CRICKET
England were cruelly robbed of victory against India on the fifth and final day of the First Test at Lord's in London. With India nine wickets down, England needed to take just ONE more wicket to win and India needed 97 runs to win. England, though, weren't able to grab the last wicket as the umpire stopped play due to overcast conditions, bad light and possible rain. England (though not India whose chances of winning this match became slim) were hoping that play would resume for the remain few hours. Instead, weather conditions prevented that happening. The match, therefore, ended as a draw.
GOT HIM ... Jimmy Anderson celebrates snaring opener Karthik for 60
Pictures: JAMIE McPHILIMEY
It's daylight robbery, lads
By JOHN ETHERIDGE
July 24, 2007
The Sun
RESULT OF THE 1ST TEST, ENGLAND VS INDIA
1st Innings
England 298
India 201
2nd Innings
England 282
India 282-9
Match drawn
The score in the Series remains 0-0
ENGLAND were left stranded one tantalising, agonising wicket from victory.
Bad light forced the players off the field with the home bowlers having captured nine of the 10 Indian wickets they needed to win the npower First Test.
It meant the tourists wriggled clear of defeat on a day of unremitting drama and controversy at Lord’s
With India nine wickets down and the light already very gloomy, umpires Steve Bucknor and Simon Taufel allowed play to continue for a further five overs after England skipper Michael Vaughan promised to bowl his spinners.
That meant Vaughan himself and Monty Panesar operated together. Yet they were unable to separate last-wicket pair M.S. Dhoni and Sri Sreesanth, despite a couple of near misses.
Dhoni launched a string of big hits off Vaughan and Sreesanth survived a vehement lbw shout against Panesar.
When the light deteriorated further, the officials decided to take the players off. Then it started raining.
There will be many who claim England were robbed, because Vaughan and Panesar should have been allowed to continue bowling.
But the laws state the umpires can halt play if they consider the light unsuitable. There does not have to be a physical danger to the batsmen.
There was no question it was too gloomy for top-flight international cricket, regardless of who was bowling.
England should be feeling frustration at the circumstances, rather than fury at the officials. To be honest, they were fortunate to stay on the field as long as they did.
The umpires had already conferred twice when they apparently decided the light had become unfit halfway through a Ryan Sidebottom over from the Nursery End.
Bucknor and Taufel allowed the over to continue, as Vaughan pledged to bowl himself and Panesar immediately afterwards. But they could easily have halted play in the middle of Sidebottom’s over.
Bucknor was one of the umpires when England famously won in the dark against Pakistan in Karachi in 2000. But that was different. The batting side — England — wanted to continue.
Events yesterday mirrored the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in Durban in 2004, when bad light scuppered England’s push for victory with two wickets to be taken. Taufel was one of the umpires then, too, and the other ... Darrell Hair.
England would have helped themselves with a quicker over rate. They managed just 28 in the pre-lunch session and were similarly slow in the afternoon.
Those missing deliveries might have been the difference between a win and a draw.
Perhaps that is nit-picking, though. For England’s inexperienced attack was magnificent.
GRIM ... umpires Taufel and Bucknor check meters
Sidebottom swung the ball, as he has all summer, and Chris Tremlett extracted bounce and displayed some previously unseen aggression. Panesar posed a constant threat.
But James Anderson was the revelation. Called in to lead the attack in the absence of Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard, Anderson bowled in that natural, fluid style he showed when he first emerged almost five years ago.
He has perfected the art of swinging the ball both ways, something very few bowlers can manage.
England began the final day requiring a further seven wickets and took two in 15 balls.
Left-hander Sourav Ganguly was lbw to Sidebottom and then opener Dinesh Karthik’s vigil ended when he edged a drive straight to second slip.
Next came a stubborn sixth-wicket stand between V.V.S. Laxman and Dhoni.
They put on 86 and reduced India’s victory target to below 150 before Laxman was bowled by Tremlett.
Anil Kumble was lbw to Sidebottom, Zaheer Khan gloved a legside catch to Matt Prior and R.P. Singh was bowled having a slog at Panesar.
It took the weather to give India a frustrating escape route.
This match also saw 14 lbw's, a record for a Test match in England.
********************************************
MATCH FIGURES
Played at Lord's: England drew with India.
Overnight:
England First Innings 298 (Strauss 96, Vaughan 79) & Second Innings 282 (Pietersen 134; R Singh 5-59, Khan 4-79).
India First Innings 201 (Jaffer 58; Anderson 5-42, Sidebottom 4-65) & Second Innings 137-3 (Karthik 56 no).
--------------------------------------------------
INDIA second innings
Karthik c Collingwood b Anderson 60
Ganguly lbw b Sidebottom 40
Laxman b Tremlett 39
Dhoni not out 76
Kumble lbw b Sidebottom 3
Khan c Prior b Tremlett 0
R Singh b Panesar 2
Sreesanth not out 4
Extras (b 13, lb 5, w 6, nb 1) 25
TOTAL (9 wkts, 96 overs) 282
Fall of wickets: 38, 55, 84, 143, 145, 231, 247, 254, 263
-------------------------------
Bowling figures
Sidebottom 19-4-42-2
Anderson 25-4-83-2
Tremlett 21-5-52-3
Panesar 26-7-63-2
Collingwood 1-0-6-0
Vaughan 4-0-18-0
j.etheridge@the-sun.co.uk
thesun.co.uk
England were cruelly robbed of victory against India on the fifth and final day of the First Test at Lord's in London. With India nine wickets down, England needed to take just ONE more wicket to win and India needed 97 runs to win. England, though, weren't able to grab the last wicket as the umpire stopped play due to overcast conditions, bad light and possible rain. England (though not India whose chances of winning this match became slim) were hoping that play would resume for the remain few hours. Instead, weather conditions prevented that happening. The match, therefore, ended as a draw.
GOT HIM ... Jimmy Anderson celebrates snaring opener Karthik for 60
Pictures: JAMIE McPHILIMEY
By JOHN ETHERIDGE
July 24, 2007
The Sun
RESULT OF THE 1ST TEST, ENGLAND VS INDIA
1st Innings
England 298
India 201
2nd Innings
England 282
India 282-9
Match drawn
The score in the Series remains 0-0
ENGLAND were left stranded one tantalising, agonising wicket from victory.
Bad light forced the players off the field with the home bowlers having captured nine of the 10 Indian wickets they needed to win the npower First Test.
It meant the tourists wriggled clear of defeat on a day of unremitting drama and controversy at Lord’s
With India nine wickets down and the light already very gloomy, umpires Steve Bucknor and Simon Taufel allowed play to continue for a further five overs after England skipper Michael Vaughan promised to bowl his spinners.
That meant Vaughan himself and Monty Panesar operated together. Yet they were unable to separate last-wicket pair M.S. Dhoni and Sri Sreesanth, despite a couple of near misses.
Dhoni launched a string of big hits off Vaughan and Sreesanth survived a vehement lbw shout against Panesar.
When the light deteriorated further, the officials decided to take the players off. Then it started raining.
There will be many who claim England were robbed, because Vaughan and Panesar should have been allowed to continue bowling.
But the laws state the umpires can halt play if they consider the light unsuitable. There does not have to be a physical danger to the batsmen.
There was no question it was too gloomy for top-flight international cricket, regardless of who was bowling.
England should be feeling frustration at the circumstances, rather than fury at the officials. To be honest, they were fortunate to stay on the field as long as they did.
The umpires had already conferred twice when they apparently decided the light had become unfit halfway through a Ryan Sidebottom over from the Nursery End.
Bucknor and Taufel allowed the over to continue, as Vaughan pledged to bowl himself and Panesar immediately afterwards. But they could easily have halted play in the middle of Sidebottom’s over.
Bucknor was one of the umpires when England famously won in the dark against Pakistan in Karachi in 2000. But that was different. The batting side — England — wanted to continue.
Events yesterday mirrored the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in Durban in 2004, when bad light scuppered England’s push for victory with two wickets to be taken. Taufel was one of the umpires then, too, and the other ... Darrell Hair.
England would have helped themselves with a quicker over rate. They managed just 28 in the pre-lunch session and were similarly slow in the afternoon.
Those missing deliveries might have been the difference between a win and a draw.
Perhaps that is nit-picking, though. For England’s inexperienced attack was magnificent.
GRIM ... umpires Taufel and Bucknor check meters
Sidebottom swung the ball, as he has all summer, and Chris Tremlett extracted bounce and displayed some previously unseen aggression. Panesar posed a constant threat.
But James Anderson was the revelation. Called in to lead the attack in the absence of Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard, Anderson bowled in that natural, fluid style he showed when he first emerged almost five years ago.
He has perfected the art of swinging the ball both ways, something very few bowlers can manage.
England began the final day requiring a further seven wickets and took two in 15 balls.
Left-hander Sourav Ganguly was lbw to Sidebottom and then opener Dinesh Karthik’s vigil ended when he edged a drive straight to second slip.
Next came a stubborn sixth-wicket stand between V.V.S. Laxman and Dhoni.
They put on 86 and reduced India’s victory target to below 150 before Laxman was bowled by Tremlett.
Anil Kumble was lbw to Sidebottom, Zaheer Khan gloved a legside catch to Matt Prior and R.P. Singh was bowled having a slog at Panesar.
It took the weather to give India a frustrating escape route.
This match also saw 14 lbw's, a record for a Test match in England.
********************************************
MATCH FIGURES
Played at Lord's: England drew with India.
Overnight:
England First Innings 298 (Strauss 96, Vaughan 79) & Second Innings 282 (Pietersen 134; R Singh 5-59, Khan 4-79).
India First Innings 201 (Jaffer 58; Anderson 5-42, Sidebottom 4-65) & Second Innings 137-3 (Karthik 56 no).
--------------------------------------------------
INDIA second innings
Karthik c Collingwood b Anderson 60
Ganguly lbw b Sidebottom 40
Laxman b Tremlett 39
Dhoni not out 76
Kumble lbw b Sidebottom 3
Khan c Prior b Tremlett 0
R Singh b Panesar 2
Sreesanth not out 4
Extras (b 13, lb 5, w 6, nb 1) 25
TOTAL (9 wkts, 96 overs) 282
Fall of wickets: 38, 55, 84, 143, 145, 231, 247, 254, 263
-------------------------------
Bowling figures
Sidebottom 19-4-42-2
Anderson 25-4-83-2
Tremlett 21-5-52-3
Panesar 26-7-63-2
Collingwood 1-0-6-0
Vaughan 4-0-18-0
j.etheridge@the-sun.co.uk
thesun.co.uk
Last edited: