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The Ashes 2nd Test Day 4
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On This Day
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Vaas to hang up Test boots
Experts raise pitch for insurance
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The Ashes 2nd Test Day 4
London, July 19 At the close of the fourth day Australia, set 522 to win, were 313 for five with Clarke on 125 and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin on 80. Clarke, who made 91 in the 2005 Lord’s test, raced to 50 from 58 balls with fluent driving and delightful footwork. His second half-century was appreciably slower but perfectly suited to the circumstances. Haddin was equally positive, hitting 10 boundaries from 126 balls, and when the players left the field for bad light the pair had added 185 for the sixth wicket. The highest winning total in test history is West Indies’ 418 for seven against Australia in St John's, Antigua, six years ago. England have not won an Ashes test at Lord’s since 1934. England looked like wrapping the game up with more than a day to spare after Australia staggered to 128 for five with off-spinner Graeme Swann getting the ball to grip and turn. Clarke and Haddin, though, used their feet to negate Swann, ran swiftly between the wickets and encountered no terrors in the Lord's pitch which tends to get better for batting. They still need an improbable 209 with five wickets in hand to win but the rain, which held off on Sunday, may return on Monday and an enthralling match could take yet another twist. Earlier, England declared at their overnight total of 311 for five and Andrew Flintoff, charging in from the Pavilion end with pace and hostility, responded by dismissing both Australian openers in his first 20 balls. Simon Katich (6) sliced the first delivery of his second over to Kevin Pietersen at gully and Phillip Hughes (17) was caught by Andrew Strauss diving forward at first slip. Television replays indicated an element of doubt but umpire Rudi Koertzen, to Australia captain Ricky Ponting's irritation, did not ask the off-field umpire for his opinion. Ponting was given a torrid time by Flintoff in the big England all-rounder’s final test at Lord’s. He clipped six fours to reach 38 when he was bowled trying to cut a full delivery from Stuart Broad shortly after lunch. Swann, who did not take a wicket in the drawn first test in Cardiff and bowled only one over in Australia's first innings, dismissed left-handers Michael Hussey (27) and Marcus North (6). Hussey was smartly caught at slip by Paul Collingwood, although his bat may have hit the ground rather than the ball which spun away sharply. North was bowled off an inside edge. That was the end of the good times for England as Clarke and Haddin launched their spirited counter-attack. Strauss gathered his team in a huddle and talked to them urgently before taking the second new ball with the floodlights now on. Flintoff went for 10 off his first over but both he and Anderson beat the bat and one four from Haddin flew high over the slips. However, it was the Australians who looked the happier when the teams left the field after they had looked certain to go one down in the five-match series. — Reuters Scoreboard England (1st innings) 425 Australia (1st innings) 215 England (2nd innings) 311 for 6 dec. Australia (2nd innings) Hughes c Strauss b Flintoff 17 Katich c Pietersen b Flintoff 6 Ponting b Broad 38 Hussey c Collingwood b Swann 27 Clarke batting 125 North b Swann 6 Haddin batting 80 Extras: (b-4, lb-6, nb-4) 14 Total: (five wickets; 86 overs) 313 Fall of wickets: 1-17 2-34 3-78 4-120 5-128. Bowling: Anderson 18-3-81-0, Flintoff 17-3-49-2, Onions
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Bangladesh Tour of WI
St. George’s, Grenada, July 19 The Bangladesh spinners again exposed the frailty of the West Indies batting, and Shakib has so far captured three wickets for 40 runs from 15 overs, as the home team could only extend their lead to 129 on the third morning at the Queen’s Park Stadium Complex. But rain about half an hour prior to the interval set Bangladesh back in their efforts, after West Indies continued from their overnight total of 56 for one. Shakib made the breakthrough in the eighth over of the morning, when left-handed opener Omar Phillips swung at a shortish delivery, and was caught at deep square leg for 29. Four overs later, Shakib had Ryan Hinds caught at leg-slip for two, when the left-handed batsman gloved a sweep shot. Off-spinner Mahmudullah, who has been the most successful bowler for Bangladesh in the series, then removed West Indies captain Floyd Reifer for three to a questionable lbw decision from New Zealand umpire Tony Hill. Video replays suggested that Reifer was struck just outside the off-stump and the ball would have spun away from lanky left-hander. Enamul Haque Jr then added to West Indies’ pain, when he scalped Travis Dowlin for 49 to an incredulous lbw verdict from Hill to leave West Indies 110 for five. The TV replays again suggested that the batsman was struck just outside the off-stump and the ball would have spun away past the stumps. Bangladesh lead the two-Test series 1-0, after they won the opening Test which ended last Monday in St Vincent by 95 runs. — AFP Scoreboard West Indies (1st innings) : 237 Bangladesh (1st innings) : 232 West Indies (2nd innings) (overnight: 56-1): Richards lbw b Shakib 12 Phillips c Ashraful b Shakib 29 Dowlin lbw b Enamul 49 Hinds c Mahmudullah b Shakib 2 Reifer lbw b Mahmudullah 3 Bernard batting 16 Sammy batting 7 Extras (lb-2, nb-4) 6 Total: (for 5 wkts, in 46.1 overs) 124 Fall of wickets: 1-20, 2-72, 3-84, 4-95, 5-110. Bowling: Rubel 7-1-29-0, Shahadat 1.1-0-6-0, Enamul 7-2-10-1, Shakib 15-3-40-3, Mahmudullah 15-1-37-1, Ashraful 1-1-0-0.
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Colombo, July 19 “It is always good to aim for a sweep, but you can’t achieve that without playing your best cricket. We have been patchy, and so has Pakistan.” Sri Lanka took a decisive 2-0 lead in the series despite failing to hit the 300-run mark in two Tests against a Pakistani attack lacking experience. “The batting has to improve,” said Sangakkara. “We have to buckle down and bat positively.” If Sri Lanka do succeed and win their first ever home series against Pakistan, it would be due mainly to three inexplicable batting collapses by the tourists in four innings. Pakistan dominated the initial three days of the first Test in Galle, only to falter on the fourth morning when, needing 97 to win with eight wickets in hand, they managed to lose the match by 50 runs. In the second Test at the P.Sara Oval in Colombo, Pakistan crashed to a timid 90 in the first innings and then lost nine wickets for 35 runs in the second innings after coasting on 285-1 at one stage. Sangakkara however warned Pakistan would be looking to avenge defeat. — AFP
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Earlier this month, chief selector Asantha de Mel had revealed that Vaas had a discussion with him after the pacer had made up his mind to quit the longer version. Vaas, however, went on to deny it and after being ignored for the first two Tests against Pakistan, the 35-year-old pacer was recalled in the Sri Lanka squad for the third and final match starting tomorrow. Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who had earlier announced that Vaas would get a farewell game, paid rich tribute to the pacer, who is the only third Sri Lankan after Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan to play more than 100 Tests. “Vaasy is a true champion and probably the only Sri Lankan fast bowler who can be called a true legend of the game,” he said. “Whoever replaces Vaasy in the bowling attack they will take years and years to reach the standards he has set - and maybe they never will,” Sangakkara said. “He has got a great part to play in our one-day set-up until the World Cup in 2011 and maybe beyond it as long as he is fit,” he said. After making his Test debut against Pakistan at Kandy in 1994, the Mattumagala-born pacer has played 110 Tests, claiming 354 wickets at 29.40 with 12 five-wicket hauls in it.— PTI
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Experts raise pitch for insurance
It’s the Sports Authority of India (SAI) that has the mandate to train national teams for various international tournaments. Injuries during coaching camps are normal. But at times, injuries are grievous that can leave a player disabled for rest of his or her life. Example of Baljit Singh is all before us.
“We must have a comprehensive medical and health cover for players in national camps,” agrees former Indian captain and national hockey selector Ajit Pal Singh. “I am not aware if any such policy exists now. In our days there was no such provision.” Punjab Director of Sports Pargat Singh says that the state has taken the lead over the rest of the country as all players; boys and girls, recruited in various sports academies are covered by a comprehensive group insurance scheme. “All international players should be treated as national asset. In fact, the country should do well by constituting a Medical Sports Board by nominating eminent physicians and surgeons of various specialties and super specialties on it for treating players with grievous injuries,” adds Pargat Singh.
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Bangladesh Tour of WI
Colombo, July 19
Chandigarh, July 19
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