Moeen sixer helps England level series

India crash to 266-run loss. England end winless streak of 10 Tests.

By George Binoy | ESPNcricinfo – Thu 31 Jul, 2014 5:30 AM IST

Anderson rocked India early on the final day and the visitors were unable to recover. (AP)

England 569 for 7 dec (Bell 167, Ballance 156, Cook 95, Buttler 85) and 205 for 4 dec (Cook 70*, Root 56*) beat India 330 (Rahane 54, Dhoni 50, Anderson 5-53) and 178 (Rahane 52*, Moeen 6-67, Anderson 2-24) by 266 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

England ended a winless run of ten Tests, which began in August last year, in style on the fifth morning in Southampton, completing a performance so clinical that they did not allow India even a dominant hour in four days and one session. It was almost the perfect Test, because not only did England's out-of-form batsmen - the under-pressure captain Alastair Cook and Ian Bell - make big runs but they also plugged the one hole in their bowling attack, with offspinner Moeen Ali completing a six-wicket haul to level the series 1-1.

The home side began the day needing six wickets, and India did not offer a semblance of a fight. James Anderson, who faces a possible suspension at his Level 3 hearing on Friday, was immaculate once again, breaking India's back before leaving the spotlight for Moeen to spin through the tail. Ajinkya Rahane remained unbeaten on a half-century - his second of the Test - but he ran out of partners ten minutes before lunch.

On the fourth morning, Anderson had mopped up India's last two wickets with bouncers. Today he got rid of Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni inside the first half hour with his stock outswinger. Both batsmen wafted loosely on the front foot and edged to Jos Buttler, who finished his debut Test with six catches, a score of 85 off 83 balls, and numerous athletic diving saves. There was debate over Rohit's decision - Snicko indicated an edge, Hot Spot did not - but no doubt over Dhoni. Anderson's first spell read 6-2-11-2 and he claimed his second Man-of-the-Match award of the series.

Moeen had hurt India on the fourth evening, dismissing Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli in quick succession, and wasted no time in adding to his tally. Ravindra Jadeja, who had a poor Test with the ball, completed a poor one with the bat too by almost yorking himself and inside-edging a full ball on to his stumps. Four balls later Moeen had Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who in previous innings had exhibited better defence than several top-order India batsmen, caught at gully with an offbreak that bounced sharply, hit the inside edge and lobbed off the pad.

Mohammed Shami and Pankaj Singh, India's No. 10 and 11, gave Moeen view of their stumps and lost them in quick time to deliveries that did not turn as much as the batsmen expected. With match figures of 8 for 129, Moeen had shaken off the perception of him being a part-time spinner.
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England close in on series-levelling win

Another near-perfect day for England saw them just six wickets away from what will be a series-equalling win.

By George Binoy | ESPNcricinfo – Wed 30 Jul, 2014 5:30 AM IST

India 330 (Rahane 54, Dhoni 50, Anderson 5-53) and 112 for 4 (Moeen 2-33) need 333 more to beatEngland 569 for 7 dec (Bell 167, Ballance 156, Cook 95, Buttler 85) and 205 for 4 dec (Cook 70*, Root 56*)

England continued to play the near-perfect Test and India were powerless to hinder them. At times it looked like they weren't even trying, as the cracks in their 1-0 series lead spider-webbed towards shattering point.

India has not dominated a single session across three days. (AP)The home side did everything right on thefourth day in Southampton. James Anderson mopped up the last two Indian wickets in 4.1 overs; their batsmen scored at five an over to facilitate a declaration by tea; and then their part-time spinners knocked over India's top order and left England needing only six wickets on the fifth day to win a Test they have dominated for its entirety.

India were shoddy right through this match and never more so than in the final session today, when they began their impossible chase of 445 and their improbable 132-over survival battle. There wasn't as much swing or seam movement for England's new-ball bowlers and M Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan survived opening spells from Anderson and Stuart Broad without too many scares.

The hard work had been done but in the very next over from Chris Woakes an important flaw in Vijay's game - his sometimes laidback approach - cost him his wicket. Dhawan had dropped the ball close on the leg side and run. Broad ran in from midwicket, under-armed the throw at the striker's end, and hit the stumps. Vijay did not sprint. He did not stretch. He did not extend his bat fully while grounding it. He did not dive. Vijay thought he was safe. He was not, by an inch. Given the trouble India were in, Vijay's lack of commitment to that single was shocking.

Moeen Ali had taken two wickets in the first innings to further his credentials as more than just a part-time spinner. Today, he struck with his second ball, as Cheteshwar Pujara overestimated the turn on the offbreak and edged to slip where Chris Jordan, who had a mediocre match with the ball, swooped low to his right to hold a one-handed catch that would have been the envy of India's slipshod cordon.

Moeen was bowling far better than India's spinner Ravindra Jadeja had. With a little flight and drift, he fizzed balls out of the rough, and the natural variations in the degree of turn caused serious problems. He should have had Dhawan lbw on 20 but the batsman was reprieved and went on to add 51 for the third wicket with Virat Kohli.

Like they did each time in India's first innings, England broke the partnership before it grew to significant proportions. Joe Root did it, getting Dhawan to edge to Jordan at slip. England's weakest bowling link had ended India's strongest stand. Moeen returned for a second spell and in his second over he drew Kohli forward and Jos Buttler caught the thin edge. India were 89 for 4.

That England had as many as 132 overs to bowl India out was down to their clinical performance in the first two sessions. India had begun the fourth morning on 323 for 8, trailing by 246, with their captain MS Dhoni at the crease on 50. Any hope of frustrating England, however, was snuffed by two bouncers from Anderson. Dhoni tried to hook, while Mohammed Shami tried to sway away. Both gloved to Buttler to give Anderson his 16th five-wicket haul on his 32nd birthday, and England a 239-run lead inside the first half hour.

England were not delayed while batting either. They scored freely of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and while Pankaj Singh was tight in his first spell, he was also luckless. His match analysis of 0 for 179 was the most expensive for a wicketless debutant. He did not deserve them

Gary Ballance started slowly, scoring 3 off his first 18 balls, but went from first gear into overdrive in a blink. He punched Bhuvneshwar straight for a couple, flicked for four and drove past the bowler for another boundary, off successive deliveries. His best shot was a powerful punch that rocketed past Shami and thudded into the boundary boards. England were pushing towards four an over.

When Dhoni turned to part-time offspinner Rohit Sharma, Ballance promptly smacked him over his head for six, and lashed one through covers. When Jadeja came on, he reverse-slapped him to the point boundary. Ballance was sawn off once again, though. On the stroke of lunch, the ball lobbed to short leg off his pad and thigh, but umpire Marais Erasmus upheld Jadeja's appeal.

Ian Bell, Root and Alastair Cook carried on swelling the lead rapidly after lunch, and it became increasingly clear England would not need to bat after tea. While Cook rotated strike, Bell scored 23 at more than a run a ball. Jadeja eventually bowled him round his legs, but India's hurt was about to get so much worse.

Root and Cook added 99 in 14.2 overs. Cook swept Jadeja to bring up his fifty - his second of the Test and much more convincing than his first - and then swept him again to take the lead to 400. Root was going at nearly a run a ball without hitting boundaries, but he wound up soon enough and brought up his half-century off 38 deliveries. He got there by scooping Bhuvneshwar over the keeper and bludgeoning him twice down the ground for four.

When Root was bowled 25 minutes before the scheduled tea break, with England on 205 for 4 in the 41st over, Cook decided it was time to let his bowlers begin the endgame.


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Kohli needs to iron out the one chink in his game

Virat Kohli's is a game without any other glaring weakness but England have clearly tried to play on the attacking batsman's ego a bit but starving him outside off stump.

By Sidharth Monga at the Ageas Bowl | ESPNcricinfo – Tue 29 Jul, 2014 5:30 AM IST

Virat Kohli is having a wretched time in England. (AP Photo)

Trent Bridge

Just after lunch on day one, James Anderson and Stuart Broad bowl eight deliveries at Virat Kohli. Seven of them are outside off, one is short enough to be left alone. The eighth one of those is short of a length and wide, albeit from wide on the crease with the angle making Kohli play. Kohli plays, pushing away from the body, and his bat nudges it through for a catch to slip.

Ageas Bowl

Kohli has had a longer innings than at Trent Bridge. Fifty-three of the 75 balls he faces are pitched on a length or short of it, and arrive at him either outside off or really wide outside off. He has left alone 22 of those. The second ball of the 47th over is short of a length and wide, and he goes after it. The edge flies high to first slip and is not held. Anderson bowls the next over. Five balls outside off, three defended, two left alone. The sixth ball is short of a length and wide, Kohli can easily leave it, but he goes feeling for it, and he edges it through. This is the shot batsmen hate the most: a meek push to a ball that can be left alone; even if you middle it, you are not going to get anything.

Auckland ODI, January 2014

Hamish Bennett bowls two maidens to Kohli comprised almost exclusively of quick short-of-a-length balls that are at the seventh stump or wider. This is an ODI and the asking rate is big, but you can see Kohli is itching to feel the ball on the bat, and eventually nicks off.

Durban, December 2013

Once again, playing at a shortish ball outside off, Kohli is given out caught at the wicket. He is unfortunate, he hasn't hit this one, but he is pushing at a ball that can be left alone both on line and length.

A few similar dismissals might not yet point to a major weakness, but bowlers are increasingly bowling well outside off to Kohli. Dry up the runs, ask Kohli to play out of his comfort zone, on and around off where he cover-drives as well as anyone, and go away from the body if he wants those runs he so itches to get.

Kohli is an aggressive batsman, he loves to get early into an innings and set the tempo. His best innings in Test cricket have been those where he has restrained himself to leave and leave and leave until the bowlers bowl at him. At the Wanderers late last year, when Kohli scored a superlative hundred with the ball seaming around on day one, he didn't play at 16 of the first 28 deliveries he faced. He got himself in, got some runs before lunch, and then when the afternoon session began, he offered no shot to 11 of the first 17 he faced.

This is not as much a technical flaw as it is a habit, in that it is easier to correct than, say, being poor against the short ball. It is unique, too, in that batsmen usually are vulnerable when the ball is just outside off, and not wide of it. And Kohli's is a game without any other glaring weakness. England have clearly tried to play on the attacking batsman's ego a bit. If you bowl at the stumps, he gets solidly behind them, begins to feel confident feeling the ball on the bat and then drives gorgeously. In this series, in five innings, Kohli has managed only 11 runs through that cover-drive of his. The idea has been to not get too close to him either on length or line.

More than half the balls Kohli has faced in the series have been on a length or just short of it, and outside off or well wide of it. "Still two Tests to go. Not sure I can discuss that," Stuart Broad said when asked if they have been bowling wider at Kohli than they would other batsmen. "Let's just say he is pretty strong off his legs so you don't want to bowl too tight to the stumps. You have seen in one-day cricket how successful he is when bowlers bowl tight lines. We have worked - when the ball has not been swinging or the slightly flatter wickets - to just try to dot him up, try to not let him score. He left pretty well today. Apart from the one that he poked at. He will be frustrated with himself. We need to keep our disciplines with him."

Kohli has scored just 73 over these five innings, and will be under pressure after he came to England as the best batsman in the Indian line-up. Kohli has been working hard. Two days before the Test began he was in the nets before the rest of the team arrived. What he will be annoyed with is that he has fallen twice to a tame poke well outside off. The one he got at Lord's, with Anderson angling in towards off and then having it move away from just outside it, was a good delivery. That dismissal shouldn't concern him. This one should. Trent Bridge should. Watch out for those wide ones when he comes in to bat next.

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England close in on series-levelling win

Another near-perfect day for England saw them just six wickets away from what will be a series-equalling win.

By George Binoy | ESPNcricinfo – Wed 30 Jul, 2014 5:30 AM IST

India 330 (Rahane 54, Dhoni 50, Anderson 5-53) and 112 for 4 (Moeen 2-33) need 333 more to beatEngland 569 for 7 dec (Bell 167, Ballance 156, Cook 95, Buttler 85) and 205 for 4 dec (Cook 70*, Root 56*)

England continued to play the near-perfect Test and India were powerless to hinder them. At times it looked like they weren't even trying, as the cracks in their 1-0 series lead spider-webbed towards shattering point.

India has not dominated a single session across three days. (AP)The home side did everything right on thefourth day in Southampton. James Anderson mopped up the last two Indian wickets in 4.1 overs; their batsmen scored at five an over to facilitate a declaration by tea; and then their part-time spinners knocked over India's top order and left England needing only six wickets on the fifth day to win a Test they have dominated for its entirety.

India were shoddy right through this match and never more so than in the final session today, when they began their impossible chase of 445 and their improbable 132-over survival battle. There wasn't as much swing or seam movement for England's new-ball bowlers and M Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan survived opening spells from Anderson and Stuart Broad without too many scares.

The hard work had been done but in the very next over from Chris Woakes an important flaw in Vijay's game - his sometimes laidback approach - cost him his wicket. Dhawan had dropped the ball close on the leg side and run. Broad ran in from midwicket, under-armed the throw at the striker's end, and hit the stumps. Vijay did not sprint. He did not stretch. He did not extend his bat fully while grounding it. He did not dive. Vijay thought he was safe. He was not, by an inch. Given the trouble India were in, Vijay's lack of commitment to that single was shocking.

Moeen Ali had taken two wickets in the first innings to further his credentials as more than just a part-time spinner. Today, he struck with his second ball, as Cheteshwar Pujara overestimated the turn on the offbreak and edged to slip where Chris Jordan, who had a mediocre match with the ball, swooped low to his right to hold a one-handed catch that would have been the envy of India's slipshod cordon.

Moeen was bowling far better than India's spinner Ravindra Jadeja had. With a little flight and drift, he fizzed balls out of the rough, and the natural variations in the degree of turn caused serious problems. He should have had Dhawan lbw on 20 but the batsman was reprieved and went on to add 51 for the third wicket with Virat Kohli.

Like they did each time in India's first innings, England broke the partnership before it grew to significant proportions. Joe Root did it, getting Dhawan to edge to Jordan at slip. England's weakest bowling link had ended India's strongest stand. Moeen returned for a second spell and in his second over he drew Kohli forward and Jos Buttler caught the thin edge. India were 89 for 4.

That England had as many as 132 overs to bowl India out was down to their clinical performance in the first two sessions. India had begun the fourth morning on 323 for 8, trailing by 246, with their captain MS Dhoni at the crease on 50. Any hope of frustrating England, however, was snuffed by two bouncers from Anderson. Dhoni tried to hook, while Mohammed Shami tried to sway away. Both gloved to Buttler to give Anderson his 16th five-wicket haul on his 32nd birthday, and England a 239-run lead inside the first half hour.

England were not delayed while batting either. They scored freely of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and while Pankaj Singh was tight in his first spell, he was also luckless. His match analysis of 0 for 179 was the most expensive for a wicketless debutant. He did not deserve them

Gary Ballance started slowly, scoring 3 off his first 18 balls, but went from first gear into overdrive in a blink. He punched Bhuvneshwar straight for a couple, flicked for four and drove past the bowler for another boundary, off successive deliveries. His best shot was a powerful punch that rocketed past Shami and thudded into the boundary boards. England were pushing towards four an over.

When Dhoni turned to part-time offspinner Rohit Sharma, Ballance promptly smacked him over his head for six, and lashed one through covers. When Jadeja came on, he reverse-slapped him to the point boundary. Ballance was sawn off once again, though. On the stroke of lunch, the ball lobbed to short leg off his pad and thigh, but umpire Marais Erasmus upheld Jadeja's appeal.

Ian Bell, Root and Alastair Cook carried on swelling the lead rapidly after lunch, and it became increasingly clear England would not need to bat after tea. While Cook rotated strike, Bell scored 23 at more than a run a ball. Jadeja eventually bowled him round his legs, but India's hurt was about to get so much worse.

Root and Cook added 99 in 14.2 overs. Cook swept Jadeja to bring up his fifty - his second of the Test and much more convincing than his first - and then swept him again to take the lead to 400. Root was going at nearly a run a ball without hitting boundaries, but he wound up soon enough and brought up his half-century off 38 deliveries. He got there by scooping Bhuvneshwar over the keeper and bludgeoning him twice down the ground for four.

When Root was bowled 25 minutes before the scheduled tea break, with England on 205 for 4 in the 41st over, Cook decided it was time to let his bowlers begin the endgame.


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ICC bans Moeen Ali from wearing 'Save Gaza' wristbands

SOUTHAMPTON England (Reuters) - England batsman Moeen Ali has been banned from wearing wristbands featuring the slogans "Save Gaza" and "Free Palestine", the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Tuesday.

Moeen, who is Muslim and of Pakistani descent, helped raise funds for charities working with those affected by the three-week conflict with Israel.

He wore the wristbands on Monday's second day of the third test against India at Southampton.

Moeen, 27, risked disciplinary action under the ICC Code of Conduct, which forbids players wearing, displaying or conveying messages through arm bands or other items on clothing or equipment without prior approval.

Messages related to political, religious or racial activities or causes are not allowed.

Moeen was backed by the England and Wales Cricket Board but was told by match referee David Boon to remove the wristband and not wear them again while playing for England.

"The ICC Equipment and Clothing Regulations do not permit the display of messages that relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes during an international match," an ICC statement said on Tuesday.

"Moeen Ali was told by the Match Referee that whilst he is free to express his views on such causes away from the cricket field, he is not permitted to wear the wristbands on the field of play and warned not to wear the bands again during an international match."

(Reporting by Josh Reich; Editing by John O'Brien)

Reckless India in danger of following on

DAY 3 IN SOUTHAMPTON: After a rash of poor strokes, India trail by 246 with just Dhoni and the tail remaining.

By George Binoy | ESPNcricinfo – Tue 29 Jul, 2014 5:30 AM IST

India's top order batsmen failed to capitalise on their good starts.India 323 for 8 (Rahane 54, Dhoni 50*, Anderson 3-52, Broad 3-65) trail England 569 for 7 dec (Bell 167, Ballance 156, Cook 95, Buttler 85) by 246 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

For almost two whole days India's bowlers had laboured on a surface that appeared docile. On the third, James Anderson showed them how it's done. He ran in with verve, hitting the pitch hard, swinging and seaming deliveries in both directions at pace, and whistling short balls past noses. And he did it right through the day - Anderson's first bouncer was as mean as his last. England kept dismissing batsmen after they were set and, frustratingly for India, before they could make their starts count.

Seven of India's top eight batsmen made it past 20. Five fell before 40 and Ajinkya Rahane threw it away on 54. There were six partnerships of more than 30, two over 50, but a highest of 74. While India's batsmen were consistently tested, the fact that most of them got in proved the conditions were far from unplayable. They will kick themselves for giving part-time offspinner Moeen Ali two wickets, and fervently hope MS Dhoni, unbeaten on 50, can bat deep into the fourth morning with the tail to try and prevent their 1-0 series lead from crumbling in Southampton.

That England were two wickets away from a defining first-innings lead was down to Anderson and Broad. Their speed made a world of difference, because the conditions overhead and underfoot remained largely the same. Anderson beat Cheteshwar Pujara first ball with his stock outswinger, and also knifed in inswingers with a startling degree of movement. There was serious heat on his bouncers too. One angled in sharply to the right-hander, reared up and seamed away, forcing M Vijay off his toes into a desperate fend. Chris Woakes was airtight at the other end, with figures of 7-5-10-0 in the first session.

Despite India being subjected to a stern examination, England were wicketless early on and the batsmen were scoring briskly. Broad brought results with a short ball against Pujara, who swayed out of the line but did not drop his wrists, underestimating the amount of jag into him. The ball grazed his gloves and gave Jos Buttler his first Test dismissal.

Chris Jordan offered India respite. There were five wides and two sumptuous drives - Virat Kohli past cover and Vijay through mid-off - in his first over. At his best, Jordan was economical, and he posed little threat. It remained that way.

Broad then struck the blow that won the morning decisively for England. He had Vijay beaten by an outswinger, and the batsman was indecisive when the next ball landed on a similar line and length. Vijay began to play and then tried to pull his bat away. Too late. Broad's delivery held its line and hit the stumps off the inside edge of Vijay's withdrawing bat.

India's situation could have worsened before lunch when Rahane, on 8, gloved Moeen's offbreak down the leg side to Buttler, but the umpire did not see it.

It was a different game after the break when Anderson and Broad weren't bowling. Rahane drove Moeen through covers, Kohli did the same to Woakes, who was not as economical as he had been earlier. While he treated Anderson with caution, Kohli slashed at Jordan's wide offering, edging it over the cordon. Rahane did not score off Anderson's first 18 balls to him.

Anderson's reward came late, but his prize was Kohli, who was half-forward as he half-pushed at an outswinger and edged to slip. He had left so many similar deliveries previously. India were 136 for 4 and Rohit Sharma started shakily, defending tentatively and seasoning the inside edge of his bat. One leading edge off Jordan, as Rohit tried to flick, nearly went to slip. Rahane, on the other hand, punched Jordan for successive fours, and pulled Woakes to the midwicket boundary.

The partnership was going well - it had grown to 74 - when Rohit decided to repeat his successful loft over mid-off against Moeen. This time he holed out to Broad and fell over his bat in disappointment. India had made 106 runs in the session, but Rohit falling with minutes to tea was a body blow.

The Indians saw worse early in the final session. With scoring opportunities scarce against the better bowlers, Rahane rightly tried to pull a long-hop from Moeen to the boundary. He top edged it, though, and watched it horror as midwicket settled under the catch. England's part-timer had thoroughly outbowled India's specialist spinner Ravindra Jadeja, the next man in.

He and Dhoni put on a feisty half-century partnership against the second new ball. Jadeja drove Broad for four and was dropped a few balls later, a tough chance to Joe Root at gully. He charged both Anderson and Broad and clubbed them down the ground, and was also beaten several times. Dhoni drove, played and missed, glanced and survived. Jadeja did not, struck plumb in front by a sharp inswinger from the relentless Anderson.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India's most consistent batsman this series, was scoreless for 16 balls, but when he began to get going he put Broad away three times in an over to the point boundary. Broad, however, had the final say, and with Bhuvneshwar caught at slip off the inside edge and pad, England had emphatically won their ninth consecutive session in this Test.
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3rd टेस्ट तीसरा दिन LIVE: ब्रॉड ने दिया तीसरा झटका, विजय आउट

 

साउथम्पटन. रोस बाउल में हो रहे टेस्ट मुकाबले के तीसरे दिन इंडिया ने 3 विकेट के नुकसान पर 105 रन बना लिए हैं। क्रीज पर विराट कोहली और अजिंक्य शर्मा मौजूद हैं।

 

ब्रॉड ने अपनी सटीक गेंदबाजी से टीम इंडिया को तीसरा झटका दे दिया है। उन्होंने पहले दो टेस्ट मैचों के स्टार ओपनर मुरली विजय को क्लीन बोल्ड कर पवेलियन की राह दिखाई। मुरली कुल 35 रन बनाकर आउट हुए।

 

पुजारा सस्ते में आउट 

 

टीम इंडिया का दिन का पहला झटका स्टुअर्ट ब्रॉड ने दिया। क्रीज पर जम चुके चेतेश्वर पुजारा विकेटकीपर बटलर को आसान कैच थमा बैठे। वे 24 रन बनाकर आउट हुए।

 

दूसरे दिन का हाल

 

मैच का दूसरा दिन टीम इंडिया के लिए निराशाजनक रहा। मेहमान टीम ने अपना पहला विकेट महज कुल 17 रन के योग पर गंवा दिया। ओपनर शिखर धवन यहां भी फ्लॉप रहे। वे कुल 6 रन बनाकर जेम्स एंडरसन की गेंद पर एलिस्टर कुक को आसान कैच थमा बैठे।

 

उससे पहले इंग्लैंड ने अपनी पहली पारी 7 विकेट पर 569 रन के स्कोर पर घोषित की। 

 

गैरी बैलेंस ने 156 रन, इयान बेल ने 167 रन, कप्तान एलिस्टर कुक ने 95 रन और विकेटकीपर जोस बटलर ने 85 रन बनाए। 

भारत के लिए भुवनेश्वर कुमार ने 101 रन के खर्च पर कुल तीन विकेट झटके। रवींद्र जडेजा को 153 रन लुटाने के बाद एलिस्टर कुक और बटलर के विकेट मिले, वहीं मोहम्मद शमी और पार्टटाइम बॉलर रोहित शर्मा को 1-1 सफलता हाथ लगी।

Prior to use time off to wash cap

Shocking revelations and dirty laundry in our news round-up from England vs India.

By R Rajkumar | ESPNcricinfo – Mon 28 Jul, 2014 5:30 AM IST

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Prior to use time off to wash cap

Matt Prior is to use his time away from the game to put his feet up, recharge the batteries, and finally wash his filthy cap, according to sources close - but not standing too close - to the England wicketkeeper. The cap, which by the looks of it has apparently never been washed since being targeted by a flock of overexcited seagulls on a naturist beach in Brighton seven years ago while Prior was standing alone at the pier in celebration of his call-up for England duty, will finally get some much-needed TLC now that he has some extra time on his hands.

Cook agreed that with the cap washed, the embattled and malodorous wicketkeeper has more than doubled his chances of being recalled to the team or sat next to by a stranger in a movie theatre or public bus, "a method of conveyance he will increasingly come to rely on in the years to come".

Test cricket also exists outside of India v England

'Fine share kar lete he, yaar.' (AP)A major discovery has been announced in the search for Test cricket beyond the current India v England series. According to researchers, recent findings indicate that not only do Test matches between teams other than the so-called Big Three exist, but that there is "a good chance" that one is currently being played somewhere else in the world.

Reported glimpses of another series being broadcast while flipping through channels during breaks from the India-England series by SETI, or Search for Elusive Tests not featuring India, have been met with excitement among those in the community who have long held that Test match cricket simply has to exist elsewhere in the universe as well.

"We don't want to rush to conclusions, but I think we can remain cautiously optimistic that a form of Test cricket might be flourishing on a distant island somewhere on the Indian ocean, and that it is being currently played between teams that scientists have tentatively dubbed "SA-832c" and "SL-832c" just until proper names can be thought up for them," said one SETI researcher.

Anderson appears on Larry King Now

In a heartrending interview often interrupted by tears, James Anderson opened up recently about his ongoing struggles trying to restrain himself from hurling invective at opposition batsmen in the face of being investigated for a Level 3 offence. In the interview, which was broadcast on Russia Today'sLarry King Now between clips of the ongoing crises in the Ukraine and Gaza, the bowler admitted that he was finding it increasingly difficult to sleep knowing that he couldn't tell pissant touring batsmen what he thought of them, especially those smaller in stature than him. "Look, if you can't tell someone with a dodgy moustache and questionable celebratory sword-wielding skills exactly where to get off, then why bother playing?" asked the bowler in front of a live studio audience. "Why bother living?" he added.

The 80-year-old King later admitted that it had been one of the most difficult and emotionally wrenching episodes he had sat through in his long and distinguished career, and asked to be reminded again who James Anderson was.

Prasad and Srinath rekindle old partnership

Venkatesh Prasad and Javagal Srinath are slated to make their acting debuts in an upcoming Kannada movie. In the film, the two former India opening bowlers partner up to trundle after a bunch of Bad Guys. What lends the film its Rising Action and Conflict is that the Bad Guys for the most part always manage (until an unforced rookie mistake proves their undoing) to get away with murder, so to speak, mainly as a result of their being able to easily outrun the two Indian speedsters, who prove to be just not quite fast enough to do the job.

The movie has already managed to generate some amount of controversy, with word that Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar are slated to play the villains of the piece.

Cook resets jawline

Alastair Cook and Peter Moores took time out to redefinine the former's jawline in the lead-up to the third Test, according to reports. The skipper, who has been under fire for poor performances with the bat and for his captaincy, apparently spent time with Moores in the nets trying to work out a few chinks in the lower half of his face.

"We've identified a weakness there," confirmed Moores, who in the past has worked on the roundness of Joe Root's baby face and on Monty Panesar's high-fiving accuracy. "In years past, Cookie's famed superhero jawline has helped him get through many a spot of bother by his simply having to clench it while gazing dreamily off somewhere into the middle distance, but of late our technical team has observed it faltering a tad; it hasn't been as stubbornly pronounced as we would like it to be, given recent events," he said, even as he chipped away at the skipper's face with an industrial-strength rock-chiselling tool. "We're hoping the new, reworked definition of the lower face will hold Cook in good stead for at least a few years more, and that, should calls for his head increase, he'll be better able to use it to obstinately set himself against the world."

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England soar on Bell and Buttler show

India brought yet another out-of-form batsman to life, as Ian Bell made his first ton in over a year.

By The Report by George Binoy | ESPNcricinfo – Mon 28 Jul, 2014 5:30 AM IST

India 25 for 1 trail England 569 for 7 dec (Bell 167, Ballance 156, Cook 95, Buttler 85) by 544 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

On the first day England's struggling captain Alastair Cook had found runs - if not form - to lay a platform, and on the second their other out-of-sorts senior pro, Ian Bell, made his first hundred since August 2013 to eliminate India's chances of improving their 1-0 lead in the series.

Jos Buttler dazzled on debut with an array of towering sixes. (Reuters)The home side also unearthed a new hope. Jos Buttler, the limited-overs specialist who replaced Matt Prior as wicketkeeper, played the sort of innings Adam Gilchrist used to, rattling along at more than a run a ball against a listless attack and shabby fielders. He missed a century on debut only because he was accelerating his team towards a declaration.

England scored 117 in 18.4 overs after tea, and India's left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja suffered the most. He had conceded only 34 in 22 overs on the first day; he went for 119 in 23.4 overs on the second.

The stage for England's tea party had been set in the previous sessions, when Bell batted like he had never been short of runs. He put on 142 for the second wicket with Gary Ballance, who converted his overnight 104 into his highest Test score.

Bell and Ballance were near perfect in the sunshine. They were beaten only occasionally, edged less frequently, had fewer scares, and scored swiftly. The portents were ominous for India. M Vijay was lackadaisical at mid-on and allowed the second run of the day, and when the debutant Pankaj Singh found Bell's edge, the ball went between third slip and gully. Bell received a leg-side appetiser next ball, which he glanced for four.

India rely on Bhuvneshwar Kumar to bowl long and economical spells but he was off his game. Shami did not improve on a disappointing first day. Too often he was too straight or offered width, and bowled a poor length. Pankaj lost his discipline in his second spell, after he had been impressive in his first, and both batsmen were soon scoring all round the wicket.

Jadeja had no impact either. In his second over, Bell skipped down and lofted the left-arm spinner over the straight boundary, a shot he repeated later in the day to bring up his 21st Test hundred and pass 7000 runs.

With no wicket in sight, MS Dhoni turned to Rohit Sharma. With his fifth delivery, Rohit got the ball to bounce and turn away from Ballance. The batsman was beaten but umpire Rod Tucker could not see the ball had missed the edge by a considerable margin and only brushed the batsman's trousers on its way into the wicketkeeper's gloves. That was the only blemish in England's 111-run session.

Dhoni made 15 bowling changes in 15 successive overs after lunch, rotating Shami, Pankaj and Bhuvneshwar - perhaps to give them more of a break between overs so that they could bowl longer spells. There was a little movement in the air as clouds gathered and floodlights came on, but the seamers failed to string together enough good balls and build pressure. Bell continued to capitalise on the width by driving, cutting and flicking.

Bhuvneshwar had Joe Root caught behind just before the second drinks break as the batsman advanced, but India's good spirits were short lived. When Dhoni decided to bowl Jadeja again, Bell tore into him, hitting two sixes and two fours in a 21-run over.

With his seamers tiring, Dhoni persisted with Jadeja at one end and continued rotating his quicks at the other. Bhuvneshwar had Moeen Ali caught behind trying to pull a short ball, a growing weakness in the batsman's game. Bhuvneshwar nearly handed Buttler a duck on debut, too. Ajinkya Rahane had claimed a low catch at second slip but the batsman was reprieved after replays indicated doubt, as they often do with such referrals. He punched the next ball through cover for his first Test runs just before tea.

Buttler's initial target was Jadeja, who was driven through and over cover repeatedly. He also used his limited-overs nous and reverse-swept the spinner twice. India could have been spared some pain had Shikhar Dhawan caught Buttler, on 23, at first slip; instead their drop-count in the cordon rose to six for the series. Bell and Buttler took 13 runs off successive overs from Jadeja. The acceleration was on.

Bell got to 150 and then walked down to pull Pankaj dismissively to the long-on boundary; Buttler charged Jadeja and launched a straight six to take England past 500. Their century stand took only 132 balls.

England might have waited for Bell to get a double century, but he holed out to give Bhuvneshwar his third wicket. Buttler continued rampaging, though, and India went to pieces. Dhoni missed a ridiculously easy stumping, and Pankaj, after being pulled for consecutive sixes, missed a straightforward chance to run out Chris Woakes during a 21-run over. When Buttler bottom-edged on to his stumps for 85 - scant consolation for Jadeja - Cook declared to give India 14 overs to face in the gloom.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad ran in hot, swinging and seaming the ball, their extra pace causing more discomfort than India's slower seamers did. Dhawan did not survive, his wretched run in the series exacerbated by an Anderson delivery that angled into him from round the wicket, squared him up and took the edge to first slip. It was a perfect end to England's day.
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