Fielding the key to England triumph
The difference between the teams was the quality of the fielding. While India were regularly caught napping inside the circle, England’s fielding was electric.
Add to that two brilliant catches and a run out by Ian Bell, and it's little wonder that .
Fielding is a crucial element to one-day cricket, and India’s has been fallible throughout this series.
They have dropped catches in every game, and while Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Karthik are generally excellent, they were regularly let down by the men at mid-on and mid-off who gave away far too many runs. Quick singles are an easy way for batsmen to relieve pressure, and India’s bowlers must have been tearing their hair out as tidy overs still conceded four or five runs.
England also rustled up a wicket whenever they needed one. This came about either through good fortune – Mahendra Dhoni hammering a long-hop to point, for example – or through the execution of a well through out plan. Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal falls into the latter category as England continued their short-pitched attack at him, and he chopped a catch to Collingwood at backward point.
Bell had another excellent all-round day, taking 89 balls over the 79 which held England’s innings together. He lacked support until he added 75 with Paul Collingwood after Piyush Chawla had bamboozled Kevin Pietersen with a googly for the second successive time.
This was slightly different in that Pietersen, trying to impose himself against the youngster, came down the pitch. Chawla was not deterred and tossed the ball up which then spun between bat and pad and presented Dhoni with the stumping.
Sourav Ganguly looked in great order, but India were soon 36-2 – Karthik falling to a catch in the covers when Stuart Broad cleverly delivered a ball with his fingers across the seam.
When Ganguly and Rahul Dravid perished within nine runs of each other, India’s long tail – which begins at seven – was faced with an impossible task.
I would just like to say I believe Ian Bell's contribution has been awesome for England since his arrival on the international scene. By this i do not only mean a quality player contributing excellent runs at different numbers in the batting order but also rivaling the best fielders in the world. Above all this i believe his athletic, enthusiastic and positive approach to cricket is not only influential but inspirational. To a young man who loves the game i can look to Ian Bell and see an excellent cricketer, with a marvellous attitude who offers himself as a wonderful role model for all those who love to see England succeed.
Complain about this postcome on India!!!!!!!!!!!!
Complain about this postCOME ON ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!! Were constantly being told my the Indian fans that they will win. I don't think so! 2-1 to the INGERLAND!!!!!!!!! 2-1 to the INGERLAND!!!!!!!
Complain about this postanother good performance from England, and that too without Fredye Flintoff!.good that common sense prevailed in his case, and England opted to keep him out before things gets out of hand!.
again, the English ran between the wickets very well, and their fielding was spot on!. Bell had another feel day, and if he gets into the right mode, he can go a long way in ODIs as well!. Bell corrected himself, and changed his poor approach in the last game, and quickly adopted to the situation and played the game accordingly. one can only hope he has really arrived at the highest stage!.
Complain about this postwell done England!!!.
Was it the quality of the England fielding that did for India today at Edgbaston, or the leaden grey Birmingham skies?
Maybe further matches will make it clearer; this series is turning out to be a lot more closely fought than I had assumed that it would be, following the demolition of England by Chanderpaul and the Windies bowling attack in the previous one-day series.
Charles Evans
Complain about this postIndia need to bring out the tiger from within and play some aggressive cricket.
Complain about this postBring back Mohd. Kaif! I've had enough of this third rate Indian fielding....
Complain about this postThe problem with INDIA is that they have big tail, but, they don't have quality bowlers. Whats the use of big tail when you cannot take out opposition batsmen for low scores? I think that India would be served well with two seamers, two spinners and they have to play an extra batsmen. I think that they should groom Karthik and batting order for India:
Tendulkar
Ganguly
Yuvraj Singh
Uthappa
Dravid
Karthik
Dhoni
Powar
Chawla
Z Khan
RP Singh
I would play with this team, I believe that Kaif should be in the team and he could probably substitute Dhoni. With due respects Dhoni is proving to be very inconsistent with batting and cannot be trusted. Imran Khan once said that your best players should be facing most of overs. Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh are India's best batsmen. I guess its high time that India's tail improve their batting skills, but, their first priority should be bowling. I would play Harbhajan Singh instead of Chawla or Powar as he is better batsmen and player than either of them. I hope that INDIA learns from their one day debacle in World Cup
Complain about this postDravid needs to understand that you only bowl after winning the toss if there is a clear advantage. Twice he has gifted the initiative to England after winning the toss. You can make a case for the first ODI but this one was a bad call.
Another mistake was changing the batting order after Yuvraj had done well at number three. If he wanted to send a right hander, he should have sent Dhoni. He has done well at number three.
India obviously is missing a genuine allrounder. But given the fact that the bowlers have not been consistent, they need to stick with playing five bowlers.
Complain about this postGood stuff England! A few months ago us fans and people like Aggers from the media were saying that, whilst we weren't necessarily going to start winning one-day series after series, England at least needed to start improving in every area - and surely we can say that is happening, especially in our batting. No collapses so far, a more aggressive powerplay strategy (only slightly, yes, but still an improvement) and bowling that seems threatening and containing. 5-2 to England?
Complain about this postI hope the miserable old codgers who kept calling for Bell to be dropped during the Test Series and ahead of the ODI's, have seen the error of their ways. As a staunch Warwickshire fan, I'm proud to see him doing so well for England. He's always been a brilliant player and his effort and commitment to the cause are stunning (take note certain individuals). It reflects on the team as a whole and I'm amazed that the England selectors persist with the clown Prior, when Tim Ambrose would be a far better wicket-keeper. Equally, Darren Maddy should be given at least a try in the ODI side, in addition to his well-earned position in the Twenty20 World Cup squad. I'd even go as far as to suggest giving a punt to Loudon (though maybe in the A team).
Excellent display by England, especially, like Aggers says, in the fielding department. I really don't understand why Dravid doesn't seem to have picked up on his side's weakness in the field. Does he think they're batting and bowling prowess wipe out the negative differential or does he simply not see it as important?
As for bowling, India have depth but seem to lack to consistency, (viz Zaheer, who was far too wayward today). Chawla still strikes me as a bit delicate in bowling terms, but he's proving himself to be a menace when on form. I think Broad is rapidly proving my initial doubts wrong, but I'm still concerned about Tremlett, particularly why he's having so much trouble converting his test form into One-Day form. Panesar also seems unsuited for the limited overs game, although this may simply be down to inexperience (and to be fair, the same could be said about Tremlett I suppose).
Overall, extremely happy. Roll on Old Trafford.
Complain about this postI think that Indian TOP order choked!! Low on confidence. I would bring back Sehwag and Kaif into the side.I would always play with 4 bowlers, ALWAYS.Cause, 100% of the time only a max of 2 or 3 bowlers succeed for India.So, why waste a batsman for a 5th bowler who is defenitely going to fail.
Complain about this postEngalnd is hitting right on the SPOT for India!!!
I do believe that if england continue playing the way they have been this series then they surely should win it.
Complain about this postSeems as though Collingwood and Moores have done some work on this side. England's batting during the world cup and the West Indies series, that just passed by, was woeful. Against India though, they have come up trumps in all 3 of the one days posting very good scores, albeit on a losing cause in bristol.
If India continue to field like the way they did today, I believe that this series would be over before long. And though Dinesh Kartik is good in the field, he is a natural wicketkeeper and tends to make a mistake or 2 in the field, like the missed run out chance of Broad today.
Lastly, I would have to congratulate Ian bell on a fabulous allround performance today.
Aggers,
True, England fielded better, perhaps even bowled marginally better. Perhaps they did enough and desereved to win the game on balance.
However , at the end of the day, the margin of victory was 42 runs, about as much as Captain Collingwood contributed, having being given the benefit of the doubt on an LBW shout that the pundits all round find generous in the batsman's favour.
For those like Bemused and Rupert from your last blog who get all worked up by any such suggestion, I would say this: it does not help the spirit of the game when inconsitency is displayed by the guardians of fair play, the umpires.
Both in this match and the previous one, either the benefit of the doubt on a close decision should have gone to the batsman or the appeal decided in favour of the bowler. In both instances, the short stick went to India (Sachin and Yuvraj) and the man in the white coat was English. Coincidence maybe but consistent definitely not! Unless, that is, 'outrageuos' was the consistency category being decided.
I think the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ live text commentator was deriding the choice of the Indian team's sunglasses. Perhaps its the umpires who should not be allowed to wear defective dark sunglasses if these impede clear vision.
Complain about this postWell done England. The key difference was the fielding between the two sides. India were lackadaisical and there was a shocking drop near the boundary that should have been caught by an Indian fielder (was it Karthik?). In fairness Collingwood should have been given out lbw as well, but I don't think it mattered.
England's fielding was razor sharp and because it was so sharp, the pressure rose on India's batsmen until they cracked and played some poor shots. Credit to Tremlett for coming back from a poor first spell to take the crucial wickets of Ganguly and Dravid.
It was neck-and-neck until Dhoni threw his wicket away with a rash shot and then Khan managed to get Yuvraj run out and then it was all over bar the shouting.
The pressure told on India and they cracked. Not a stellar performance from them, after they'd managed to steady the ship with Ganguly and Dravid.
Credit to Collingwood for marshalling his team and keeping everyone on their toes. England took some sharp catches at crucial times which turned the match.
England are without Hoggard, Sidebottom and Flintoff and produced an excellent performance. This is becoming a really interesting ODI series and I expect India to improve in the next match.
Complain about this postCan i make one small comment regarding the sweep shot, why do good england cricketers still persist with the shot.... it's extroadinarily risky with no control over the shot and three of the top order got out playing it! pls put the shot back in the locker england!!
Complain about this postAlthough I am happy that England won the umpiring standard again was not good. Prior definately got a touch on the ball and was not given and Collingwood was as plumb as it gets. It is a shame that both sides will look back on the test and one dayers and think that the umpiring made a massive difference.
Complain about this postapart from geoffrey boycott has any batsman
Complain about this postoccupied the crease, at some stage, on all five
days of a test match?
Three things made the difference in this match: fielding, running between the wickets and the batting of the tailenders. England outperformed India in all three of those underrated disciplines.
Has to be said, India were a bowler heavy. Yes, they don't have a genuine allrounder, but England were without Flintoff and Mascherenas due to injury and they coped. In Tendulkar, Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh India have three batsmen who are more than capable of filling out ten overs between them, and they could easily have gone in with four specialist bowlers.
Saying all this, as an England fan, WOOHOO! Decent contributions all down the order, no panicking and some good fielding. Still a few awkward bits (in particular, Colly was on a hiding to nothing with his sudden outbreak of sweep shots), but certainly more positives than negatives.
Complain about this postIsn't it obvious that India should be playing Sehwag in place of Karthik and Pathan in place of one of the bowlers. It will be a better balance that way.
Why do we still have an umpire from the host country in this era of neutral umpires?? What is the reason behind that rule?
Complain about this postWhat exactly is Robin Singh paid for? If anyting India's fielding has gone down-hill!
Complain about this postAnggers. ODI, I have to say England have got quite a good young squad. If thet can beat India without Fred, Tres, Dimtri,Sibo; its looking really and competive for the next 5-10 years. Mustard and few others on the sideline. These guys are going to get better as a unit. Other than a real 95mph (shoab) death ball quick they have most departments filled.
Complain about this postI constantly find the Indian fans' criticism of umpiring decisions amusing. It seems as though every Indian defeat is the result of bad umpiring. Have these people ever considered the following two facts:
1) the opposition are allowed and can play better than the Indians
2) India has benefited from poor umpiring decisions
In relation to a specific comment from David regarding Prior clearly getting a touch Sky seemed to be of the opinion that he didn't.
Complain about this postDecisions and the approach that went aganist India
Dravid choosing to bowl on a flat wicket (if at this level if he fear for few clouds what else he can achieve when playing under overcase conditoins??)
Promoting Karthik ahead of Yuvraj Singh. If India feels Karthik is not getting enough batting practice these things should be tried in warm-up matches or when we are chasing low score. It was a bad move to have DK ahead of YS when India chasing 282
Ganguly not rotating the strike when Dravid was batting beatuifully. I think India team has lots of players playing for themselves rather than playing for the country.
Ofcourse fielding made the differnece to the final outcome. This is one department India never clicked. Guys are afraid of injury which could ruin their cricketing career.
Dravid's captaincy needs to lot desired. He needs to be more attacking. By the time he learns, he will retire. Its time for some guns to get the captaincy.
What's the role of Dhoni in the team? India is wasting one place in having Dhoni in the playing 11. Karthik should keep and India should play a regular bat instead of Dhoni. Dhoni can be a match winner once in bluemoon. We need bat who is more consistant.
Umpiring has been below par throughout the serios (including tests). To some extent some of the umpiring decisions went aganist India and some of them could have reversed the outcome of match.
Anyway having said that, unless India has the killing instinct, they can't win matches on regular basis. Once again India has proved themselves number 1 as far as inconsistancy is concerned.
Complain about this postIN ONE DAY OR ANY LIMITED OVER GAMES IF YOU WIN THE TOSS YOU BAT AND PILE ON THE PRESSURE.GREG CHAPPEL WAS RIGHT ABOUT THIS SILLY APPROACH WHY DO YOU WANT TO FIELD WHEN YOU WIN THE TOSS.IT SEEMS LIKE ENGLAND HAS WON THREE TOSSES NOW...
Complain about this postTold ya!! It is high time that all the English fans get off "KP is the best batsman" bandwagon and realize that the best player is Ian Bell. I am a huge fan of his for no reason. He is stylish, got the best technique of all the English players and he shows it time and time again. Can't understand all those idiotic calls for replacing him with Owais Shah.
I thought Saurav Ganguly was the worst fielder playing internation cricket, till I saw Munaf Patel fielding. Man o man! Is Munaf easily the worst fielder in the world or what? Dinesh Karthik...supposed to be one of the best fielders of India....wonder when I get to see that side of his game. Darn! Fielding is the difference between both teams.
My advice to the Indian captain: Forget about the early starts, moisture on pitch, overhead skys and anything else. Win toss, bat first, score above 350 and force a win. Anything else, with your bowling and fielding is suicidal.
Complain about this postAt least Bell shut those people up who critised him after scoring runs at a slow rate,
Complain about this postHe's doing better than Prior and KP would just needlessly throw away their wicket!
Re: Umpiring
Umpiring of a dubious nature happens.
Ask Andrew Strauss about his last winter Ashes tour.
Assuming that poor umpiring decisions happen on a purely random basis, 'clustering' of poor decisions is almost certain to occur, making it appear that one side/player is being picked on by the match officials. It hurts when it's happening to a side that you support, and can seem like a personal vendetta is being waged by the match officials who are 'supposed to be neutral'. I was erroneously convinced, in the midst of the last England ashes nightmare, that one particular official had set out to personally destroy Andrew Strauss; I wish I could have been slightly more level-headed about it at the time, but I can only plead to being particularly susceptible to human failings, during the stress of listening helplessly as my national team were subjected to a 0-5 thrashing on the other side of the world in a test series.
To return to umpiring, without the result of a game being solely determined by computers, (or by the two captains sitting down to roll dice, Howzat! style, to get clear-cut results for how many runs each batsmen will score, and how they will be out) umpires are going to continue to be there and to make both good decisions and mistakes. The ICC has laid down a set of regulations and penalties aimed at ensuring the impartiality of the match officials, and without stopping the game for a detailed ten-minutes of electronic analysis efter every ball bowled what more are the players and fans supposed to ask of the game?
Charles Evans.
Complain about this postevery time i visit aggers blog i see people saying 'prior should be dropped' or 'england is becoming like sussex'. i for one am a sussex fan. i don't personally think that prior has done that badly. i remember people saying that he was the best thing since sliced bread when he started in international cricket (namely the test series against w.i.).
yes he has dropped catches but doesn't every keeper? and besides, if you compare m.s. dhoni and prior i would much prefer prior. at least you can depend that he wouldn't get overly aggressive and potentially throw his wicket away.
on another side of the argument though, why does england (whether under p. moores or not) think that every w/k should open the batting? prior would be much better at number 3 and allow bell to open (whom appears to be in the form of his life - partically in the odi's). not every w/k is like adam gilchrist...
Complain about this postAnswer to no. 18
Complain about this post7 Players have
1, Jaishimha in 1960 (India)
2, Boycott in 1977 (England)
3, Hughes in 1980 (Australia)
4, Lamb in 1984 (England)
5, Shastri in 1984 (India)
6, Griffith in 1999 (West Indies)
7, Flintoff in 2006 (England)
very good article aggers, only one small point, when has karthik ever been excellent in the field this summer? hes dropped catches in the test matches, fumbled run out opportunities, and let balls through his legs.
even better performance england! i was worried when dravid and ganguly were together, flintoff in exchange for tremlett would equal englands strongest one day line up, in my humble opinion. This is taking into account i do not believe tres will ever make a comeback.
Complain about this postFunny isn't it?
After the test series when I dared to suggest that England were robbed of a victory at Lords because of a dreadful umpiring decision, I was I accused of being both an idiot and a bad sportsman on this very forum.
Low and behold. Now that India are (deservedly) losing the one-day series we have repeated accusations of not just bad umpiring decisions, but CHEATING by the English umpires!
Oh the irony...........................!
As for the cricket. England are winning for one simple reason. They are the better TEAM. Even without one of the best one-day bowlers in the world (Flintoff) we won easily today.
Onwards and upwards England!!!!
Complain about this postBell, Prior and Cook continue to serve England with dedication and consistency. Captain Collingwood played a significant knock in the middle. Fireworks from Tremlett, Ravi, Shah and Broad put the game beyond the reach of the opponents. Congratulations to the winners.
For Team India Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj made meaningful contributions. A few more runs from each of the other 8 players were badly needed.
Finally be it in victory or defeat Saurav Ganguly continues to provide joy with his stylish batting and glorious knocks. He is indeed the Royal Bengal Tiger they say, who continues to roar again and again all over the UK. Best wishes to him and to his colleagues.
Complain about this postcuz ian bell is the man for england now not flintoff so u people can let flintoff play better because u peolpe put more and more pressure on that guy so ian bell will now share the pressure
Complain about this postFirst of all congratualtions to England on their victory. I was there at the gorund and tho as a fanatic indian supporter was disappointed with the result still had a brilliant day. The atmosphere was incredible and was proud the way us indian supporters kept going crazy and realy doing our upmost to support the team.
I would say the difference between the two teams now is that Englands fielding and running between the wicket ids far superior.
Unless indian turn this around , which is unlikley they will struggle in this series.
Without an all rounder in the side , there is a very obvious problem in terms of balance.
Ok , we know Irfan Pathan has had bolwing problems but there must be sum1 else worth giving a go.
What happen to Joginder Sharma. Ok , he may not be a world class all rounder but if he can still do a reasonable job with both bat and bowl at least untill Pathan regains his surely that would be better for the team.
Useful 5th bowler , and at number 7 still gives depth to batting. Today, when Dhoni was out that was end of match.
We usually end of bowling one of our batsnmens for a long spell neways (2day was yuvraj) so i think for this series we should play with the four bowlers.
Ganguly
Complain about this postTendulkar
Utthapha
Yuvraj
Dravid
Dhoni
Karthik
Powar
Chawla
Zaheer
RP Singh
I was reading some pretty contemptuous stuff about Ian Bell a few days back - too long at the crease, etc. etc.: take it back, oh ye who wrote it! He's a solid batsman, and sometimes solid is more important than spectacular.
The other thing that has impressed me about this match is the team effort - look at the bowlers who all contributed. I think this one was absolutely crucial to England's confidence in their one-day progress. Also good news that much as I am a Freddie fan, he can be a bit more relaxed in that they can still win matches without him. This has to be a good sign for the senior players who don't need to be flogged to death for the lack of anyone else to take their place, and it also argues for a desirable flexibility in the team to cope with the inevitable injuries and find someone else .............
There are a lot more to play but if England continue in this vein (also bearing in mind the exciting run chase on Friday where they really cut the mustard) they're looking pretty good for the series, though I don't want to predict any result, it's asking for trouble!
Complain about this postWhile the fielding was spot on (as it should be) it shouldn't be overlooked that batsmen 8,9,10 amassed 39 runs in just 29 balls at the end of the England innings - margin of victory 42 runs.
India's decision to go with five bowlers seems illogical given that between them Ganguly, Tendulkar and Yuvraj are more than capable of bowling the extra 10. An extra batsman in there instead of Patel would have probably seen them home.
Good game though, in fact - two good games in a row - and it's not often you can say that when it comes to these series.
Complain about this postI must say aswell as englands much better fielding i must say the running between the wickets was far better than the indians aswell, much more alert than ganguly who even though got a decent score should have reached a 3 figure score.
Also if we had flintoff playing today we would have won by alt more - cos tremlett even though got 2 important wickets was again very expensive!!!
Complain about this postFirst things first congratulations England, well played.
Dravids captaincy is so mediocre. He does not understand the fact that attack is the best form of defense. He just needs to watch the tapes of Imrans captaincy and Ian Chappells.
Fielding the less said the better !!
Complain about this postI must say aswell as englands much better fielding i must say the running between the wickets was far better than the indians aswell, much more alert than ganguly who even though got a decent score should have reached a 3 figure score.
Also if we had flintoff playing today we would have won by alt more - cos tremlett even though got 2 important wickets was again very expensive!!!
Complain about this postNot quite sure why an email I sent earlier didn't appear on this blog given that it wasn't abusive..... Very odd.
I'd like to say as I wrote previously, those who were so contemptuous of Ian Bell a few days ago should take it back. Not only did he contribute with the bat but also in his very sharp fielding (not the first time he's done this either).
Further, it has to be good news for the England side that they are not relying entirely upon a very few excellent players such as Freddie Flintoff (much though I am a total fan of his)... we heard a lot about strength in depth and at last we're really beginning to see it, in that the England team don't depend entirely upon the 'Ashes four' (media phrase, not mine!) Incidentally this is no disrespect to the magnificent Hoggard either - 2 wickets in successive deliveries in one maiden over up at Yorkshire has to count for something, I feel!
I don't want to predict anything because cricket is the most unpredictable game in the world but if England continue in this vein they stand a good chance of doing well in the series.
Complain about this postAll i can say, being an Indian supporter at the game, is that England were electric in the field and just too sharp for India. India simply lack a cutting edge in the field.
Complain about this postQuite a few critics of Dhoni on here today. I was lucky to be at the game and when Dhoni came to the crease he brought an urgency that had been missing since Dravid's dismissal. Dhoni ran the first run fast and turned several into twos by putting pressure on the England fielders. Precisely what England did to India during the last 15 overs of their innings.
It's not rocket science and - at the risk of understatement - it wasn't a hot day!!!! Why weren't all the batsmen on both sides looking for twos from the start? England could definitely have had another 10 or so runs (relatively risk-free as I can't see any of the Indians effecting a run-out just at the moment!), whilst India wouldn't have got so far behind the rate and thus wouldn't have had to play so many risky shots.
Dravid looks in excellent touch - it was a surprise when he fell. That looks a bit ominous for the rest of the series but England should just have enough allround quality to take the series from here.
Complain about this postDon't understand it - whatever I write doesn't appear on this blog. Is there another Glynne Williams out there? Or is my comment too boring to include?
I'll say it again: take it back oh ye who have made really bad comments about Ian Bell (contributed superbly today both as batsman and fielder).
Also - it has to be good news that the England team is not relying solely on a few key senior players such as Flintoff and Hoggard. They are extremely important especially in test series, but it's good that the team can win a game without them.
It 's still only 2-1 although last Friday's run-chase was tremendously exciting and proved the England team hadn't laid down and died, but I must admit on today's showing and the first 1-dayer I do feel a tad, though quietly, optimistic....
Complain about this postIn regards to point 32 by Richard.
India have had the worst of the umpiring decisions thoughout the summer. If u wanna complain bout Sreesanth lbw appeal at lords then consider Dravid lbw in the same innings.
Also, England the better team ??
Ok, they deserve to be winning the series but the series is not over yet.
The indian side has far greater talent in both battig and bowling.
Should India find a way to field better in the reaming matches dont be suprise if you see who is actually the better team.
Just remember we deservedly won the test series and untill this odi seires if finshed .. it is india that can say we are the better team!!
Complain about this postIndian fielding, bowling and batting is becoming consistently inconsistent. However, fielding seems to be the weakest of the 3, how can you justify dropping a regulation catch at third man and then again the same player (RP) misses one of the easiest run outs of Tremlett. Those 2 mistakes only cost India 40 odd runs.
Complain about this postI was at the rose bowl watching the first match and one of the striking features of the Indian fielding was that the fielders on the boundry do not even take a start when the ball is being bowled. That is one of the basic thing that you learn as a kid.
I also don't understand as to what is Munaf Patel doing in the team, when he can not even make an over arm throw? He is not a Macgrath or a Pollock that all other aspects of his game can be overlooked.
2 wicket keepers in the team is a luxury, I think India should keep only one (any of the 2, as both can be incosistent) and bring in a proper batsman.
Why is Pathan out of the team when you are looking for a genunine allrounder? I'm sure he can bowl as good as or as bad as any fast bowlers currently in the team.
Dravid should get this clear in his mind, no matter what the conditions are India has to bat first, as they can't even chase a score of 200 without hiccoughs, let alone scores of 250 plus.
England have grabbed the opportunity of winning the series with both hands and to their credit they have players to do so. Well done England!
I think that the big three batsmen for India are getting a bit weary looking, ie starting to look like lara past his prime. The fact that there are three of them, and occasionally one of them shows some brilliance means that they won't go the way of the windies as quickly or badly. But where are the young batsmen who can take their place as matchwinners coming through?
And I say batsmen because recent history shows India = batting prowess. Besides the occasional flash in the pan, and usually on home ground (and maybe not nurtured) the bowling has not been the equal of top three status. This could be the beginning of the end!
Complain about this postNayan.
Answer me this, was Sreesanth given not out, when he was plumb , on the last day in the last test?
Complain about this postSo if India were having the the 'worst' of the decisions, surely that would be out, and that would mean India would not of won the test series, it would of been a deserved 1-1.
And remember Jaffar and Kartik at Trent Bridge?
Get over it.
Nayan.
Answer me this, was Sreesanth given not out, when he was plumb , on the last day in the last test?
Complain about this postSo if India were having the the 'worst' of the decisions, surely that would be out, and that would mean India would not of won the test series, it would of been a deserved 1-1.
And remember Jaffar and Kartik at Trent Bridge?
Get over it.
Like most people, I was sad when the short test series came to an end and we faced the prospect of SEVEN ODI's. How could they posssibly be as fascinating as the tests?
I was wrong. The ODI's have produced some very good cricket between two evenly-matched teams. More than that, they have seen the emergence of some England players whose ODI pedigree was very much in doubt. I refer to Cook and Bell in particular, but there are others.
During the matches against the Windies and the Tests against India, it seemed that it was the young players of those countries that were coming good and there was little to cheer from an English perspective; few players seemed to be taking the opportunity to develop and show what they were capable of.
But that is now changing. If KP and Freddie fail to fire, it is no longer such a problem. The ODI series is developing into a really good contest and may be the turning of the tide for England as a one-day outfit. I certainly hope so.
Complain about this postI liked the way Jonathan Agnew analysed the 3rd ODI match between England & India. Thank you Mr. Agnew. India's fielding was awfully slow and inefficeint. Also, their running between the wickets was horrible. I do not understand how a senior player can 'run himself out' clearly for lack of understanding with his counterpart. They need a lot of training (!). In the same token, I want to praise the young players of England. They excelled in every department of the game. They deserved to win.
Anjan Roy
Complain about this postChicago, USA
India needs a brave coach.
Indian cricket needs a brave coach. Once, India had a brave coach named Greg Chappel. He was very efficient and straightforward. But, his only problem was lack of communication. Most of the indian players especially from the illiterate north can't speak or breath other than hindi. So, Greg cannot do much to help in that matter. In fact, he took a couple of brave decisions and thereby some of the senior nonperforming cricketers became spectators.
I am sure that Ganguly, Sachin and Dravid got many admirers.. But given the fact that these r very old and cannot even throw a ball properly, it is high time for them to have another sabbatical holiday from cricket and this time make sure that they get their retirement benefits also..
At least some of the members in this forum have already watched Chak de India. Even though, the film took many liberties like winning the world cup and blah blah blah, there are some positive vibes to be learnt from it. The coach in CDI is very ruthless and he made sure that there is no regional differences, no seniority dilemmas nor superstar complex in the team. Such kind of attitude is needed for team india and to get that attitude, we should have somebody as the coach esp. ruthless individual as Greg chappel.
Complain about this postSuper display by England team. They stuck with the basic discipline of one day game - collecting runs with ones and two's while batting and saving those while fielding.
India still hasn't woken up to one day games. They still seem to be playing test cricket. They still seem to think that ones and twos don't matter and few misfieldings won't hurt. Wake up!
This match was fully lost when Mr Dhoni, the great bombaster with bat totally froze and lost the discipline in taking singles and twos. Instead of watching the rate rate pile up, he would have served India better by roting the strike with Yuvraj. he set the stage for disaster for the rest of the batsmen. He waited too long and waisted deliveries. Those were the crucial overs for India.
The last chance of winning this game was with Mr Dhone and he rued it!
Complain about this postGood analysis. BCCI team needs to improve fielding. It seems the progress is painfully slow compared to the world cup debacle.Continuous improvement is the key.
Complain about this postIndian bowlers not supported by the feilding. In one day game good feilding must be the priorty. I think karthik must be replaced by Utappa. I feel he is not one day player. Recently he made too many mistake while feilding and batting not good as he did in test. But test matches are totally different than one dayers. He is good in test only. I think Laxman should have been play better than him in one day matches. We need aggresive players in one day games.
Complain about this postA good match. Good to see Indians playing well and providing good entertainment. I have to agree with the comment though, they were poor on the field, and is perhaps the poorest one day fielding side today.
Complain about this postCan someone tell Glynne Williams that his messages has appeared 3 times and we get the message.
Great display again by england. I am glad to see Bell finally string some performances together for england, he has never truly delivered in a consistent basis for us, and now he seems to have found his feet in the ODIs. I hope it contunes as he needs to become our new graham thorpe!
Complain about this postIt is really good to win ..... and in such style. A good team effort and we have Fred to return as well !! Things are lookig uo for the moment.
Complain about this postFirst time Ian Bell batted with aggression. His previous scores while good, were Boycottian in nature
India's fileding is pathetic.
Again, Dravid made a mistake fileding first
India simply cannot chase with a bunch of ageing stars, who are tired after a stint on the field
Why Dravid doe snot get it
Complain about this postRuavaBualasky
To Indian fans asking for Harbhajan's reinstatement, first Harbhajan was dropped for his attitude. he thought he was larger than the game and Kiran More and Greg Chappell gave him a walk down modesty lane.
Chappell in fact re-purposed Yuvraj to a down to earth style, which has made him a better batsman now.
Chappell groomed a great fileding side for India. But during his days India did not win many matches. In his absence India wins more matches including Tests but the fileding has become a hit and miss.
What a tragedy. Kaif, Raina and Pathan in this team can make a difference. Harbhajan can add value as well, if he rectifies his attitude.
RuavaBualasky
Complain about this postJust a few observations
Good to see Broad progressing he really is turning into England's McGrath - ie conceding 30 odd of 10 overs.
Please stop with those damn annoying horns Indian fans- I saw several thoroughly fed up looking English fans on the telecast as a result.
Whilst the running between the wickets for quick singles was excellent - I feel that they did not consistently put the Indians under pressure for the 2's as the Aussies always do, esp. when your up against such bad fielders as Gangulay - who appeared to be feilding like he was playing Sunday Village cricket (and who's calling whilst batting was Al-Haq-esque)
Another good performance by England - India desperately need an all rounder.
Richard
Complain about this postBy the way before I get accused of Pommie bashing - I am actually an Englishman living in OZ!
S'trewth Mate,
Crack open a 'bouteille de Chateau d'Wogga Wogga. England are bossing a one-day rubber agin a top side! And you just KNOW a KP ton is IMMINENT. Aggers called it. Fielding's the key here. The Englandian fieldsmen were 'electric'. There are too many Indian liabilities in the field.
If I were Rahul Dravid then (apart from being Indian) I'd be issuing one or two real-time (hic et sunc) bollockings in the field. Munaf Patel smirks sheepishly after misfielding to the tune of a run. And what's the deal with Powar and red shades? I'd have those off and stowed pretty damn quick.
Anyway, good to see the Old Country doing it sans contributions from KP and Freddie.
Gee, I wish I was a Pom.
Complain about this postI'm concerned about the absence of Kabir Ali and Graeme Swann from the selectors' thought processes.
I could squeeze both these players into the current 11 thereby (IMHO) improving it.
1. Swann opens with Cook. (Prior drops down to the lower order and bats with either the anchorman - e.g. Cook or Bell - or the tail.) Monty goes out.
This is a controversial step and an unpopular one. But I'm not convinced by Monty in the ODI format.
2. Kabir Ali replaces Tremlett. I just don't think Tremlett cuts it at the international level (either code). I would add that I'm a Hampshire man.
The XI looks like this:
(Natural replacements in parentheses)
1. A. Cook
2. G. Swann
3. I. Bell
4. K. Pietersen
5. P. Collingwood*
6. A. Flintoff (R. Bopara)
7. M. Prior^
8. D. Mascarenas
9. Kabir Ali
10. S. Broad
11. J. Anderson
This side bats (pretty much) all the way down and bowls (pretty much) all the way up. And without picking any of that English curse, the 'bits and pieces' cricketers. (An Indian fan on this cite bemoaned the absence of an Indian all-rounder. He suggested a name who might be OK'ish. DON'T do it. Ajit Argarkar wouldn't make the side if he only batted or bowled. If you don't have a quality all-rounder you're better off picking a specialist.)
Monty is young and enthusiastic. He's also very popular in the dressing room and with the crowd. These are not idle virtues. But: he's bowling to flat. Monty has the makings of a fine player in either code. And he won't learn much carrying drinks.
How about a development programme specifically for MP; perhaps implemented at Northamptonshire? Or with the Lions?
Clearly MP is the first name on the TEST team sheet. Perhaps he'll go the way of Matthew Hoggard. Speaking of whom, given that 'Hoggie' more or less 'owned' the world's opening partnerships it staggers me that he didn't do well in ODI.
Anyway, food for thought.
I wonder if my Australian namesake has anything to say other than 'S'trewth Mate', which is getting a little tiresome!!
Complain about this postI repeat that Ian Bell is the best England batsman who contributed in all the three one day games in the series so far. Take Bell out and see what do England have. Well played Bell. I repeat that he has the best of defence and can play all the strokes of the cricket manual. Only one drawback in him is that it looks like or at least gives impression that he plays under some pressure or constraint even when there is no pressure on him to score. May be he feels insecure which comes from the whims of selectors.
I don't think Sachin has any weakness against short ball.Every batsman gets out to a short ball one time or the other which does not mean he cannot play short pitched deliveries. Sachin has scored over 10,000 runs in both versions of the game. That is sufficient proof of his abilily to play short pitched stuff or any kind of bowling for that matter in India and out side India.
That the indians are slow movers in the field is well known. But they are not known to drop too many catches like they did in this series so far,which was not expected, and they have paid the price for that.
Complain about this postEngland played better cricket allround and deserved to win
apart from piyush chawla and ramesh pawar this indian bowling attack does not look international class. The less said about the fielding and the running between the wickets the better. Looks like England will win the series.
Complain about this postIndia's fielding,catching and running between the wickets, all need to improve. India need to set the right example and drop players if they are not up to the mark on these criteria. In the 3rd One day against England, R P Singh's fielding mishaps were a sight to see. If the lad were to be dropped for his fielding, he'd probably realise that being a good fielder/catcher would do him no harm....
Complain about this postI am indeed surprised that neither you nor your Sports Editor , Mr. Mihir Bose have not taken up the question of better umpiring standards and taken to to task the poor umpires in cricket and the referees in Football...
The fourth umpire or Chief Referee must play a more important part in taling corrective actions in case he observes any mal function and overturn the field umpire's decision..
I appreciate if you could take up this matter further in order to ensure an improved performance
Complain about this postre number 31.
replace shah with mascerenhas and i couldn't agree more.
Complain about this postEngland's fielding was mighty impressive, even Monty's starting to get the ball to stick in his hands and my, he nearly staked a run out yesterday!
It is refreshing to see an England side being competitive in a one-day series. A year ago we may simply have been whitewashed!
Complain about this postI agree to say that India fielded terribly and England made some superb catches especially from Ian Bell. Although I'm a India supporter, I think that England deserve to win the series as their batting, bowling and fielding skills have improved tremendously and they seem to be in top form. India on the the other hand, have made a bad team selection with out of form players like Ramesh Powar and Ajit Agarkar (2nd ODI). To win matches and to build a team, India need a new team so that they can train them for the next World Cup. There are too many changes going on in their team, especially with their batting order and this unsettles the team. England, are on the right path at the moment, and it is going to be hard for India and other teams to beat them.
Complain about this postI thought Jonathan Agnew's critisism of Ian Bell whilst batting in the defeat to India in the 2nd one day international was unreasonable and harsh. Bell was keeping the innings together when all the 'superstars' like Pieterson were failing. Of course when Bell did open his arms he hit 6, then failed the next ball, getting caught. I'd rather have someone reliable getting into the 60's with a strike rate of 70 than someone with a strike rate of 120 who gets only 20 or 30 at the first half of an innings.
Bell has been England's best batsman this series and if Pieterson hasn't got the bottle to take the No.3 mantle, then there is only Bell or Collingwood good enough to do so at present. I prefer Collingwood at 5 or 6, as he is certainly our best 'finisher', so Bell is the obvious choice. He's been getting better and better and his ODI average speaks for itself!
Complain about this postWhy has Ranadeb Bose not been chosen for India in the one day games? India are far too quiet on the field, and this is where he would help. Bose is a great little speaker....
Complain about this postwhile the english fielding was good the loss was due to 3 indian batsmen perishing playing the same stroke. They are Tendulkar, Karthik and Dhoni. How could they?
Complain about this postBut overall a good game of cricket.
Should be:
Uthappa
Karthik
Ganguly
Dravid
Yuvraj
Raina
Dhoni
Pathan
Zaheer
Murali Karthik or Chawla
Harbajahn (who is gettin loads of wickets for surrey)
Any thopughts on that team, note no tendulkur because there is too much reliance and disnbelief in the squad. WE CAN WIN WITHOUT HIM. But that is an excellent fielding side and is depth in batting and bowling as, yuvraj, ganguly and raina can all bowl
Complain about this post3rd attempt to contact your rediculously pedantic site.
Complain about this postAfter Golf yesterday I turned on TMS at thr beak between innings.
CMJ introduced his summary by saying, correctly in my case, that new listeners may be tuning in.
he then went through the England score Card and the Indian bowling figures without ever mentionig the one bit of information I was really looking for, the England total which I finally obtained by switching to Radio 5 live.
Indians are playing so much of poor cricket that they may loose the series 5-2! They can't field and give away some thing like 20 - 30 runs, they can't hold on catches which means they give away quite a lot of runs (Ian Bell should have been out very early in his innings both at Rose Bowl as well as at Bristol! but now he might end up as man of the series!). When they bat they can't run at all! Look at Ganguly, he is not sure of running anytime, he is a bit of liability now!
Paul Colingwood should get full credit for fantastic field placements for Sachin and Ganguly!
I still hope India could win the series if they play to their potential, they however, may need to change the few players! Robin Uthappa should be playing as he has fire power which is lacking from top order, other than Dravid.
Complain about this postWell, the Standard of Umpiring was appalling in both Test series and One day series so far! For England its like having another one or some times two additional players for each match with so many decision going against India!
KP, Michael Vaughan playing atleast 10 times in 6 innings (Tests!) with the help of umpires and now the same standards we are seeing in One day matches! Decisions are all against India ...look at sachin's decision at Bristol and Ganguly's at the second and third Tests! It's very much appalling!
Complain about this postWhy does India insist on having Karthik in the ODI team? Dravid comparing him with Ian Bell situation is a joke. At leaset Bell had his first class career to back him up. Let's look at Karthik's career: his ODI average is 24. His career list A average is 26 and his career first class average is 32. His fielding is inconsistent and his wicket-keeping is inconsistent. He makes some spectacular stops but he also drops some sitters and makes some stupid blunders. Bell is certainly a much better fielder. There are several players in India who are better batsmen and fielders than karthik. Even in the current team, Rohit Sharma will be better if given a chance. Gambhir and Uthappa have better potential with the bat. Then there are the likes of raina, Kaif and Manoj Tiwari who are better batsmen and better fielders.
Complain about this postRE:no1 Murali Pujari
I'm getting really bored of Indian fans claiming that it is the umpire winning matches for them. The 1st test was only drawn because of a bad decision against Sreesanth. Also in that test Cook and Bell were given out to incorrect decisons, as I admit was dravid. Other English batsmen have been given out to wrong decisions throughout the test series and Indian batsmen were given reprives two times that I can remember. Though some decisions have gone against India, the bad decisions have not been one sided at all.
In the one dayers so far England have played the better cricket and did for the first test. India played better in the second test and duly won. Though India looked in complete control in the 3rd test the English batsmen hung on and salvaged a draw without the help of the weather(unlike India in the first test).
Have been very impressed with Powar and Chewla so far in the ODIs. Also Broad is looking very good with bat and espeically ball
Complain about this postAlways gives me a giggle when teams from the sub-continents fans query the validity of umpires. Yes there have been poor decisions made during the Test and ODI's but against both sides. Fans of India and Pakistan in particular should think back to some of the decisions England have had in the sub-continent over the last few decades before neutral officials, LBW's that would not have hit another set of stumps and non-existant bat / pads.
Bring back Abdul Qadir and Shakoor Rana.......All is forgiven.
Complain about this postDarwin Awards
The board of directors of Darwin award foundation has now decided to honor the awards to the cricket fraternity. The decision to include cricket was unanimous. Main categories in cricket include batting, bowling, strike rotation, and fielding.
Nominees for Batting awards- Sourav ganguly (for making sure that team never wins as long as he is in the crease), Sachin tendulkar (midlife batting crisis), Rahul Dravid (12 runs in 96 balls in the recent test series against england had gained him a sureshot nominee).
Bowling awards- In this section, there are 3 nominees. 1. Agarkar (India's spearhead in bowling! Whenever opposite team needs to increase the runrate, there is only one and only agarkar to rely on) 2. Sreesanth (Beamer against KP and sidestepping 1/2 mile away from the bowling crease during bowling).
Strike rotation nominees:
The great Sourav ganguly. Only one entry so far...
Fielding Nominees:
1. Munaf patel: He is india's greatest ever produced nominee for fielding.
Complain about this post2. Sourav Ganguly: He is so close to munaf patel. The competition is very tight in this category.
3. R.P Singh: Butter hands tells the truth...
Ask Dhoni to bat no 3. Either he will be spectacular success who will take the game away if he clicks. Or he will be non contributor,which as of now anyways he is because he usually comes to bat under extreme pressure or very few overs in hand.
Saurav should drop down order as he is scoring but scoring too slow.Send your best batsman first. SRT,Utthapa should open,Dhoni next, followed by Yuvraj, Dravid and Ganguly and Karthik .Remove Munaf Patel as his bowling is not great and fielding and batting is pathetic.
Anf for god sake if its not a obvious green top pitch ,BAT first under all other circumstances.
Complain about this postEngland - look like having the making of a good one day side here.
A few points.
1. Don't change anything - this group of 13 look good. Give them a year or so together!!!!!
Complain about this post2. England still have a problem forcing runs from the spinners
3. Monty needs some confidence in this form of cricket - stop dropping him becuase of the conditions - you always need a spinner! Give the lad a boost. If Monty starts firing that could be difference between a good team and a world class team.
I hate it when people complain about umpiring..england are winning as they are playing better cricket ( be it with 12 men )!!
Complain about this postnot long before pathan, harbajan and sehwag return to burst this temporary bubble..pity it's an away series and not enough time to bring the proper players back. the selectors realise that this series isn't as important hence the experiments i guess..england playing well against the indian second XI..
big boys return soon versus aus and pakistan..the strong teams!!
INDIA SHOULD SACK ROBIN SINGH AND GET SOME ONE LIKE JOUNTY EX SOUTH AFRICAN FIELDER.AS THEIR FIELDING COACH.I HAVE YET TO SEE ANY EX PRO INDIAN WHO IS A GOOD FILDER..
Complain about this postwell done england....india were just pathetic ...india need to sort out few things if they want to win this series....playing 5 bowlers is not helping them...england scored 280+ every time ....karthik should make way for rohit sharma...karthik is good in test but that doesnt mean he will score in one days 2...slater...langer are good example of that (not trying to compare karthik to these players but...)...they should include gambir in place of patel and should bat him at 6 or 7..he is definetely not no. 3 but he is a good batsman...dravid needs to understand that indias strength is batting and not bowling and it never was
Complain about this postwell done england....india were just pathetic ...india need to sort out few things if they want to win this series....playing 5 bowlers is not helping them...england scored 280+ every time ....karthik should make way for rohit sharma...karthik is good in test but that doesnt mean he will score in one days 2...slater...langer are good example of that (not trying to compare karthik to these players but...)...they should include gambir in place of patel and should bat him at 6 or 7..he is definetely not no. 3 but he is a good batsman...dravid needs to understand that indias strength is batting and not bowling and it never was
Complain about this postas an australian (strong team) i'm quite worried about facing the indian first eleven, which apparently consists of three out of form players dropped from the 'second xi'. I wonder if tendulkar, dravid, ganguly and dhoni have any hopes of making it into the first xi for the upcoming series. But credit to the indian selectors for 'experimenting' with so many young players (under 40's). Perhaps the england selectors were doing something similar in the test series, during which they seemed to be missing their entire bowling attack. As for the assertion that there is more than one strong team in the world, i'd like to refer people's attention to the fact that australia has been top of the test world championship for as long as it has existed and has won the last three world cups.
Complain about this postto mark (88)
great team the aussies but closer to england and india than u think squire! i just remember the last day at sydney versus india when the series was 1-1 and india , on the verge of winning had 3 lbw's turned down..hehe! wasn't too confident a batting line up of urs..was it? bucknor was umpiring and there u are!
Complain about this postanyway, we'll be playing u soon and sadly for ur once top team..i feel it will be a 1-1 !!
ps. bcci cq in post for acb..u will have new kit soon! regards
it is true that the filding was the difference in the end but the umpiring cause the match to be that close.
Complain about this postI am sick of many comments posted on this blog about the weather playing pivotal role in India saving the first test. I agree, weather did play a role, but one can't control the weather. What you can control is your batting and bowling. England were not able to take the advantage of the last 10-12 overs and were not able to take remaining 3 wickets due to some resolute batting by Dhoni and some bad bowling. It takes only 1 ball to take a wicket. And as a matter of fact the match should have been stopped way before it was stopped due to bad light.
Complain about this postIndia could have won the 3rd test if only the conditions supported their bowlers. The pitch was absolutely flat and there was no way that one team was going to be bowled out twice in 5 days. India, in theory, can blame the pitch and the weather for not being able to win the 3rd test. However, neither they or me are blaming these uncontrolable factors.
The point is you can only play in the conditions (you have no control on) that are there and try and win the games. All I am saying is "stop blaming the weather" for England not being able to win the first test, there were a lot of other factors.
With regards to the current one day series, I reiterate what I said before in the same blog, India will have to do a lot to win this series, as England are playing better cricket.
People who know about cricket and have been watching England over the last 3 years have long since said that Ian Bell is England's most technically perfect player.
Lets face it, he's not got the same firepower or natural flair as KP, or even Flintoff in his pomp, but he has been one of the first names on my team sheet since his debut.
He also really impressed me in the field, from earlier tests where he was made to field at silly point or short leg, to his current position in the covers.
This series he has shown what he is capable of: stunning fielding, *DEPENDABLE* batting, high scores at quick rates (SR of 90-110%). No wonder he's taken his ODI average to just under 40: some way better than Gilchrist. He only needs a couple more 70/80 run contributions to make his Man of the Series tag inevitable.
Complain about this postIndia have to improve upon their basics, tighter bowling and better fielding can easily make a difference of 20 to 30 runs. To look a tit another way, if our fielding was tighter, then we could perhaps afford to play 7 batsmen 4 bowlers and make up the rest with part-time bowlers.
I think Karthick should be given another chance at 3, he is a quality player and needs a decent run in the side. Also it seems both spinners should be played, an attacking option in the middle of the innings is important. I would like to see Uthappa at the top of the order but cant see where he can fit in with the currentline-up.
I also fail to see why Munaf is bowling at sub-80mph, when he is clearly capable of a lot more. Its not like he has metronomic accuracy to compensate so he may as well go flat out.
We need an fully fit Pathan back to add much needed balance !
Well played to England though so far, Bell has been excellent and the bowling especially by Anderson has also been good. I have been impressed by Colly's contributions with both bat and ball.
Complain about this postRe: Jim Antrobus
What nonsense! whilst I am a fan of Ian Bell it is pretty clear that the other night when England were chasing 330 to win ( and ended up losing by only 10 runs) that 62 off 96 balls was really poor and spineless,so he needed to make it up to his team. As for your sacrcastic reference to the "superstar" KP it's worth noting his ODI record (and tests) which are outstanding without taking 50 ODI's to take make a hundred.He didn't "bottle" being a no.3 as you put it, he merely acted unselfishly for the team by recognising, as the team's best batsmen by a long way, that he needed to be there to hold the innings together during the middle and end overs and that with the way are team were going he was in by the fifth over anyway - thus not making any difference.
Complain about this postI think Anderson has been absoulute fantastic in the test series and now the ODI series. The bowling has outshone the batting against India this summer.
Complain about this postMy advice to Indian team, down worry much abt fielding. Don't try to jump on moving ball. Its dangerous and can cause serious injury. Anyway we can go and collect it from rope.
Include 7-8 batsmen and try to score as much run . With some luck we can still make win few of the remaining.
For bowlers , take out all fast bowlers and bring in only spiners.
For England, they are good on one day and so bad on next. They beat Australia in Australia and then lost to WI in Eng. So what I can say...
Complain about this postDravid told true that Fielding the key to England. but england's batting is also the key to win them too. basically Ian Bell's batting. others also did well.
Complain about this postI would like to pose the question, "When is a 100 not a "big hundred"?"
The TMS team, and their guests, often refer to an individual getting a "big hundred", either in tight situations or when the batsman's place in the team is at stake. However, logically, if there are such things as "big hundreds" there ought to be some "small hundreds" around the place to provide a contrast. Although I doubt that any centurion batsmen would be too impressed to have their magnificent achievement diminished by such a description. If the term a "big hundred" is going to be used then, in the interests of balance, I look forward to hearing the TMS Team discuss a a "small hundred", perhaps along the lines of:
"Sorry KP, Freddie, Ian, Paul etc, good effort, but it was only a tiddler of a century."
Try it and see how long before the commentary box door is removed from its hinges, Hagrid style, by a justifiably aggrieved batsman and the day's supply of cakes becomes an integral part of your clothing.
Please, no more "big hundreds" unless you balance it with a "small hundred". A hundred is a hundred and very well done that batsman.
Here's hoping for good weather and a good contest today - we've not been disappointed so far in the series.
David
Complain about this postEngland won the last ODI match without any player scoring a 100. The 100s scored by Cook and Bell are significant in that it should get rid of the millstone around the knecks of the top order that they can't score 100s. Batting well in ODIs is NOT about scoring 100s but about scoring as many runs in the 50 overs as possible. Bell has demonstrated that he, along with Pietersen and Collingwood can score quickly in the middle overs. The key to England's improvement is to score more heavily in the power plays. This is still not being done and there are few signs that it will improve. England need to pick 2 openers who are going to attack from ball one. At the moment we have Prior. Luke Wright should be drafted to open with him and Cook should drop to No3 and Bell to No5.
Complain about this postWe're still not scoring enough runs. Our top six need to score more and more quickly in tests and in one day cricket. The fielding is much better than India's but we need more runs on the board.
Complain about this postIndia's only chance is to bat first and get a big score as they did in the second ODI, otherwise India is doomed. Play Uthappa instead of Karthik and bring Gambhir back. They should play 2 pace bowlers and Powar and Chawla the spinners. The fielding is very poor even by normal Indian standards - the fielders should try and concentrate.
Complain about this postIan Gould just won't give India LWB decisions.
Complain about this postHawkeye confirmed that Broad was out LBW and it would have been 172-8. Perhaps Ian Gould does not have experience of umpiring top class spinners. Congratulations to Bopara and Broad