 | West Indies v England, 1st Test,1st day Sabina Park, Jamaica Pietersen 97 helped England to fight back
The beneficiary, then as now, was an under-rated left-arm spinner. For Paul Harris, read Sulieman Benn, whose end-of-day figures of 33-10-64-2 did scant justice to the discipline and menace that he brought to the West Indian performance. The tallest man in the game at 6'7", Benn used his height superbly to create leaping bounce and extract sharp turn even before lunch on the first day. In between whiles he beat the edge almost at will, not least that of Andrew Flintoff, who endured grittily to reach a vital 43 from 138 balls at the close. Sabina Park may not be the fear factory of days gone by - images of Patrick Patterson tearing in from the sightscreen have long since faded to sepia - but survival was nonetheless a fearful prospect for England's batsmen. Between them the spinners, Benn and Chris Gayle, bowled 51 of the 88 overs in the day, and bouncers were such a rarity that Flintoff was struck painfully on the elbow by one of the few that pitched in the bowler's half. It wasn't exactly the bloodlust with which tours of the Caribbean have traditionally been launched, but the day was no less fascinating for that. Andrew Strauss, in his first appearance as England's official captain after five stand-in performances in 2006 and 2007, won a good toss on a typically dry and brown-baked wicket, but any blithe assumptions about the challenge that lay ahead were soon scotched. Strauss himself cut an anxious figure in a curious 15-ball stay. He might have been caught in the slips twice in consecutive overs off Jerome Taylor but then edged the same bowler to the keeper in the third, while his opening partner, Alastair Cook, fared little better. He hung around for longer in reaching 4 from 20 balls, but then flapped a rare short ball from Daren Powell to mid-on. At 31 for 2, Pietersen already had a rebuilding exercise to deal with, and he got off the mark in typical fashion - a hop across his stumps and a suicidal quick single to midwicket. Thereafter, however, he settled into his natural attacking rhythm, imposing at the crease but (until his fatal final flurry) rarely over-reaching. At the other end, it was Ian Bell who earned England's initial style points. No-one, not even Pietersen, had entered this match under so much scrutiny, and yet Bell raced into the 20s with some typically silken strokes including a clip through midwicket and a sweet drive down the ground. But looking classy has never been Bell's problem, it's the substance behind his innings that has been more problematic, and when he edged Chris Gayle's arm-ball to slip with moments to go before lunch, it was another untimely black mark against his temperament. England went to lunch on 73 for 3, and perfectly set up for a fall. After the break, it was over to Benn, who bowled unchanged all the way until the 79th over of the day. Pietersen danced in his crease in an attempt to break the shackles, but found the field with every attacking stroke. Paul Collingwood was the right sort of attritional cricketer to have for such a situation, but after adding 23 runs in 17 overs, he attempted an over-ambitious sweep against a full-length delivery from Benn that struck him so plumb in front of middle that there was no point in wasting one of England's two reviews on the decision. Pietersen did cut loose a touch in the session - he brought up his fifty (from 115 balls, his second-slowest in Tests) with two fours in three balls against Powell, then later laced a rare long-hop from the same bowler through midwicket. But it was nothing compared to the jawdropping passage of play that eventually led directly to his downfall. Pietersen emerged from tea with his mood transformed. Suddenly he was clobbering the ball to the boundary at will, and a 16th Test century seemed an inevitability. Benn, so long his tormentor, was scorched through the covers for four, then back down the ground for another four, then hoisted into the stands for a massive six. Gayle, to his credit, refused to scatter his close fielders, and Benn carried on flighting his deliveries. Having hurtled from 83 to 97 in three brutal deliveries, Pietersen went for the big wind-up, got a spiralling top-edge, and was trooping back to the pavilion even before Denesh Ramdin had claimed the catch. At the other end, however, Flintoff continued to graft relentlessly. He is never the most comfortable batsman against spin, and Benn came close to finishing him on numerous occasions with a succession of ripping deliveries that burst off the pitch and over his stumps. But by the close, he was still there with Matt Prior steadfast alongside him. The pair, almost unnoticed in the aftermath of Pietersen's frenzy, had added a crucial unbeaten stand of 56 to ensure that England finished a tough day with their noses ever so slightly in front. 1st Day Score: England 236 for 5 (Flintoff 43n.o., Prior 27n.o.) v West Indies | |||||
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Pietersen Shine
Not going SA will be Good for Symonds
Cricket Australia on Wednesday justified its decision of not considering Andrew Symonds for the tour of South Africa, saying that it was in the "best interest" of the controversial all rounder.
"It is a tough stance but an appropriate stance in the circumstances," said CA chief executive James Sutherland.
"It can be looked at as a sanction but I would prefer to look at this as a decision in the best interests of Andrew Symonds as well. He will benefit from some concentrated counselling over this period before he goes on tour again with the Australian cricket team," he was quoted as saying in the local media.
Sutherland said the 33-year-old Symonds, who is undergoing rehabilitation, was infact thankful to have escaped the sack, after his latest remarks to New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum.
Symonds was fined $4000 for describing McCullum as "a lump of sh.." during a radio interview with comedians Roy and HG, during which the cricketer sounded as if he had been drinking.
"Whilst he is disappointed that he is not able to be selected for the South Africa tour, he is at the same time grateful that he is still a contracted Cricket Australia player," Sutherland said.
The CA Chief Executive hinted that Symonds's career will go on the line again before the ODI series against Pakistan in April, around the time the next round of CA contracts is announced.
"It can be looked at as a sanction but I would prefer to look at this as a decision in the best interests of Andrew Symonds as well. He will benefit from some concentrated counselling over this period before he goes on tour again with the Australian cricket team," he was quoted as saying in the local media.
Sutherland said the 33-year-old Symonds, who is undergoing rehabilitation, was infact thankful to have escaped the sack, after his latest remarks to New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum.
Symonds was fined $4000 for describing McCullum as "a lump of sh.." during a radio interview with comedians Roy and HG, during which the cricketer sounded as if he had been drinking.
"Whilst he is disappointed that he is not able to be selected for the South Africa tour, he is at the same time grateful that he is still a contracted Cricket Australia player," Sutherland said.
The CA Chief Executive hinted that Symonds's career will go on the line again before the ODI series against Pakistan in April, around the time the next round of CA contracts is announced.
Clarke will not play IPL 2
Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke pulled out from the Season 2 of the million dollar Twenty20 tournament -- Indian Premier League (IPL).
Clarke said on Thursday (February 5) that his decision to skip the lucrative Twenty20 tournament was made because Australia has such a busy international schedule coming up.
"I won't be going to the IPL,'' Clarke said. The most important thing for me is we've only got a couple of weeks off, we've got a very busy schedule.
"With me, with my body and time with my family, I want time off this year."
But Clarke said his decision did not mean that he could not understand why so many other players did want to play in the Indian competition.
"It's a wonderful thing for cricket, it's definitely improved Twenty20 cricket, it’s played a part in improving One-day cricket," he said.
"The lead up to the Twenty20 World Championships is the IPL so it's good preparation so it does not surprise me that a lot of players are going."
Following this decision by Clarke, Lalit Modi, Chairman of the IPL expressed disappointment and said that he was very upset with this decision by the Aussie vice-skipper.
He said, "IPL is upset with Michael Clarke's decision and he is unlikely to play in the next season. Clarke pulled out of the IPL because no one was ready to pay $1 million. We did ask him to reduce the price but he was unwilling to do so."
Clarke was valued at $1 million and was set to be among the top three purchases in the auction to be held on Friday (February 6) in Goa. Chennai Super Kings, last year's finalists, were expected to lead the bidding for Clarke.
"I won't be going to the IPL,'' Clarke said. The most important thing for me is we've only got a couple of weeks off, we've got a very busy schedule.
"With me, with my body and time with my family, I want time off this year."
But Clarke said his decision did not mean that he could not understand why so many other players did want to play in the Indian competition.
"It's a wonderful thing for cricket, it's definitely improved Twenty20 cricket, it’s played a part in improving One-day cricket," he said.
"The lead up to the Twenty20 World Championships is the IPL so it's good preparation so it does not surprise me that a lot of players are going."
Following this decision by Clarke, Lalit Modi, Chairman of the IPL expressed disappointment and said that he was very upset with this decision by the Aussie vice-skipper.
He said, "IPL is upset with Michael Clarke's decision and he is unlikely to play in the next season. Clarke pulled out of the IPL because no one was ready to pay $1 million. We did ask him to reduce the price but he was unwilling to do so."
Clarke was valued at $1 million and was set to be among the top three purchases in the auction to be held on Friday (February 6) in Goa. Chennai Super Kings, last year's finalists, were expected to lead the bidding for Clarke.
"I won't be going to the IPL,'' Clarke said. The most important thing for me is we've only got a couple of weeks off, we've got a very busy schedule.
"With me, with my body and time with my family, I want time off this year."
But Clarke said his decision did not mean that he could not understand why so many other players did want to play in the Indian competition.
"It's a wonderful thing for cricket, it's definitely improved Twenty20 cricket, it’s played a part in improving One-day cricket," he said.
"The lead up to the Twenty20 World Championships is the IPL so it's good preparation so it does not surprise me that a lot of players are going."
Following this decision by Clarke, Lalit Modi, Chairman of the IPL expressed disappointment and said that he was very upset with this decision by the Aussie vice-skipper.
He said, "IPL is upset with Michael Clarke's decision and he is unlikely to play in the next season. Clarke pulled out of the IPL because no one was ready to pay $1 million. We did ask him to reduce the price but he was unwilling to do so."
Clarke was valued at $1 million and was set to be among the top three purchases in the auction to be held on Friday (February 6) in Goa. Chennai Super Kings, last year's finalists, were expected to lead the bidding for Clarke.
Dada is still think himself as eligible for International cricket
Sourav Ganguly might have walked into the sunset of his cricketing career, but the former India captain on Monday said he is still good enough to play both forms of the game at the international level for at least a year. Asked if he is still good enough for international cricket at 36 years of age, Ganguly replied, "Two-hundred percent." "I think I am still good enough for both forms of cricket. I played my best in my last years. If I had played, I could have easily continued for at least one or one-and-half years more. "But that's not possible now, though. One has to accept the fact that retirement was part and parcel of a sportsperson's life," Ganguly said. "I have Indian Premier League to look forward to. But turning out in the IPL could not be compared to playing for India," he added. Ganguly was speaking at a function to release 'Dada Tantra', a book based on him and authored by sports journalist Goutam Bhattacharya. "You have to see life as a bigger picture. Cricket is just a part of it. Time is the biggest factor and in due course I am sure people will forget the professional part of me," Ganguly said. The left-handed batsman, who had an infamous spat with the then India coach Greg Chappell which led to his exclusion from the team in 2005, said the Aussie's contribution in his ouster was very little. "There were other persons in the board and in selection committee who influenced him. I don't think Greg's role in that episode was more than 15 per cent," Ganguly said. "Those one-and-half months, I was very upset. When you see wrong things happening against you, obviously you get more angry than normal." Ganguly said he chose not to say anything against Chappell but do the talking with his bat. "Greg Chappell then lost his job as coach. Eventually, I made a comeback under Rahul Dravid and went on to reach another milestone -- to play 100 Tests which was a personal goal for me. I chose my bat and ball to do the needful. Narrating about the mental agony he went through during a lean patch in 2003-04, Ganguly said, "There was a time when I would check in the internet and look for the top three-four players and their statistics. How much runs, centuries they have scored to get there. "But eventually, it was not of any help and was a sheer waste of time. Success, failure, agony are part of every sportsperson's life. But instead of wasting energy pondering about that one should work hard for the next stage," he said when asked about the formula for success. | |
Dhoni Brigade is going to create history
Dhoni Brigade is going to touch a new horizon for Indian cricket. They have already won 8 ODIs in a row. Only three times it happened before by any Indian cricket team.
1. In 1985 ( Under the captaincy of Sunil Gavarkar and Kapil Dev )
2. In 2003 World Cup Cricket ( Under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly )
3. In 2006 ( Under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid )
If India win the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka then this Indian cricket team will be the first Indian team to win 9 ODIs in a row.
Its a fabulas record for Indian cricket as well as for captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.Lets see what will happen in the 4th ODI.
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