24 July 2011

England starting this fourth day of the Test Match against India, where they left off last night, at 5 without loss, in the second inning, or 193 ahead overall.. They then struggled through to 56 before a clatter of wickets fell. Pieterson and Cooke were each out for one run and Bell out for a duck, leaving England at 62/5 Suddenly India must have begun to believe they could actually win this first test match rather than playing for a draw. However, a splendid partnership . between Prior and Broad took England, at tea, to 362 ahead with four wickets in hand. Then Prior and Broad. took thier partnership to 162 when England declared with both batsmen not out, Prior with a magnificent 103 and Broad with a commendable 74 putting England 457 ahead. The highest score. any test side hss made in their second inning to win the match was 418 in the West Indies by India.

 

So with 128 overs to go England were in a very strong position .In the event, India finished the day 80 a for one wicket. leaving them to score 398 to win tomorrow in 98 overs or, put another way, leaving England nine wickets to get for victory

25 July 2011

Lord’s excelled itself on this fifth day of the test match between England and India . It let in free under 16’s and old-age pensioners and all others for a flat £10. As a result there was an enormously excitable crowd of youngsters, some, no doubt, with their fathers and uncles who decided to take a day off, or perhaps felt unwell and rang in sick!

So excited were many members of today’s 28,000 strong crowd that some of them went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that they obtained a seat. One man, for example, walked home last evening to see how long it would take him. Finding it was two hours he left home again at 2 a.m. to arrive around 4.00 a.m. to join the already mounting queue. A number of the youngsters interviewed by the Test Match Special commentators, prior to the match, said they got up around 4.30 to join the queue and one dear little six-year-old girl said that she was so excited she had been unable to sleep all night. Not unsurprisingly the ground quickly filled up with scarcely an empty seat to be had, even the debenture holders seats were ultimately filled with keen youngsters. What on earth Lord’s would have done had a debenture holder turned up demanding his seat I know not. I can only think they would have offered them one of the hospitality boxes..

Undoubtedly today’s crowd were in for an exciting finish and also for many of them the only chance to see their great hero, Tendulkar, attempt to achieve the only accolade he has failed to win and that is a place on the honours board in the Pavilion for batsmen who have scored a century on the hallowed turf. In the event, England took three useful wickets and India went into lunch at 144 for 4 with Tendulkar still batting having scored 9 runs. In the end, Anderson put an end to the great man’s hopes and those of India for winning the match, by taking Tendulkar’s wicket lbw for 12, with India on 165, an hour or so after lunch. The youngsters were treated to a wonderful day’s cricket with India putting up a spirited defence. despite which, they were all out, 196 runs behind England – Anderson having taken five wickets. A wonderful victory for England against the world number one side and a great beginning to the test series.