Ahmedabad, November 7
England batsmen will look to tie up all the loose ends as far as playing spin bowling is concerned when they meet Haryana in their third and final warm-up match ahead of the upcoming four-Test series against India, here tomorrow.

England go into the match having drawn the first two matches, against India A and Mumbai A.

The visitors were, however, deprived of opportunities to test themselves against quality spin bowling as the hosts did not include any top-grade tweakers in the playing XI.

Two days ahead of the match, the pitch had a fairly thick cover of grass over it, something the visiting side is not expected to see when the first Test starts here on November 15.

While the Test will be held at the main ground, tomorrow’s game will be played at the Motera B ground.

With India including three frontline spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha besides Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli, the England middle-order comprising Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan and Matt Prior will be keen to utilise the game to the hilt, spending as much time as possible in the middle.

That they are used to playing Graeme Swann, Monty Panesar and Samit Patel at home will be of some help, but tackling the conditions here is a different ball game altogether.

The England players are already watching videos of former India captain Rahul Dravid to learn how to play spin correctly.

“We are going through videos to analyse how Rahul Dravid had played spin, used his feet against them and utilised the depth of the crease to defend and attack them,” Bell said.

England will also hope that their openers get decent hits over the next four days.

Also looking to get some practice will be number three bat, Jonathan Trott, who has not been in the best of form since the start of 2012 — he had signalled his arrival on the international scene in 2009 with a century against Australia and was instrumental in helping England regain the Ashes.

Injury has kept Steven Steven Finn away from the first two warm-up games and he would be eager to have a bowl before the big game starts.

Stuart Broad’s left heel was also a cause for concern for the visitors. Broad, who was stand-in captain in the match against Mumbai A, was taken for a scan after he complained of discomfort. He could be rested tomorrow to get ready in time for the first Test.

“Broad’s injury was a lesser concern while Finn’s condition was being monitored,” wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior had said yesterday.

For Haryana, it is a huge opportunity — playing against a top international side like England. They lost their Ranji Trophy opener to Vidarbha but coach Ashwini Kumar seemed optimistic.

Ahmedabad, November 7
Despite their recent struggle against slow bowlers in spinner-friendly conditions, England spinner Graeme Swann has dimissed talks that Indian spinners would be a threat to the visiting batsmen during the upcoming four-Test series, starting on November 15.

England have managed to register just two wins in 22 Tests in the Indian Subcontinent, excluding matches against Bangladesh, and the reason could be largely attributed to the fact that their batsmen have struggled against high-quality spin bowling.

England were whitewashed 0-3 by Pakistan in the Test series held in Subcontinent-like spin-friendly conditions in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year, before they could manage a draw in the two-match Test rubber against Sri Lanka in April.

Swann, however, said that the wicket in Dubai was different from the typical Sub-continent track. “I think last winter was a bit different,” Swann was quoted as saying by cricinfo.com. “First of all, when we played in Dubai that was not really the subcontinent, that wicket was very unique in the sense that it was very skiddy and span as well.

“India’s wickets are more traditional, more what people are used to, so I would be very surprised if that happened again,” he added.

Swann also added that India lacked a mystery spinner like Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal in their ranks.

“We were bowled out by a mystery spinner (Ajmal) that batsmen could not pick. India are not really blessed with a mystery spinner like that,” he said.

The off-spinner, however, admitted that the English batsmen have always had a problem against quality spin bowling.

“That has been levelled at us for a few years now and justifiably so. We have had a poor record against spin bowling over there. I think that is more of a mental thing now because the wickets are not that different around the world.” — PTI

Singapore, November 7
Three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington considers his loss to Jeev Milkha Singh four years ago in Barclays Singapore Open as one of the most bitter losses but he still can’t stop praising the Indian, whom he describes as one of the ‘nicest guys’ in golf.

Winner of the British Open twice, Harrington won the European Order of Merit two years back in 2006 at the Volvo Masters in Valderrama, but that event, too, was won by Jeev.

On the eve of the 2012 Barclays Singapore Open, which tees off tomorrow, Harrington still remembers the defeat four years ago.

“It (the 2008 loss in Singapore) was probably my most bitter loss on a golf course. I was 2 shots ahead with 3 holes to play, (and I) played the last 3 holes magnificently, (but still) managed to play them in 2 over par. I hit a beautiful shot into 16 that went in the water, and I hit a beautiful a shot at 18 that got stuck on the bank behind. I got two of the worst breaks I’ve seen coming down the stretch,” he said.

Harrington added, “Jeev is a really good player. As much I was bitter to lose in 2008, I was happy to see him win it. You couldn’t ask for a nicer guy to win a tournament. If you are going to lose a tournament, losing to Jeev is not a bad thing.”

The other Indians in the field are Gaganjeet Bhullar, Jyoti Randhawa, SSP Chowrasia, Anirban Lahiri, Shiv Kapur, Himmat Rai, Digvijay Singh, Chiragh Kumar, Shamim Khan and Rashid Khan.

Jeev is himself gung-ho about coming to the tournament. “Wherever you win a golf tournament and you come back, it gives you a great feeling. It is amazing,” he said. — PTI

Gurgaon, November 7
Cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan on Wednesday welcomed the resumption of bilateral cricketing ties between India and Pakistan, saying it will enhance people-to-people contact between the two sides. “Remember there are always people who benefit from hatred. Hatred is one of the biggest vote catchers. But I think the time has moved on, people in India and Pakistan want peace in that atmosphere once you start cricketing series. They will actually increase people-to-people contact,” said Khan.

“It will be a good confidence building measure. It will be healthy competition and I think it will lead to a better relationship,” he added.

Khan further said that it would also enhance the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“I think why not, it will enhance IPL,” he added.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq welcomed the resumption of bilateral cricket ties with India.

“I am really happy that this positive development has taken place because it is important that Pakistan and India play bilateral series against each other on a regular basis,” he said. He said he had always given a lot of importance to matches against India. “There is always great significance playing against India and it is always special and a treat for people in both countries. It is good we will soon resume bilateral ties and for this I think the Pakistan Cricket Board deserves a lot of credit for making this happen,” Inzamam said.

The former captain also felt Indo-Pak matches deserve to be given special status.

“I would love to see a full Test series between the two countries soon and given iconic status. We need to dedicate a trophy in the name of two iconic cricketers of both countries so that there is more interest generated among the people,” he said.

“Sadly there have been frequent breaks in bilateral series between the two countries but I hope that this time this will last and I would urge India to also tour Pakistan and play a full Test series,” Inzamam said.

Inzamam said some of the best memories of his long career were of matches against India. “The 2005 Test tour to India was special as I captained and we won at Bangalore and it was a great tour for us and even winning against India at Lahore in 2004 was a memorable day for me. Tests with India always produce some great finishes,” he noted. — Agencies

Sydney, November 7
The number one Test ranking has proved notoriously hard to hang onto over the last couple of years but South Africa could take a firm grip on it if they can triumph in a mouth-watering series in Australia over the next month.

Australia were the last side to enjoy prolonged dominance of the longer form of the game and they could even wrestle back the number one spot with a convincing victory over the three-Test encounter that starts in Brisbane on Friday. To do so, however, their batsmen will need to see off Dale Steyn and the most-feared pace attack in world cricket, while their bowling unit will have to consistently make inroads into a long and solid South African batting order.

The South Africans were triumphant in a Test series for the first time on Australian soil on their last visit in 2008/9 but it is last year’s enthralling two-match series in South Africa that resonate more with the players.

The series was split 1-1, but only after Australia had managed to battle back after a brutal mauling from the South African pace attack had them bowled out for 47 in their second innings in the first Test in Cape Town.

“It was like the first two rounds of a heavyweight boxing match, the guys had just found their feet and the Aussies were on their way home,” Steyn said last week.

This time they will go three rounds with Tests in Adelaide and Perth coming after this week’s opener at the Gabba.

Australia have not lost at the Gabba for 24 years but if the wicket proves to have as much bounce as the groundsman has predicted, Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander should prove hard to handle. — Reuters

London, November 7
Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna today won their first Group B match with a 6-3 5-7 10-5 win over Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau to keep their semifinal hopes alive while Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek also made a winning start at the ATP World Tour Finals.

It was a good comeback for fifth seeds Bhupathi and Bopanna after losing the first match to Jonathan Marray and Frederik Nielse.

In a Group A match, third seeds Paes and Stepanek began their campaign with a 6-4 7-5 win over seventh seeded pair of Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Roger yesterday.

In today’s match Bhupathi and Bopanna raced to a 3-0 lead by breaking Lindstedt’s serve in the second game. However, the sixth seed Romanian-Swedish team broke Bhupathi in the sixth game to get back on serve.

Lindstedt suffered a second successive break of serve to leave Bopanna to clinch the 28-minute opener with a hold. Bhupathi, rock solid at the net, ended a short exchange with a forehand volley winner.

As the second set drew closer to a tie-break, with neither team looking likely to break serve, Lindstedt and Tecau raised their return games. Tecau hit a forehand winner on Bhupathi’s serve at 30/40 to capture the second set in 43 minutes.

In the tie-break, Lindstedt and Tecau broke clear at 3-3, winning two straight points for 5-3. But Bhupathi and Bopanna responded, turning it around, with seven points in a row, ending with a Tecau backhand wide

Paes and Stepanek — who was making his debut at the event — saved one break point on sudden death deuce in the second game. Rojer recovered from 30/40 at 3-3, before Qureshi was broken to 30. — PTI

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