Kevin Pietersen ran out Salman Butt
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...before some impressive batting from Bell allowed him to become only the 10th England player to score a hundred in three consecutive Tests...
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...while Pietersen eventually made 135 off only 169 balls, before he was caught by Nazir attempting to hit Sami for six...
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...but far from capitulate after the loss of their last two remaining batsmen, England set out to entertain the Headingley crowd with Steve Harmison and Sajid Mahmood combining in a 56-run stand off only 46 balls...
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...Harmison hammered 36 off only 27 balls, including four fours and sixes off successive balls from Nazir, until he was caught by Sami after getting a leading edge off Kaneria
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Lancashire seamer Mahmood added a further 14 runs with last man Monty Panesar before being bowled by Gul for 34 to give him his fifth victim of the innings
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England's bowlers struggled to make early inroads for 57 minutes, with Yorkshire seamer Matthew Hoggard struggling for rhythm at the Kirkstall Lane End.

Hoggard finally found the right line and length in the 13th over of Pakistan's reply...
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...with opener Taufeeq Umar edging behind and Chris Read taking his first catch back as England's wicketkeeper...
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...Salman Butt then followed him back to the pavillion shortly before tea after being run out by Pietersen
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However, the partnership of Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf steadied the ship, reaching 100 runs from 111 balls...
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...as both men passed the 50-run mark

telegraph.co.uk

 

[Blackleaf]

Fourth day of the Third Test

The fourth day of the Third Test between England and Pakistan has ended in dramatic fashion. Pakistan will start tomorrow, the fifth and final day, needing 323 runs to win. It should be a thrilling day's cricket. Who will scrape over the finishing line first - Pakistan, to level the Series at 1-1, or England, to go 2-0 up in the Series? Or will it finish as a tie?


Latest score at the end of the fourth day

1st innings
England 515
Pakistan 538

2nd innings
England 345

England are leading by 322 runs. Pakistan need 323 runs to win.

The third Test is set for a thrilling final day as Pakistan chase 323 to level the series, with all 10 wickets intact.

The tourists gave themselves a fighting chance of victory with a quick succession of wickets in the afternoon.

England had closed at lunch at 121 for no loss with Marcus Trescothick and stand-in skipper Andrew Strauss in control, but then tumbled from 190 for two to 301 for seven and then 345 all out as Pakistan finished the day on the up
---------------------------------------

Chris Read (55) was the last man out, bowled by Mohammad Sami.

Shahid Nazir took three of the six wickets that fell in the final session as Matthew Hoggard (8), Paul Collingwood (25) and Sajid Mahmood (2) succumbed to his right-arm fast-medium
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Leg-spinner Danish Kaniera claimed two scalps, dismissing Alastair Cook (21) and Kevin Pietersen (16)......
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.....while Sami captured Bell, Read and took the prize wicket of Strauss (116) who had earlier steadied the ship for England by completing his 10th Test century but was the fourth wicket to fall on the stroke of tea
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Pakistan had only collected their first wicket of the day shortly after lunch when Trescothick (58) sliced low to second slip Salman Butt.

Trescothick earlier brought England to 100 in style with a straight six off leg-spinner Kaneria, registering a first three-figure share with Andrew Strauss in Tests since the Ashes encounter at Trent Bridge last summer
-------------------------------------------

Things looked good for England in the morning session as they enjoyed their best opening partnership for a year and were progressing towards a major lead in the third Test.

Trescothick rode his luck during the early stages to reach his half-century and forge a crucial stand with stand-in captain Strauss
------------------------------------------

Trescothick had been dropped twice in the morning session by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal off the bowling of Sami and disgruntled Pakistan seamer Umar Gul
---------------------------------------------

Trescothick had a shaky start for England after being dropped twice by Akmal. But his confidence grew as the next few overs edges through the slips to third man were his main source of runs while Strauss remained in control at the other end

telegraph.co.uk

 

[Blackleaf]

Rampant England beat Pakistan and win the Series. They go an unassailable 2-0 up in the Series, with one match drawn and with just one game remaining.



Third Test

Final Score

1st innings
England 515
Pakistan 538

2nd innings
England 345
Pakistan 155

England win the match by 167 runs.

They go 2-0 up in the Series with only one game to play.

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Panesar inspires superb England win

Day Five: England (515 and 345) beat Pakistan (538 and 155) by 167 runs

Monty Panesar produced an outstanding display of spin bowling, taking three wickets as England dismissed Pakistan for 155 midway through the afternoon session on day five to win the third Test at Headingley by 167 runs.

Sajid Mahmood also impressed, taking four wickets as England clinched the series, the win giving them a 2-0 lead with only one match to play
------------------------------

Resuming on 0-0 in their second innings, Pakistan's openers Salman Butt and Taufeeq Umar endured a probing first over of the day from Panesar before settling into a steady rhythm
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But it wasn't long before England made the first breakthrough, Matthew Hoggard having Butt caught in the slips by Marcus Trescothick to a good length ball, to leave Pakistan on 23-1
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The irrepressible Panesar then got in on the act, Alastair Cook taking a catch at silly point after Umar had attempted to sweep
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That brought first-innings centurions Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf to the middle but the partnership was broken almost immediately when they took on a suicidal run and a diving Paul Collingwood, coming in from point, hit the stumps with Yousuf three yards short of the crease
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Sajid Mahmood then put Pakistan firmly on the ropes, first tempting Faisal Iqbal to glance a rising delivery to Chris Read behind the stumps...
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...before the Nottinghamshire gloveman took another solid catch off Mahmood to dismiss Kamran Akmal for a duck
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Panesar then produced a superb delivery to see off Younis, who was nine runs short of his half-century.

The ball pitched on middle stump, turned past the face of the bat and nicked the bail, prompting more extravagant celebrations
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Mohammad Sami made the mistake of hesitating for a moment before calling Inzamam-ul-haq through for a quick single and paid the price, Kevin Pietersen sprinting in to bring about the second run-out of the innings, as well as the second duck for Pakistan

telegraph.co.uk