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Even without Ian Bell returning to the crease after being run out, yesterday was an odd day’s cricket. In what had seemed a low-scoring match, England somehow scored over 400 in a day. There were four reasons for this.
Ian Bell
When the bowling was good, he was better. England’s most adaptable batsman just couldn’t stop scoring runs.
Limp India
Eoin Morgan managed to squeeze in an entire innings of 70 while India weren’t really paying attention. It was utterly bizarre. As soon as they took the new ball and half switched on again, he was out.
Matt Prior
When your bowlers are tired, there can’t be many batsmen you’d less like to see at the crease. Ian Bell’s England’s most adaptable batsmen, but Prior’s the most selfless. There’s something of the Flintoff attitude about him. He always seems like his eye’s on the Test match rather than his own score. Plenty of players say they’d choose a 90 that contributed to a win over a hundred in a losing cause, but Prior says the same thing with his bat and his running between the wickets.
The outfield
Yesterday morning, a lead of 374 would have seemed ridiculously large, but the pitch has deadened a little and the ball is flying across the outfield as if the concept of friction has been discredited. A few quick wickets this morning and we’re not ruling out one of the all-time great run-chases.
Dhoni should find out how has he offended Prior and Broad and apologise immediately.
Well frankly the Indians had a confounded cheek even being on the field in the first place, let alone taking all those wickets on the first day. England’s inevitable march to numberonedom must not be hindered by mere ‘laws’.
Sachin Tendulkar is God, and that is why everything happened as it did yesterday
77 for 6. Are you ruling out one of the all-time great run chases yet?
I keep seeing things like “pulverise” and “ruthless dismantling” written about England. That’s England as subject, not as object. It is quite bizarre. I know that it might sound a fraction over the top, and that saying things like this can often come back to bite you, but I think that this England team is the greatest collection of people of any description throughout all recorded history, and that they will never, ever be beaten again.
We can’t confirm at exactly what moment that was ruled out, but it wasn’t late in the evening session.
Is it too early to blame Duncan Fletcher for all this?